It will be another week before just about every single one of the top players in the world is back in action in Basel and Valencia. Nonetheless, this is arguably the best 250-point week of the entire year. Among those in action in Vienna, Moscow, and Stockholm are David Ferrer, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, and Grigor Dimitrov.
Erste Bank Open
Where: Vienna, Austria
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 250
Prize money: 521,405 Euros
Top seed: David Ferrer
2013 champion: Tommy Haas (not playing)
Draw analysis: Murray will have no walk in the park in the Vienna, at least if the draw has anything to do with it. The second-seeded Scot’s opener will likely come against Vasek Pospisil, who barely missed out on a seed. Murray is in the same half as Feliciano Lopez, a recent semifinalist in Shanghai and always a threat on indoor hard courts. Lopez will have to make quick turnaround while possibly facing either Lukas Rosol or Lukas Lacko in the quarterfinals.
The bracket sets up nicely for Austria’s own Dominic Thiem, the No. 8 seed whose only previous ATP final also came in his home nation (Kitzbuhel this summer). Thiem’s nearest seed is Philipp Kohlschreiber, who has played only three matches since the U.S. Open and has been dealing with physical problems. In the top quarter, meanwhile, Ferrer is on a collision course for the last eight with Ivo Karlovic.
First-round upset alert: Jan-Lennard Struff over (7) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Garcia-Lopez took the opening set off Gilles Simon the Shanghai first round then proceeded to win one more game in the entire match against the eventual runner-up. The 31-year-old Spaniard has lost his opening match in six of his last eight tournaments. Struff is up to a career-high ranking of 52nd in the world and he owns 13 of his 17 career ATP-level match victories this season.
Hot: Feliciano Lopez, Dominic Thiem, Simone Bolelli, Martin Klizan, Victor Estrella Burgos
Cold: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jurgen Melzer
Semifinal predictions: David Ferrer over Dominic Thiem and Andy Murray over Feliciano Lopez
Final: Murray over Ferrer
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Kremlin Cup
Where: Moscow, Russia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $776,620
Points: 250
Top seed: Milos Raonic
2013 champion: Richard Gasquet (not playing)
Draw analysis: This year’s Moscow field has to be one of the tournament’s best ever. Richard Gasquet was the only World Tour Finals contender in the 2013 installment, but this time around both Raonic and Cilic are on board. So, too, are top 15 player Ernests Gulbis and top 20 entrant Fabio Fognini. With both Gulbis and Fognini struggling mightily, Raonic and Cilic are considerable favorites to reach the title match.
Raonic’s path, beginning with one of two qualifiers, is especially favorable. Potential quarterfinal opponent Roberto Bautista Agut is in fine form but would be hard-pressed to take down the big-serving Canadian on an indoor hard court. Gulbis has been hampered by a shoulder issue, so Raonic could run into either Andreas Seppi or Ivan Dodig in the semis. Cilic’s potential road to the final includes Dudi Sela, Tommy Robredo, and either Fognini or Mikhail Youzhny.
First-round upset alert: Dusan Lajovic over (8) Andreas Seppi. Seppi reached the Shenzhen quarterfinals, but his fall swing has otherwise been a disaster complete with a lower-back problem. The 30-year-old Italian retired in Metz, lost his Beijing opener to Tommy Robredo, and did not play in Shanghai. Lajovic has won 15 ATP-level matches this season having previously won only five in his career.
Hot: Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Sam Groth, Malek Jaziri
Cold: Ernests Gulbis, Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Pere Riba, Dudi Sela, Evgeny Donskoy
Semifinal predictions: Milos Raonic over Ivan Dodig and Marin Cilic over Mikhail Youzhny
Final: Raonic over Cilic
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If Stockholm Open
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 521,405 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Tomas Berdych
Defending champion: Grigor Dimitrov
Draw analysis: Berdych has had quite an eventful post-U.S. Open swing. He got blown out by Gasquet in the Davis Cup semis, almost got double-bageled by Novak Djokovic in the Beijing final, then reached the Shanghai quarters before getting bageled by Simon in their third set. The Czech could not have asked for a better draw in Stockholm, where his campaign will begin with either a wild card or qualifier. Berdych’s nearest seed is Joao Sousa and the other top-four seed in his half is back-from-injury Alexandr Dolgopolov, who has not won a match since Hamburg in mid-July.
Rematches could be the story in the bottom section. Fernando Verdasco and Marinko Matosevic will square off right away after facing each other in the Wimbledon first round. Jack Sock and Andrey Golubev just went head-to-head in the Tokyo second round. Kevin Anderson is likely awaiting an opener against Bernard Tomic, to whom the South African lost an entertaining 2013 Sydney final. Anderson also had a memorable meltdown against Dimitrov this summer in Toronto and could battle the Bulgarian yet again in this week’s semifinals.
First-round upset alert: Marinko Matosevic over (7) Fernando Verdasco. Matosevic leads the head-to-head series 2-1 after rolling over Verdasco 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Wimbledon first round. The Australian is in mediocre form right now, but Verdasco has done nothing of late. Since a second-round U.S. Open loss to Andrey Kuznetsov, the Spaniard’s only result is an opening loss to Dimitrov in Beijing.
Hot: Leonardo Mayer, Jack Sock, Elias Ymer
Cold: Alexandr Dolgopolov, Fernando Verdasco, Igor Sijsling, Alejandro Falla
Semifinal predictions: Tomas Berdych over Leonardo Mayer and Kevin Anderson over Jeremy Chardy
Final: Berdych over Anderson
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Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
Malek Jaziri, so much for being hot.
correctly picked him to lose!
#Nostradimonus
I like Murray for Vienna…how about Leonardo Mayer for Stockholm? I hope he at least makes the final (not just the SF). I have nothing for Moscow. Fabio? Ernest? Tommy? Milos? nada.
I am thinking Murray for Vienna. I like Berdy’s chances in Stockholm, but it would be nice to see Leonardo Mayer get to the final. Ricky predicted him to get to the semis and lose to Berdy. This should be a good chance for Berdy to get a title, but he’s really been off his game lately. Maybe he can rebound here.
I am with Ricky on Moscow. I think it’s going to be Raonic versus Cilic in the final. I think Cilic might get the win. Didn’t Raonic have to drop out with some kind of injury recently? I am waiting for Cilic to finally do something after his USO win.
nope, it was only a virus.
so Raonic should be fine.
Berdych over Dimitrov.
Cilic over Raonic.
Ferrer over Murray.
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Vienna R1 previews and picks: Thiem vs. Haase, Estrella Burgos vs. Troicki – https://tenngrand.com/2014/10/14/vienna-r1-previews-and-picks-thiem-vs-haase-estrella-burgos-vs-troicki/
It’s a very strong field in Vienna. Murray’s half include the tricky, big serving Daniel Brand also the rising Pospisil. There are also Khols and Tobias Kamke in Ferrer’s half. For Murray to gain the maximum he is after, he’ll still have to get past Ferrer should they both make the final.
I have a suspicion Andy would not be that bothered if he didn’t make it to the WTF. He can’t relish the prospect of ugly barracking from the rent-a-mob he will be baying for his blood following his comments on the eve of the Scottish referendum. Remember the disgraceful crowd behaviour at the O2 in 2012 which was years after his flippant ‘anybody but England’ joke.
I wasn’t logged in when I posted the above
Ed, I think Andy does want to play the WTF why else would he play Vienna or Valencia? He’s even complained about the rules for qualifying which says that a top 20 GS winner will qualify over the 8th ranked player.