Brothers Jurgen Melzer and Gerald Melzer will be going head-to-head when they collide in a surprising quarterfinal at the Generali Open on Thursday afternoon. Their only previous encounter came last summer in Wimbledon qualifying, with Jurgen getting the job done 6-1, 6-4.
Jurgen, of course, is by far the better-known of the two. The 35-year-old Austrian once peaked as high as No. 8 in the world, but he has been plagued by various injuries in the presumably latter stages of his career and he is currently wallowing at 421st in the rankings. This is his first ATP-level event of 2016 and to say it is off to a good start would be an understatement. Jurgen ousted Taro Daniel 6-4, 7-6(4) before knocking out No. 1 seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-5.
Prior to this week, Gerald was a horrendous 0-5 at the ATP-level this season and 4-16 for his career. From completely out of nowhere, the 26-year-old is through to the Kitzbuhel quarterfinals with wins over Albert Montanes (in three sets) and Daniel Gimeno-Traver (6-3, 6-1)
“It’s always been a dream of mine to win an ATP-level match on Austrian soil,” Gerald said after beating Montanes. “In the past, I maybe put too much pressure on my shoulders, but today I was in a relaxed mood. With the support of the home crowd, I really had fun playing, even if I wasn’t completely satisfied with my game.”
There will be pressure of a different sort this time around, with both men in a tricky situation. The nerves may be calmed somewhat by the fact that they have faced each other once before, but it remains unlikely that the highest possible level of tennis will be on display. Jurgen will probably once again handle the situation like the veteran he is, but Gerald should make it more competitive than their previous meeting.
Pick: Jurgen in 3
[polldaddy poll=9475053]
who ya got?
J Melzer is the better option here, probably in 3.
Jurgen in three