Tennis fireworks from the first rally await the fans at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna! The official entry deadline for the ATP 500 tournament, worth 2,559,790 euros, from October 21st to 29th in the Wiener Stadthalle and at Erste Bank Open 2 Go on the WEV area at Heumarkt was on Wednesday – and the field of participants is impressive with five Top ten aces and no less than twelve stars from among the 20 best tennis players in the world. With the US Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton One of the hottest future stocks on the ATP tour is also making its debut in Vienna this year.
by PM
last edited: September 29, 2023, 8:36 a.m
Spectators in Vienna can look forward to world-class tennis
In order to be among the eight seeded players at the Erste Bank Open, you currently need position 14 in the ATP ranking! World number three and defending champion Daniil Medvedev leads the provisional seeding list ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE/5), Andrey Rublev (6), Jannik Sinner (ITA/7), Alexander Zverev (GER/10), Frances Tiafoe (USA/11) , Tommy Paul (USA/13) and Karen Khachanov (14). Behind them are four other top 20 stars: Cameron Norrie (GBR/16), Lorenzo Musetti (ITA/18), Grigor Dimitrov (BUL/19) and Ben Shelton (USA/20). In addition, crowd favorite Gael Monfils (FRA) and the Italian Matteo Berrettini will also be playing in Vienna.
This top-class “line-up” means that there could be some “crackers” in the first round. According to the current status, it would be possible that there could be a meeting between Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov at the start. Or even a fantastic game between Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton would be conceivable. As a reminder: Medvedev recently reached the final of the US Open, and Shelton stormed into the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament in New York for the first time. At the start of the season, the 20-year-old US super talent from Atlanta had already reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Thiem’s first appearance on Tuesday
Ben Shelton also made headlines with his serves at the US Open. The son of former professional player Bryan Shelton thundered his service over the net at up to 239 kilometers per hour – setting a speed record at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. It will be interesting to see how one of the future top stars on the ATP tour will perform at his Vienna premiere. In any case, Shelton fits seamlessly into the ranks of future stars who played in Vienna when they were on the verge of becoming the absolute best in the world. The same applies to the 19-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils, who played for Europe at the Laver Cup last weekend and will also show his great skills in Vienna this year. The first round matches at the Erste Bank Open will be played between Monday, October 23rd and Wednesday, October 25th. The first appearance of Dominic Thiem, who received a wildcard for his home tournament, is planned for Tuesday (October 24th).
“With this field of participants, things really get down to business from the first match of the main competition. Games that only appear in the quarter or semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament could already be in the first round at the Erste Bank Open “That says a lot about the line-up,” emphasizes tournament director Herwig Straka.
2023-09-29 08:30:00
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