Dimitrov Advances, Paul Eliminated At Erste Bank Open

Grigor Dimitrov, Erste Bank Open, Vienna
Grigor Dimitrov (photo: e|motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer).

VIENNA/WASHINGTON, October 23, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

Three days after they met in the Stockholm final, both World No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and World No. 12 Tommy Paul were back on court at the Erste Bank Open Wednesday afternoon. Each began their respective Vienna campaigns with mixed results.

The third-seeded Dimitrov from Bulgaria eliminated No. 46 Zhang Zhizhen of China, 6-4, 7-5, in an hour and 37 minutes on Center Court inside Wiener Stadthalle. Dimitrov fired 12 aces and struck 32 overall winners on the strength of winning 71 percent of his service points while breaking Zhang’s serve three times. He outpointed his opponent 75-61.

“To be honest, I think at the beginning, I was playing alright, but I wasn’t able to hit my spots on the serve very well,” Dimitrov said in an interview with ATP Media. “The conditions from last week to today are so different. In the end, I just had to somehow find a way, but I think that I have quite a bit of experience in moments like that.

“I was trying to keep everything as simple as possible and use every opportunity I had,” he added.

“In the second set, I almost had too many opportunities … but in the last game, I had a little more authority which helped me to step through and put a little more pressure on him.”

Meanwhile, by winning his second indoor title of the season in Stockholm Sunday, Paul passed Dimitrov for the No. 10 spot on PIF ATP Race to Turin, as both players aim to qualify for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals. Paul is seeking his first Turin appearance, while Dimitrov looks for his second Nitto ATP Finals berth, after winning the 2017 title.

By the end of the afternoon, Dimitrov momentarily reclaimed 10th place (by a mere 15 points) after Paul was upset by fellow American Brandon Nakashima, 6-4, 6-4, in one hour and 46 minutes on Center Court. The winner of two ATP Tour indoor titles this season, Paul gave a lackluster performance that included committing 35 unforced errors and failing in his only opportunity to break his opponent. To his credit, Nakashima hit 25 winners and outpointed Paul 75-67 in winning his Vienna debut.

The 38th-ranked Nakashima, who came in having posted three Top 20 upsets over fellow Americans (Paul, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe) since August, improved his career head-to-head against Paul to 4-0. The loss ended Paul’s eight-match winning streak on indoor hard courts.

Interviewed by ATP Media afterward, Nakashima was asked what pleased him most about his win against Paul. He replied: “My overall consistency throughout the whole match. I took care of my serves, got a lot of opportunities on his serves, and was able to capitalize on a few of them. So, I’m really happy with my level.”

On Thursday, Dimitrov will take on 37th-ranked Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic, who won his first meeting against No. 56 Fabian Marozsan of Hungary, 7-6 (5), 6-1, in 72 minutes on the #Glaubandich Court. Nakashima will oppose recent Almaty champion Karen Khachanov of Russia, ranked 24th, who defeated 78th-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and 27 minutes on the #Glaubandich Court.

Zverev puts on a serving masterclass for Giron, Vienna fans

World No. 3 Alexander Zverev gave his opponent, American Marcos Giron, and Vienna fans in Wiener Stadthalle a masterclass in serving Wednesday evening.

The top seed was nearly unbeatable — especially during his 10 service games — in defeating the 48th-ranked Giron, 6-2, 7-5. The second-round match lasted just 72 minutes on Center Court but the outcome advanced Zverev into Friday’s quarterfinals against No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

Zverev won 91 percent (40 of 44) of his serves — including 8-for-8 on his second serve — and faced no break points en route to collecting his personal-best 61st victory of the season. The German No. 1 hit 10 aces, struck 33 winners overall, made only 11 forced errors and converted all three of his break-point opportunities. Zverev outpointed Giron 65-40 to reach his 14th quarterfinal of 2024 and third Vienna last eight.

“I thought he was serving unbelievable in the second set,” Zverev said in his post-match interview with ATP Media, expressing how hard Giron made him work. “I was feeling really well from the baseline, but I was not getting many chances to play from the baseline because he was serving so well.

“Obviously, I’m extremely happy to get it done in straight sets. When it goes to a tie-break, it’s never guaranteed that you’re going to win it, especially against someone like him who plays fantastic tennis. I’m happy to be through to the quarterfinals.”

Berrettini outlasts Tiafoe in three-hour-plus marathon

In the match of the day, No. 41 Matteo Berrettini of Italy advanced to his third Vienna quarterfinal in as many appearances (2019 semifinal, 2021 quarterfinal) after outlasting No. 5 seed Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in three hours and two minutes, in the last match on Center Court Wednesday evening.

Both competitors showed plenty of courage and determination throughout their second-round tussle — especially after Tiafoe rallied from a set and a break down to force a decider. Serving for the match, Berrettini finally prevailed on his fifth-match point try. Then, he and Tiafoe shared a warm embrace at the net after their battle ended. All was good between them as they walked off the court together.

The 28-year-old from Rome achieved his 30th win of the season for the fourth time in career (after winning 43 in 2019; 41 in 2021, and 32 in 2022). He’s also the fourth Italian to reach that milestone in 2024, following Jannik Sinner (65), Lorenzo Musetti (39), and Flavio Cobolli (35).

Berrettini saved 15 of 17 break points, including the first 10 he faced from the 15th-ranked Tiafoe, and outpointed the American 123-114. He finished with 16 aces and 51 winners.

On Friday, Berrettini will face either No. 24 Karen Khachanov of Russia or No. 38 Brandon Nakashima of the United States, who play Thursday.

Around the Erste Bank Open

Gaël Monfils has withdrawn from his second-round match against No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy that was scheduled for Thursday. The 52nd-ranked Frenchman cited illness as the reason for pulling out of the Erste Bank Open. The walkover win advances Musetti into Friday’s quarterfinal round against top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Meanwhile, completion of the doubles first round took place on the #Glaubandich Court. Advancing to the quarterfinal round were: Unseeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni; wild cards Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler of Austria; qualifiers Lukas Klein and Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia; and No. 3 seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain.

By the numbers

Grigor Dimitrov is 35-4 in opening-round matches since the start of the 2023 season. He’s 16-2 in 2024.

“Quotable …”

“It’s the right time to go. … Obviously my level is not quite there anymore. But I have to say, in the first set, I was playing my maximum or even over it. …”

— Dominic Thiem, in a post-match interview with ATP Media, after losing his final professional match against Luciano Darderi of Italy Tuesday evening.

 

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