Once again in 2026, Red Bull BassLine presented tennis in an extraordinary setting. With no chair umpire, short tie-break sets played to five points, plus music and live commentary during the matches, entertainment took centre stage alongside the sporting competition.
Daniel Mérida and Matteo Berrettini high-five between two points. Photo: © e|motion/Sascha Feuster
The crowd decides the groups
At the start of the evening, the spectators were invited to help decide how the six players would be divided into groups. Grigor Dimitrov, Matteo Berrettini and Jakub Menšík competed in the red group, while the blue group featured Jurij Rodionov, Learner Tien and Daniel Mérida.
The group stage produced plenty of exciting encounters. In both three-player groups, every player recorded one victory and one defeat, meaning the points difference ultimately decided who advanced to the final. Menšík came out on top in the red group to secure his place in the title match.
In the blue group, Austrian Davis Cup hero Jurij Rodionov began with a victory over eventual champion Daniel Mérida. Following a defeat against Learner Tien, however, the points difference favoured the Spaniard, who claimed the second place in the final. Despite narrowly missing out, Rodionov enjoyed plenty of vocal support from the stands.
Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem discuss the best way to use the new “Domi’s Double” rule. Photo: © e|motion/Sascha Feuster
“Domi’s Double” adds extra excitement
This year’s new “Domi’s Double” rule, based on an idea by Dominic Thiem, provided an additional thrill. Once per match, each player could activate the tactical bonus, causing the following rally to count for double points. This meant the momentum of a match could change within seconds.
The new rule proved a great success and was used in every match, adding even more excitement to the closely contested encounters.
High-flying football acrobatics during the break before the grand final. Photo: © e|motion/Sascha Feuster
Mérida triumphs in the final
The final began perfectly for Menšík, who comfortably won the opening set 5:1. Mérida responded strongly, however, turning the match around by taking the next two sets 5:3 and 5:2.
The celebrations after the third set came a little too early: the two young players had apparently overlooked the fact that the final was played as a best-of-five-set match. Mérida therefore had to produce one more winning set before eventually sealing the title with a 1:5, 5:3, 5:2, 5:4 victory. The Spaniard thus crowned his Red Bull BassLine debut by lifting the coveted trophy.
Mérida joins an illustrious list of champions that already includes Carlos Alcaraz (2021), Karen Khachanov (2022), Alexander Zverev (2023 and 2024) and Tallon Griekspoor (2025).
After his victory, Mérida said: “I’m delighted to be here in Vienna and to compete in front of such a fantastic crowd alongside such great players. We don’t normally play with rules like these, and it was a lot of fun. It was an honour to share the court with these players, and I’m thrilled to be holding the trophy now.”
Local heroJurij Rodionov’s autograph was in high demand after the event. Photo: © e|motion/Sascha Feuster
