Both first-round and second-round matches will be played on Wednesday at the ATP 500 event in Vienna. Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini, Tommy Paul, and Brandon Nakashima are among those in action.
Here are my picks for two of Wednesday’s best matchups.
Frances Tiafoe vs. Matteo Berrettini
Tiafoe and Berrettini will be facing each other for the third time. They have split their two previous meetings; Berrettini got the job done 6-3, 7-6(1) on the red clay of Rome in 2018 before won a 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) marathon at the 2022 Cincinnati tournament.
Tiafoe has admitted to losing motivation following the U.S. Open on an annual basis, so it’s not a surprise to see him in mediocre form at the moment. He has not won back-to-back matches since leaving New York and is 3-4 in his last seven. Tiafoe beat Cameron Norrie on Tuesday at the Erste Bank Open, but Berrettini is a whole different beast. Berrettini, who took care of Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-4 in round one, is especially dangerous on any kind of fast surface.
Pick: Berrettini in 3
Brandon Nakashima vs. (4) Tommy Paul
Paul will be continuing his bid for a Nitto ATP Finals berth when he takes the court in Vienna. The 12th-ranked American helped himself bigtime by winning the Nordic Open in Stockholm last week. But now there are 500 points available rather than 250, so it’s another very important week for Paul as he tries to move up at least two places from his current standing of No. 10 in the race.
Up first for Paul is Nakashima, who leads the head-to-head series 3-1 (3-0 on the main tour). Despite that record, this one doesn’t set up well for the underdog. He has played great in 2024 but–unlike Paul–has clearly hit the wall at the end of a long season. Nakashima is 1-4 in his last five matches and all four of his recent losses have come in straight sets.
Pick: Paul in 2
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.