Dominic Thiem is next in line to potentially qualify for the World Tour Finals, but he still has a ways to go as he heads into a second-round Vienna date with Viktor Troicki on Thursday. David Ferrer and Joao Sousa are also in action.
(3) Dominic Thiem vs. Viktor Troicki
Thiem and Troicki will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Erste Bank Open quarterfinals on Thursday. Their only previous contest came two seasons ago on the clay courts of Gstaad, where Troicki prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4. Fast forward to 2016, however, and it is Thiem’s game that has soared to new heights–to the extent that he will likely make a debut appearance at the World Tour Finals next month. The ninth-ranked Austrian, who is No. 7 in current race to London, boasts four titles as part of his 57 match victories. He has cooled off dramatically–especially from a physical standpoint–since the French Open, but he managed to destroy compatriot Gerald Melzer 6-0, 6-3 on Tuesday.
Troicki advanced through his Vienna opener in much different fashion, scraping past Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in two hours and 17 minutes. The 28th-ranked Serb is 32-27 for the year with a title in Sydney and a runner-up performance in Sofia–both in the very early stages. A less impressive fall swing has been plagued by opening-match losses in Beijing and Moscow, although Troicki did pull off a second-round upset of Rafael Nadal in Shanghai. Thiem appears to be inspired in front his home fans and he should not have too much trouble continuing his march toward London.
Pick: Thiem in 2
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Joao Sousa vs. (5) David Ferrer
Ferrer and Sousa are both coming off victories via retirement; Ferrer played just five games (led 3-2) against Kyle Edmund on Tuesday, while Sousa was dominating Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 3-0 when the Uruguayan called it quits. The result is just a second career meeting between Ferrer and Sousa, with the Portuguese player having won their only previous encounter 6-2, 7-6(6) three years ago on the indoor hard courts of Kuala Lumpur. Sousa went on to capture the title that week and his second of two ATP triumphs also came during the fall swing, last season in Valencia. The stretch run of 2016 has been a bit of a different story for the world No. 34, who is just 5-5 in tournament competition since the U.S. Open–with two of his five wins coming by retirement. Prior to this week, Sousa suffered first-round exits in Shanghai and Antwerp.
A disappointing season has Ferrer struggling to stay inside the top 20 at 19th in the rankings. The 34-year-old Spaniard owns a modest 34-21 record, which includes no titles. He does not appear to be wrapping up the 2016 campaign with any kind of momentum, either, as a decent semifinal performance in Beijing was followed up by opening-match losses in Shanghai (to Feliciano Lopez) and Antwerp (to Kyle Edmund). This should be an entertaining battle between two hard-nosed competitors who play a similar style of tennis, but a greater sense of urgency with Ferrer may push the veteran across the finish line.
Pick: Ferrer in 3
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