Dominic Thiem will kick off his campaign in front of home fans on Tuesday in Vienna. Victor Estrella Burgos and Victor Troicki are also in first-round action.
Robin Haase vs. (8) Dominic Thiem
Thiem and Haase will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday. Thiem’s only ATP final has come at home in Austria, where he finished runner-up to David Goffin on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel this summer. That is just one result of many encouraging ones in what has been a breakout season for the 21-year-old. Thiem has earned 21 of 27 career ATP-level match victories in 2014 and he capped off the summer with a fourth-round showing at the U.S. Open.
Haase also does some of his best work in Austria. Both of his titles have come in Kitzbuhel and he also reached the Vienna final last fall (lost to Tommy Haas). The 72nd-ranked Dutchman, however, has been mediocre at best this season. He is a modest 17-22 at the ATP level and lost in the quarterfinals of last week’s Rennes Challenger to 319th-ranked Enzo Couacaud. Thiem is playing too well and will be too inspired in front of the hometown crowd to let Haase make this one overly interesting.
Pick: Thiem in 2
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Victor Estrella Burgos vs. (Q) Viktor Troicki
Prior to Troicki’s one-year suspension from last July until this summer, Estrella Burgos had been a perennial unknown on the ATP Tour. So it should come as no surprise that the two players have never faced each other heading into opening-round action in Vienna on Tuesday. Now Troicki is back and Estrella Burgos has firmly entrenched himself in the top 100. The late-blooming 34-year-old is up to a career-high ranking of No. 65 in the world thanks in part to a breakout summer that included a semifinal showing in Bogota and a third-round performance at the U.S. Open. The Dominican is coming off two recent Challenger appearances in which he bagged a title and then finished runner-up (both on clay).
Troicki is in resurgent form under much different circumstances. The 28-year-old Serb served his drug-related ban and is wasting no time soaring back up the rankings. Since late July he has two Challenger titles, a semifinal, two quarterfinals, and two ATP quarterfinals (Gstaad and Shenzhen). Troicki is already up to No. 127 in the world and on course for 2015 Australian Open direct entry if he continues at this rate. Indoor hard courts favor Troicki and he has played his last three events on hards, so that will give him an advantage.
Pick: Troicki in 3
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Thiem under performed and Troicki has bitten the dust.
The Burgos story lends new meaning to the expression a ‘late bloomer’ and Federer is definitely a ‘hardy perennial’.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bz-ilRRIUAAyNEJ.png
what is that
Ricky Dimon (4 at 3:39 pm)
A joke – like ‘Lance Armstrong’ here:
https://tenngrand.com/2014/08/07/facebook-chat-tennis-players-react-to-nadals-u-s-open-series-absence/
who made it
Ricky Dimon ( at 3:45 pm)
I don’t know.
By the way, who made ‘Lance Armstrong’ post here:
August 7, 2014 “Facebook chat: Tennis players react to Nadal’s U.S. Open Series absence”
that would appear to be Lance Armstrong
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^^^^^^Is that an insinuation?
ed251137 ( at 10:43 am),
Is THAT an insinuation:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bz-5jOQCEAAF08Q.png
August 7, 2014 “Facebook chat: Tennis players react to Nadal’s U.S. Open Series absence”
Touche
Surprised this is allowed on a “moderated” site. No better than Tennis-X.
For what it is worth, I will be posting less and less here until the bile recedes. I can see why others left.
Such garbage.
Like I said. Just like the federazzi.
QED
Yes, Ricky should only allow fake Federer photos to be posted on Tenngrand. Those are not garbage.
Hello pot…….
zing
tho i have no idea what photos he is referring to, so perhaps he is referring to his own Federer photos!?!?!?
I’m sure he’ll let you know Ricky…………….when “the bile recedes”. Sigh………..
In the meantime, suggest you carry on with the good work.
Vamos Ricky!!
i always will regardless of who is or isn’t around. you never have to worry about that!
Thank goodness for that. Hope this puts paid to any notions some might have that Tenngrand is gonna fold because so and so is not posting anymore.
Life. Goes. On.
Aaaagh! Roll on Basel…………..
Without Hawkeye this site would be a lot less fun.
And won’t be helpful lining up some poor soul to pillory ad nauseum for the “catastrophe”. If posters leave it’s because they want to, not because somebody made them leave. To suggest the latter is to question Ricky’s moderation acumen, which to my mind is utter tosh.
Tenngrand like tennis-x blog? My ass………..
You’re right. They don’t easily tolerate so-called “jokes” about tennis greats doping.
Hope that is clear enough.