Vienna R1 previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Tsonga, Simon vs. Lopez

Dominic Thiem will kick off his campaign in front of the home crowd in Vienna when he goes up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday. The first-round schedule also continues with a showdown between Gilles Simon and Feliciano Lopez.

(1) Dominic Thiem vs. (WC) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Thiem and Tsonga will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they battle in round one of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday evening. Tsonga has won both of their previous encounters; 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) at this same Vienna event in 2013 (quarterfinals) and 6-3, 6-2 at the 2016 Indian Wells Masters. Thiem is a whole different beast now, having been a staple of the top five over the past few years while compiling 15 lifetime ATP titles–four this season. The 26-year-old Austrian’s Asian swing included a title in Beijing and a quarterfinal performance in Shanghai.

Tsonga is quite clearly past his prime at 34 years old. Still, the Frenchman is hanging around at No. 36 in the world to put himself in contention for 2020 Australian Open seeding. He captured his second title of the season last month in Metz and is coming off a second-round showing in Antwerp. Both current form and home-court advantage suggest that Thiem should get the job done without too much trouble.

Pick: Thiem in 2

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Gilles Simon vs. Feliciano Lopez

The last time Simon and Lopez squared off, an improbable title was at stake. This time around, they are meeting in round one of a tournament. The aforementioned showdown did not disappoint, as a final-set tiebreaker had to separate them in Lopez’s 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) triumph at Queen’s Club this summer. That gave him a 6-2 lead in the head-to-head series and he has won four in a row at Simon’s expense.

There is, however, plenty of good news for the 34-year-old Frenchman. He is 2-0 against Lopez on hard courts and has lost in the first round at only one of his last five tournaments. Simon is coming off a quarterfinal finish in in Antwerp, where he fell to eventual runner-up Stan Wawrinka in three sets. Lopez is a modest 5-5 in main-draw matches since lifting the Queen’s Club trophy and he also may be somewhat fatigued following Rafael Nadal’s wedding festivities this past weekend. This a good opportunity for Simon.

Pick: Simon in 3

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