Vienna, Stockholm, and Moscow previews and predictions

Sandwiched in between the last two Masters 1000 events of the season, this week still boasts an impressive field of players. Vienna has been upgraded from a 250 to a 500 and has attracted the likes of David Ferrer, John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gael Monfils. Tomas Berdych leads the way in Stockholm and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic headlines Moscow.

Erste Bank Open

Where: Vienna, Austria
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 500
Prize money: 1,745,040 Euros

Top seed: David Ferrer
2014 champion: Andy Murray (not playing)

Draw analysis: Coming off a runner-up performance in Shanghai, Tsonga will likely face some unpredictable but dangerous competition in Vienna. The 10^th-ranked Frenchman will open with the oft-injured Tommy Haas and would then run into Lukas Rosol during second-round action. Monfils, who has been on the shelf for more than a month, is a potential quarterfinal opponent for Tsonga. The top half of the draw also features Ferrer and Fabio Fognini.

A big-hitting third section of the bracket includes Isner, Ivo Karlovic, and Ernests Gulbis. A likely second-round showdown will pit Isner against Gulbis, while Karlovic awaits either Sergiy Stakhovsky or Jan-Lennard Struff. Austria’s own Dominic Thiem is on a collision course with second-seeded Kevin Anderson at the bottom of the draw. Thiem, though, has to open with a mercurial Jerzy Janowicz and could meet Alexandr Dolgopolov or Steve Johnson in the last 16.

First-round upset alert: Thomaz Bellucci over (6) Gael Monfils. Monfils has not played a match since the first round of the U.S. Open, where he retired against Illya Marchenko. The Frenchman does not have a win since round one of the Montreal Masters. Bellucci has endured a few tough draws this fall but for the most part is in fine form. Although Monfils leads the head-to-head series 2-0, the Brazilian took a set in each of the two previous meetings.

Hot: David Ferrer, Kevin Anderson, John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fabio Fognini

Cold: Gael Monfils, Santiago Giraldo, Radek Stepanek, Tommy Haas, Ernests Gulbis, Jerzy Janowicz, Alexandr Dolgopolov

Semifinal predictions: David Ferrer over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and John Isner over Dominic Thiem

Final: Ferrer over Isner

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If Stockholm Open

Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 537,050 Euros
Points: 250

Top seed: Tomas Berdych
Defending champion: Tomas Berdych

Draw analysis: This is the last tournament in the career of Jarkko Nieminen, who could not ask for a much better draw. The veteran Finn will kick off his campaign against Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, arguably the weakest player in the field. Grigor Dimitrov would be a heavy favorite in round two, but the Bulgarian’s slump has shown no recent signs of coming to an end. The top half of the bracket also boasts Shanghai quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic in addition to a second-round tussle between Berdych—the 2014 champion—and fast-rising German Alexander Zverev.

Although this tournament may be in Sweden, there is a distinct French flavor—at least in the bottom half. Richard Gasquet is the No. 2 seed, Gilles Simon is right behind him, and an in-form Jeremy Chardy is sixth. Gasquet and Chardy find themselves in the same section, while Simon could go up against either Jack Sock or Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals.

First-round upset alert: (Q) Filip Krajinovic over (5) Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov has plunged to No. 26 in the world and he has won more than two matches at only one of his last six tournaments. The Bulgarian is coming off a first-round Tokyo loss to Benoit Paire. Krajinovic reached the second round of the U.S. Open and finished runner-up at a Challenger event earlier this month. He lost to Dimitrov in Acapulco back in February but at least managed to take a set.

Hot: Richard Gasquet, Bernard Tomic, Jeremy Chardy, John Millman

Cold: Grigor Dimitrov, Jarkko Nieminen, Fernando Verdasco, Adrian Mannarino

Semifinals: Bernard Tomic over Alexander Zverev and Richard Gasquet over Jack Sock

Final: Gasquet over Tomic

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Kremlin Cup

Where: Moscow, Russia
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: $698,325
Points: 250

Top seed: Marin Cilic
2013 champion: Marin Cilic

Draw analysis: Cilic is one of the most notorious 250-point vultures on the ATP Tour. Among his resume in that department is a title at this Moscow event last year. The Croat was coming off a U.S. Open triumph in 2014 and he has plenty of momentum once again on the heels of a semifinal showing in New York. Moscow’s top seed should have no trouble cruising through a relatively soft top half of the draw. Compatriot Borna Coric can be dangerous, but Cilic just destroyed him in Shanghai.

The other side is more open, as the two players with opening-round byes are far from daunting. Neither Roberto Bautista Agut nor Philipp Kohlschreiber is in especially strong form right now. That being said, is there anyone who can capitalize on the opportunity? No. 7 seed Joao Sousa is already out fifth-seeded Pablo Cuevas is not exactly a force indoors. Watch out for the Lucas Pouille vs. Simone Bolelli first-round winner.

First-round upset alert: (WC) Andrey Rublev over (8) Mikhail Kukushkin. Kukushkin is one of the streakier players on the circuit; he can catch fire at any moment but is prone to the awful loss. Whenever the Kazak is seeded, it is an upset waiting to happen. He is 2-2 this fall with wins only at the expense of players outside the top 100. Rublev owns seven of his eight career ATP-level match victories this year and will have home-court advantage in Russia.

Hot: Marin Cilic, Andrey Rublev, Lucas Pouille

Cold: Viktor Troicki, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Pere Riba, Mikhail Youzhny

Semifinals: Marin Cilic over Borna Coric and Roberto Bautista Agut over Philipp Kohlschreiber

Final: Cilic over Bautista Agut

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Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!