Vienna Open: Daniil Medvedev defeats Nikoloz Basilashvili and meets Dominic Thiem in the second round
Top seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia began his Vienna Open campaign with a comfortable straight-set victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on October 26
Image credit: PA Images Daniil Medvedev defeats Nikoloz BasilashviliDaniil Medvedev dominated Nikoloz Basilashvili throughout the match and earned early breaks to book a second-round spot with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
The 26-year-old Russian served ten aces and won 81% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of Nikoloz Basilashvili four times from five opportunities. In contrast, the 30-year-old Georgian served no aces, won 53% of the points on the first serve, and committed four double faults.
The victory improved the win-loss record of Daniil Medvedev on hard courts for the season to 30-10. He is looking to win the second title of the season, having claimed the trophy at Los Cabos Open after beating British No. 1 Cameron Norrie earlier this year.
Daniil Medvedev will lock horns with former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem of Austria in the second round of the Vienna Open on October 27.
Dominic Thiem has a win-loss record of 3-2 against the Russian, with Medvedev winning at their most recent meeting after bouncing back from a set down at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals.
Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Dennis Novak in the opening round
World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas booked a second-round spot at the Vienna Open after securing a comfortable 7-6(7-2), 6-2 victory over Dennis Novak in the opening round on October 26.
Stefanos Tsitsipas fell to 3-4 and was broken after making two straight love holds. The match was sent into a tie-break, and the Greek let it slip at 0/40 but bounced back to convert on his fourth break chance to win the opening set 7-6(7-2).
The second-seeded Greek cruised through the second set to book a second-round spot at the Vienna Open for the third year.
After the victory, Stefanos Tsitsipas said, "I did really well in the second set, kind of finding my steps and getting a good feel of the court, of the balls. It was a very good second set, in my opinion. I just wish I could have pulled that off in the first set, but it didn't come. I had to fight hard in that first one to get it and play a good tie-break."
Stefanos Tsitsipas will next face Borna Coric of Croatia in the second round of the ATP 500 event in the Austrian capital on October 27. The 25-year-old Croatian advanced to the second round after beating Quentin Halys 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after a hard-fought clash.