Medvedev Adjusts To Vienna Conditions, Overcomes Merida For Fifth-Straight Win

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (photo: e-motion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Christian Hofer)

VIENNA/WASHINGTON, October 28, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

With five berths at next month’s Nitto ATP Finals still up for grabs, three of the players who are in the midst of the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin chase – Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur – were featured in action at the ATP 500 Erste Bank Open on Wednesday.

As each player understands, every match – every point – is important. Just ask Medvedev.

World No. 5 Medvedev, the 2022 Vienna champion, came into his match against young, energized No. 42 Daniel Merida leading the ATP Tour in hard-court wins this season (38) – including four titles – and bidding to become just the second man to record 50 wins this season after Alexander Zverev (63). 

While the third-seeded Medvedev aimed to reach the second round at Vienna for the fifth time in as many appearances, the 22-year-old Spaniard Merida came in search of the biggest win of his career in what has become a breakout season for him: 21 tour-level victories and a first ATP Tour title won at Umag.

Just three days after winning his fourth ATP Tour title of the season at Almaty, Medvedev was back on the tennis court, where he garnered his 50th victory and extending his current winning streak to five with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over Merida. He advanced in an hour and 27 minutes, sealed with his fifth ace. 

Although Medvedev fell behind early on the super-slow Centre Court surface and trailed 3-0 in the opener, he pulled himself together and finished well. Medvedev won the final 10 points of the first-round match and outpointed Merida 69-50 to collect hard-court victory No. 39, best on Tour. He hit 20 winners to 15 unforced errors, converted four of five break points and controlled play both at the net and from the baseline. Since the US Open, Medvedev has compiled an impressive 17-2 win-loss record.

“The court surprised me [more than Merida]; it was super-slow for indoor hard courts,” Medvedev said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “Once you get used to it, you will be able to serve. On this court, theoretically, you can serve good, make a good shot, make a second good shot and the rally still is going to go on. It’s a bit like playing on clay courts. 

“In the beginning, I was missing. I just came from a court [in Almaty] where you do one good serve, one good shot and there is no way the point continues. In the first games [here], I hit some good shots and the ball was always coming back, so I was always missing. But I was able to say to myself, ‘OK, basically on this court I just need to put the ball on the court – it doesn’t matter much where – just put it on the court, stand back and cheer,’ I guess.”

Medvedev, who moved back into fifth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin flip-flopping positions with Flavio Cobolli of Italy, will be back on court Thursday against No. 41 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain.

Musetti plays at high level, steadies past Tiafoe

Following Medvedev’s victory, 2021 Vienna finalist Tiafoe of the United States brought a 4-3 lifetime win-loss record into his first-round match with 26th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. The World No. 9 and sixth-seeded Tiafoe looked to tie Tommy Paul for most wins among American men on the ATP Tour this season (55), while the unseeded and two-time semifinalist Musetti arrived in the Austrian capital city on a five-match winning streak after winning his first singles title in four years at Lyon on Sunday. 

As it happened, Musetti was the steadier and better player in Vienna and came away with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory over Tiafoe in two hours and five minutes to advance to Thursday’s second round against No. 35 Arthur Fery of Great Britain. 

Although Tiafoe came into his sixth Vienna appearance 19-1 in his opening rounds this season, with his only blemish coming against Terence Atmane at the DC Open in July, and 12-5 at ATP 500 level this season – including a title at Halle on grass – it wasn’t enough against the Italian No. 4, who played at a high level and was in good form.

Musetti hit 26 winners, made just 12 unforced errors, face no break points on his serve and outpointed Tiafoe 88-73. He was the player creating chances. 

“I think the first set was really close,” Musetti said during his on-court interview with ATP Media. “It could go both ways. He missed some forehands really close to the line. … It was a close one. The second set, I raised my level and played a terrific game at the 5-all to break him and a really nice game at the end with four really great points. I’m really happy with my performance.”

There was obvious disappointment in the outcome for Tiafoe, who committed 32 unforced errors. Currently, he is in eighth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with 3,380 points, ahead of ninth place Rafael Jodar of Spain.

De Minaur reaches third-straight Vienna quarterfinals

In second-round action Wednesday evening, the World No. 10 de Minaur took Centre Court aiming to reach the Vienna quarterfinals for the third-consecutive year when he faced World No. 18 Learner Tien of the United States – and he did just that. The fifth-seeded Sydneysider had all the right answers and defeated Tien, 6-4, 6-2, in one hour and 18 minutes.

The Australian No. 1, who became the sixth man to reach 10 quarterfinals this season, joining Zverev (12), Luciano Darderi (10), Arthur Fils (10), Medvedev (10) and Ben Shelton (10), finished off his 44th victory of the season in fine fashion. He set up match point by winning a dazzling, back-and-forth 45-shot rally that served as a microcosm of the entire match. Then, de Minaur put away the second-round encounter on the next point without fail, securing a shorter-but-effective 14-shot skirmish.

By the end, de Minaur outpointed Tien 63-43. He converted four of seven break points and won 84 percent (21 of 25) of his first-serve points – dropping just four first-serve points.

De Minaur currently stands in 10th place in the PIF ATP Race To Turin, 229 points behind ninth place Jodar.

Around the Wiener Stadthalle

• Wild card Jurij Rodionov, the only Austrian remaining in the singles draw faced Almaty finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in a featured evening match on Centre Court. With a second-round berth that guaranteed a match against World No. 3 and second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, the 137th-ranked Rodionov fell to No. 95 Basilashvili, 7-6 (3), 6-1, in 94 minutes. 

Basilashvili hit 26 winners to overcome 29 unforced errors, converted three of seven break points and outpointed Rodionov 77-59.

• No. 8 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia was upset by 73rd-ranked French qualifier Adrian Mannarino, 6-4, 7-5, in one hour and 46 minutes on Glaubandich Court. Mannarino withstood 10 aces and 27 winners Mensik and saved four of five break points he faced. He outpointed the Czech star 72-61 to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round against either No. 3 seed Medvedev or Norrie, who play Thursday.

• Just three days after winning the European Open title in Brussels, No. 50 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands was back on court in another European capital city, in a first-round match against World No. 17 Brandon Nakashima of the United States. By the end of their two-hour, five-minute tussle on Glaubandich Court, Griekspoor had won his sixth-straight match and pulled of an upset of the American No. 5.

Griekspoor defeated Nakashima, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2), to advance to a Thursday second-round match-up with World No. 2 and top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, who can attain the World No. 1 ranking next week by reaching at least the quarterfinal round in Vienna.

Against Nakashima, Griekspoor struck 41 winners – including 17 aces – and won 78 percent (47 of 60) of his first-serve points. He converted three of seven break points and outpointed Nakashima 91-77 to earn his 19th victory of the season – 10th on an indoor hard-court surface.

• Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Moltani of Argentina defeated Sander Arends of the Netherlands and Luke Johnson of Great Britain, 7-5, 7-6 (5), in an hour and 56 minutes on Fairplay Court to advance to the doubles main draw.

• In main-draw doubles play, No. 1 seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain rallied to beat Austin Krajicek of the United States and Nikola Mektic of Croatia, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-8, in an hour and 39 minutes on Fairplay Court to move into the quarterfinals.

• Also, No. 4 seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy defeated Marcelo Melo of Brazil and Alexander Zverev of Germany, 7-6 (6), 6-2, in an hour and 22 minutes to advance to the quarterfinal round.

• However, Argentines Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry pulled off a upset of  No. 3 seeds Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia, 7-6 (8), 7-5, in one hour and 40 minutes on Fairplay Court to advance to the quarterfinal round.

• Finally, Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Manuel Guinard of France advanced past wild cards Robert Cash of the United States and Alexander Erler of Austria, 6-4, 6-2, in 65 minutes on Glaubandich Court to reach the last eight.

Wednesday’s Erste Bank Open results

Thursday’s Erste Bank Open order of play

By the numbers

World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev has achieved 50 wins in a season for the fourth time in his career (2019, 2021, 2023, 2026). 

“Quotable …”

“I just try my best. The more matches you win, the less you lose – and the better it is. So, I’m just trying to do it all the time.”

– World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, during his on-court interview after defeating No. 42 Daniel Merida of Spain to advance to the second round.

 

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