The day begins at 1:30 pm with third seed Daniil Medvedev. The 2022 Vienna champion faces Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Medvedev had to work particularly hard in the opening set of his first-round match against Red Bull BassLine champion Daniel Mérida, but eventually prevailed 7:6(5), 6:1. The former world No. 1 now faces another demanding challenge against the awkward left-hander Norrie.
Alcaraz faces Rodionov’s conqueror
Not before 3:00 pm, the spotlight turns to Carlos Alcaraz. The second-seeded Spaniard faces Nikoloz Basilashvili, who defeated Austria’s Davis Cup hero Jurij Rodionov 7:6(3), 6:1 on Wednesday.
Alcaraz enters the match as the clear favourite. At his first press conference in Vienna, the Spaniard explained that, after several weeks without competing, he primarily needed matches to rediscover his best rhythm and continue raising his level. The high-quality field at the Erste Bank Open offers ideal conditions for that, with strong opponents awaiting from the opening rounds – including Basilashvili, who has been enjoying an impressive run and only fell to Daniil Medvedev after three hard-fought sets in last Sunday’s Almaty final.
The winner will secure a place in the quarter-finals and remain in contention for the title in Vienna.
