VIENNA, September 14, 2016
The entry list for the Erste Bank Open 500, held inside the Stadthalle in Vienna from 22 to 30 October 2016 was released on Wednesday, led by world number two Andy Murray. The Brit will be joined by fellow top 10 players Tomas Berdych and local hero Dominic Thiem.
With Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, defending champion David Ferrer, Roberto Bautista-Agut from Spain, young gun Lucas Pouille, Hamburg runner-up Pablo Cuevas and hard hitting Croatian Ivo Karlovic, six more players ranked inside the top 20 will compete in Austria’s capital city.
Entry list Erste Bank Open Vienna 2016
Top seed Andy Murray is aware of the fact that his way to a possible second triumph in Vienna after 2014 is not going to be a walk in the park. “The tournament is part of the ATP 500 series and accordingly strong players will appear in the main draw. I have played a very good season so far and hope to continue like this in Vienna,” told Murray in a video message from New York. The 29-year-old Scot captured four titles in 2016 in Rome, Wimbledon, Rio de Janeiro as well as at London’s Queen’s Club.
“The Stadthalle in Vienna has a very nice centre court. I spent a great time there and winning the title two years ago made it very special. Vienna is a calm and clean city with friendly people and good food. That’s why I am coming back,” Murray explains.
“With the amount of great players, every match appears to be very promising,” tournament director Herwing Straka is convinced. “Murray plays his best season of his career. With Berdych and Pouille we will also see some new faces in Vienna. The latter advanced to the quarterfinals in Wimbledon and New York, beating Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-sets-encounter.”
Austria Awaits “THIEMstag”
From an Austrian perspective, world number 10 Dominic Thiem will headline the tournament’s action. The 23-year-old from Wiener Neustadt claimed the ATP titles in Buenos Aires, Acapulco, Nice as well as Stuttgart, and made it into the semi-finals of the French Open this year. The youngster will open his campaign on Tuesday, which is called “THIEMstag”.
“It is incredible to see that this year I am going to play in Vienna for the seventh time,” Thiem told. “I am really looking forward to the event. It has been a tough season so far but I will mobilise all of my energy in order to play as successful as possible. I want to enjoy this fantastic atmosphere inside the arena as long as possible.”
Ferrer will open main draw action on Monday, 24 October, followed by the Austrian youngster on Tuesday. Murray will step into the competition on Wednesday. It is going to be the tournament’s sixth edition and it is the biggest tennis event held on Austrian soil. The champion will receive 500 ATP ranking points as well as €428,800 in prize money.
Tickets can be bought through the official website.
