First-round competition at the ATP 500 in Vienna wraps up on Wednesday with an all-American battle between Tommy Paul and Brandon Nakashima. Frances Tiafoe faces Matteo Berrettini in the second round.
Brandon Nakashima vs. (4) Tommy Paul
Paul will continue his Nitto ATP Finals bid when he faces Nakashima in round one of the Erste Bank Open on Wednesday. The world No. 12 helped himself massively by winning the Stockholm title last week, climbing to 10th in the race while passing the player he defeated in the final–Grigor Dimitrov. Paul is now 45-17 for the year.
It has also been a stellar season for Nakashima. However, much unlike Paul it looks the like the world No. 38 has hit the wall in a big way coming down the stretch. Nakashima is 1-4 in his last five matches and all four of his losses have come in straight sets–including to 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka in Stockholm. Although Nakashima leads the head-to-head series 3-1 (3-0 on the main tour), a red-hot Paul should have no trouble winning this one.
Pick: Paul in 2
Frances Tiafoe vs. Matteo Berrettini
Tiafoe and Berrettini will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when second-round action in Vienna gets underway on Wednesday. They have split their two previous encounters; Berrettini prevailed 6-3, 7-6(1) with home-court advantage in Rome six years ago before Tiafoe survived a 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) thriller at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters.
Since Tiafoe has admitted that he loses motivation following the U.S. Open every year, it’s no to surprise to see him back in a slump. The 15th-ranked American has not won back-to-back matches since New York and is 3-4 in his last seven outings. Tiafoe did well to defeat Cameron Norrie on Tuesday, but–at least on an indoor hard court–Berrettini is a considerable step up in competition. The 41st-ranked Italian dismissed Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-4 on Monday and needs every win he can get as he tries to get into seeded position for the 2025 Australian Open. A more motivated Berrettini should take care of business.
Pick: Berrettini in 3
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