Vienna R1 previews and picks: Thiem vs. Janowicz, Dolgopolov vs. Johnson

Crowd favorite Dominic Thiem will contest his Vienna opener against Jerzy Janowicz on Tuesday. First-round action also features Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Steve Johnson.

(5) Dominic Thiem vs. Jerzy Janowicz

Thiem and Janowicz will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time at the ATP level when they clash in round one of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2011 Salzburg Challenger, where Janowicz cruised 6-1, 6-3. Fast forward four years. however, and Thiem is obviously a much different player now. The Austrian is up to No. 19 in the world thanks in part to a 34-24 record in 2015. A mediocre fall swing includes a semifinal performance in St. Petersburg and a second-round showing in Shanghai.

Janowicz has been decent at best this season. The 65th-ranked Pole just barely sports a winning record at 23-22 following a second-round exit from St. Petersburg last month. Janowicz recently went back to the Challenger circuit and finished runner-up to Jan-Lennard Struff on the indoor hard courts of Orleans. Short on confidence in his all-court game, the underdog will almost certainly be outclassed in this one unless he serves at an astronomical percentage.

Pick: Thiem in 2

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Steve Johnson vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov

Australian Open seeding may be on Dolgopolov’s mind as he hopes to pick up some much-needed momentum in Vienna. The Ukrainian registers at 35th in the world, but he appears to be going nowhere fast. Dolgopolov has not won a single match since reaching the Cincinnati semifinals and flirting with a straight-set win over Novak Djokovic before collapsing. He lost his openers in Winston-Salem, at the U.S. Open, and so far this fall in Tokyo and Shanghai.

Up first for Dolgopolov in Vienna is Johnson, whom he has never faced. The 47th-ranked American is wrapping up a solid season in which he has earned 29 of his 55 career ATP-level match victories. Johnson reached the second round in both Tokyo and Shanghai, ultimately losing to Marin Cilic and Andy Murray. Current form heavily favors the former NCAA star, who would almost certainly choose a hard court on which to face Dolgopolov as opposed to grass or clay.

Pick: Johnson in 3

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