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Vienna 2020: Daniil Medvedev vs Jason Jung preview, head-to-head & prediction | ATP Erste Bank Open

Daniil Medvedev at the Hamburg European Open last month
Daniil Medvedev at the Hamburg European Open last month

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Daniil Medvedev vs Jason Jung*

Date: 28 October 2020

Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2020

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Vienna, Austria

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €1,409,510

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony ESPN

*Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Alex de Minaur would be playing Daniil Medvedev in the first round. However, De Minaur has now withdrawn from the tournament and has been replaced by Jason Jung in the draw.

Daniil Medvedev vs Jason Jung preview

Daniil Medvedev during the 2020 US Open last month
Daniil Medvedev during the 2020 US Open last month

After his breakout season in 2019, Daniil Medvedev was expected to give Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic a fight for the Major titles this year. But the 24-year-old has blown hot and cold in 2020, with his best result coming at the US Open - where he went down to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the semifinals.

Medvedev also reached the semifinals of the ATP Cup, the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open. However, the Russian suffered early exits in his other events to compile a 16-9 record for the year.

He will be hoping to hit his stride in Vienna, where he takes on 31-year-old American Jason Jung in the first round.

Jung, ranked No. 127 in the world, comes in as a lucky loser in the main draw after Australian Alex de Minaur withdrew from the tournament. Jung beat 4th seed Kyle Edmund in the first round of qualifying, and then lost to the No. 6 seed Vasek Pospisil.

After breaking into the top 200 for the first time in 2015, Jung has largely been grinding his way through the ITF and ATP Challenger Tour events since. He peaked at a ranking of No. 114 in 2018.

Daniil Medvedev vs Jason Jung head-to-head

Jason Jung at the 2020 NY Open in February this year
Jason Jung at the 2020 NY Open in February this year

This will be the first meeting on the ATP Tour between the two players, so their official head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

However, they did meet twice on the Challenger circuit in 2016, with both players winning once each.

Daniil Medvedev vs Jason Jung prediction

Daniil Medvedev at the Hamburg Open in Germany
Daniil Medvedev at the Hamburg Open in Germany

Daniil Medvedev has lacked consistency this year, to say the least. After reaching the semifinals of the US Open, the Russian suffered first-round exits in Hamburg and the French Open, before losing to Reilly Opelka in the second round at St. Petersburg.

When Medvedev's game is firing on all cylinders, he is one of the toughest players to contend with on the men's tour. However, a string of disappointing results have left his confidence shot.

The volatile Russian will be hoping to find some form heading into the final few tournaments of the year.

Jason Jung meanwhile has posted a 5-6 record since the tour resumed in August. He qualified for the French Open, where he lost in the first round, and then reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger event in Istanbul last week.

With the last-minute withdrawal of the in-form Alex de Minaur, who played the final of the ATP event in Antwerp on Sunday, this might just be the lucky break that Medvedev needs in order to start regaining his confidence.

Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in straight sets.

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