Reily Opelka faces Jannik Sinner in the round of 32 before Andy Murray clashes with Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in the round of 16 at the Erste Bank Open. Damien Kayat previews.
2021 ATP Tour
ATP 500 Series
Vienna Open- Erste Bank Open
Wiener Stadthalle
Selected Round of 16 and Round of 32 Matches- 28th October
Round of 33
Reily Opelka 26/10 | Jannik Sinner 2/7
Prospective future World Number One Jannik Sinner will be looking to secure his ATP Finals berth this week after a scintillating end to the 2021 campaign. Sinner has enjoyed a tremendous year that truly belies his age. He has won four singles titles this year (all of them coming on harder surfaces). He won the Great Ocean Road Open to start the year, becoming the youngest man to win back-to-back ATP titles since Rafa in 2005 (he closed out the 2020 campaign with the Sofia Open crown). He would significantly go on to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami, losing to Hurkacz in the final. But his season plateaued during the middle portion of the year. But he has roared back to prominence with the return to hardcourt action, winning three titles in the last two months and a half months. That included a dominant victory at last week’s European Open. He is currently one of the form players in men’s tennis and will take some beating this week.
His next opponent offers a curious subplot to proceedings. Huge-serving American Reily Opelka was actually Sinner’s doubles partner when the Italian won his maiden doubles title in Atlanta earlier this season. This has been an extremely schizophrenic season for the American behemoth. There have been huge lulls in form throughout the year. He lost five consecutive first-round matches between Rotterdam and Madrid. He is also entering this event off the back of consecutive early exits at Indian Wells and Antwerp. But due to that one nuclear weapon, Opelka has picked up a few massive results in Masters 1000 events. He had an unexpected run to the semi-finals in Rome. But it was his run to the Canadian Open final that truly encompassed the best that Opelka has to offer.
Verdict: Sinner to win in straight sets at 17/20
This will actually be the first career meeting between these two. This is going to be a classic case of first-strike tennis. Opelka’s serve-based game is based on brute power. Sinner also possesses a power-packed game. This may lead to a high unforced error count and a fairly stop-start affair. But ultimately, I think that Sinner will use the ATP Finals motivation to see him thorough in two tight sets.
Round of 16
Andy Murray | Carlos Alcaraz Garfia * betting tba
I know that I have been documenting Andy Murray quite exhaustively of late. But it’s just too compelling a story not to follow. One of the defining characteristics of Murray throughout his career has been his quintessential grit and determination. That has been tested to the limit during this torturous stage of his career. But despite just one quarterfinal appearance at this year’s Moselle Open, Murray still possesses the ability to take down the worlds’ best. He proved this in his opening match this week, taking down Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz in a marathon three-set match. It was his first victory over a top 10 player since August last year. That will no doubt give him a huge boost in confidence. Murray will also draw inspiration from the fact that he has won this event twice (in 2014 and 2016).
This has been a massive breakthrough season for 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz Garfia. The Spaniard’s massive forehand has drawn comparisons with the likes of Juan Martin Del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez. He reached the 3rd round of the French Open at the age of 18. He then won his maiden ATP title at the Croatia Open. But his stock really began to rise during the North American hardcourt swing. He reached the semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open before his absolute heroics at the US Open. He reached the quarterfinals before he, unfortunately, was forced to withdraw due to an injured leg. But he had effectively announced his arrival as a force in the tennis world. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the process, with the Greek proclaiming that he had never seen someone hit the ball so hard, so consistently.
Verdict: Alcaraz Garfia to win in straight sets
These two will be meeting for the 2nd time in two weeks. The Scot pulled through in typically bullish fashion at Indian Wells, beating Garfia in three sets. I think that Murray will need to recover from that epic match against Hurkacz. Alcaraz absolutely trounced Dan Evans in straight sets. I think that the Spaniard is a quick teach and will have learned plenty from their Indian Wells match. He should overpower Murray.
