Unfortunately for Andrey Rublev, he cannot be in two places at once. Rublev won both the Vienna and St. Petersburg titles last year, but this time around those two tournaments are taking place in the same week. Having already clinched a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals and with no need to chase points, it is no surprise that Rublev is choosing a 250 at home in Russia (St. Petersburg) instead of a 500 in Austria (Vienna). The world No. 6 is the title favorite in St. Petersburg, although he could be challenged by Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov, and Moscow champ Aslan Karatsev. Vienna’s field is even more loaded, as it boasts Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Matteo Berrettini just to name a few.
Erste Bank Open
Where: Vienna, Austria
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 500
Prize money: 1,837,190 Euros
Top seed: Stefanos Tsitsipas
Defending champion: Andrey Rublev (not playing)
Draw analysis: With Basel having been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vienna is the last big points grab prior to the Paris Masters. And points-chasing will be the big story, as this event could have a major impact on the race for the Nitto ATP Finals. Barring a surprise title for Karatsev in Paris or for Felix Auger-Aliassime in either Vienna or Paris, the last two available Turin spots are coming down to Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner, and Cameron Norrie. All four are taking their talents to Vienna. Hurkacz has the worst draw of the four, facing Andy Murray in the opening round and possibly Carlos Alcaraz in the second. Ruud and Sinner await difficult first-rounders against Lloyd Harris and Reilly Opelka, respectively. Norrie has a relatively favorable path to the quarterfinals but could meet Zverev at that point.
Things probably won’t be easy for Tsitsipas, either. The third-ranked Greek will kick off his campaign against Grigor Dimitrov before potentially running into Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16 and Diego Schwartzman in the quarters. Schwartzman just finished runner-up to Sinner in Antwerp. Other Vienna QF matchups if the seeds hold to form are Ruud vs. Sinner, Berrettini vs. Hurkacz, and Zverev vs. Auger-Aliassime.
Hot: Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner, Cameron Norrie, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Carlos Alcaraz, Reilly Opelka, Lloyd Harris
Cold: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, Marton Fucsovics, Kevin Anderson, Lorenzo Musetti, Dusan Lajovic
Quarterfinal predictions: Frances Tiafoe over Gael Monfils, Jannik Sinner over Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz over Pablo Carreno Busta, and Alexander Zverev over Cameron Norrie
Semifinals: Sinner over Tiafoe and Hurkacz over Zverev
Final: Sinner over Hurkacz
St. Petersburg Open
Where: St. Petersburg, Russia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $863,705
Points: 250
Top seed: Andrey Rublev
Defending champion: Andrey Rublev
Draw analysis: Life may be difficult for Rublev this week, and not just because he has cooled off a bit since losing to Zverev in the Cincinnati final. Ilya Ivashka is a potential second-round opponent and Sebastian Korda is a possible quarterfinal foe. The top half of the bracket also includes Khachanov, who reached the Moscow semis before falling to Karatsev, in addition to Roberto Bautista Agut, Mackenzie McDonald, and Moscow runner-up Marin Cilic.
Karatsev finds himself in the bottom half along with Shapovalov, Alexander Bublik, and Indian Wells semifinalist Taylor Fritz. This will obviously be a quick turnaround for Karatsev and John Millman, who generally plays well this time of year, would be a tough second-round adversary. Meanwhile, an in-form James Duckworth has a good opportunity because both of the seeds in his section—Shapovalov and Bublik—are struggling.
Hot: Aslan Karatsev, Taylor Fritz, James Duckworth, Ilya Ivashka
Cold: Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, Sebastian Korda, Jan-Lennard Struff, Laslo Djere
Quarterfinal predictions: Andrey Rublev over Sebastian Korda, Marin Cilic over Mackenzie McDonald, Tommy Paul over John Millman, and James Duckworth over Denis Shapovalov
Semifinals: Rublev over Cilic and Paul over Duckworth
Final: Rublev over Paul
who ya got?
Rublev over Karatsev