First Bank Open in Vienna: Niavarani Gifts Rodionov a Duel with de Minaur

Jurij Rodionov received a particularly difficult first-round opponent on Saturday during the draw for the Erste Bank Open, which begins on Monday. Comedian Michael Niavarani did not have the best luck for the Lower Austrian in the new secondary location Marx Halle and drew the Australian Alex de Minaur, seeded number 3, as his opponent. Immediately afterwards, Austria's number one, Filip Misolic, received a somewhat easier draw with the Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
Top star Jannik Sinner will face the German Daniel Altmaier in the first round, while former Vienna winner Alexander Zverev received a great draw. Since three qualifiers appear above him as the last in the draw, he would only meet a non-qualifier in the quarterfinals.
Rodionov in Vienna First Round as Underdog
From an Austrian perspective, the two wildcard players will have a very tough time in the strong field. A potential second-round duel between Misolic and Rodionov would be intriguing if both manage to overcome their opening opponents. However, Rodionov is a clear underdog against the world number seven de Minaur, even though he won their only previous encounter four years ago in the Stuttgart quarterfinals on grass with 7:6 in the third set.
"It will be an interesting match. De Minaur on a fast indoor hard court is probably not pleasant. But you have to take what Niavarani drew," joked Rodionov in the new additional tournament location Marx Halle, where the tournament atmosphere was already present on Saturday. "There will be a great atmosphere in the Stadthalle, it's always a highlight for me there."
In 2020, Rodionov surprised with a first-round victory over the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, two years later Shapovalov got his revenge in the first round. It was important for the Lower Austrian, who received the wildcard of the injured Sebastian Ofner, to wish Ofner a "speedy recovery." "You don't wish that on a colleague."
Misolic Before Erste Bank Open with Losing Streak
Austria's only top-100 player is Misolic. He comes to Vienna with a negative streak of five consecutive losses. "It's definitely a good draw when you see the names in the draw. But it won't be an easy match either, I'm looking forward to the duel. We've already played twice this year, let's see who wins the second match," he referred to the 1:1 in duels this year. Overall, Misolic leads (Miami qualification 2023) with 2:1.
(APA/Red)
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