Vienna 2022: Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Erste Bank Open
Match Details
Fixture: Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul.
Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Vienna, Austria.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €2,349,180.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime.
Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul preview
2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem will take on Tommy Paul in the first round of the 2022 Erste Bank Open.
Following a wrist injury, Thiem concluded his 2021 season prematurely. He returned to action in March this year at a Challenger event but lost in the first round. He then moved on to the ATP tour but suffered six consecutive opening-round exits.
Thiem then competed in the Salzburg Challenger and defeated Filip Misolic to win his first match of the year, but lost in the second round. He continued to improve as he made it to the quarterfinals of the Swedish Open, the Kitzbuhel Open, and the semifinals of the Swiss Open after that.
The Austrian's return to the US Open ended with a first-round exit. He then competed in a Challenger event once again and finished as the runner-up. He made second-round exits from the Moselle Open and the Tel Aviv Open. He then made it to the semifinals of the Gijon Open but lost to Andrey Rublev.
At last week's European Open, he started with wins over Michael Geerts and Francisco Cerundolo. He saved three match points to oust Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals before losing to Sebastian Korda in the semifinals.
Tommy Paul is having the best season of his career so far. He reached the fourth round of a Major for the first time at Wimbledon. At the US Open, he made it to the third round.
Outside of the Majors, he has reached nine quarterfinals so far but has made it further than that just once. His only semifinal appearance came at the Delray Beach Open. The American reached a career-high ranking of No. 28 last month. He was the defending champion at last week's Stockholm Open but lost to Mikael Ymer in the second round.
Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
Thiem leads Paul 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 French Open in four sets.
Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Dominic Thiem vs Tommy Paul prediction
Thiem has made remarkable progress over the last few weeks and appears to be finding the form that made him a staple at the top of the men's game. He has now reached the semifinals of the last couple of events he competed in. His backhand has been the more consistent wing, but lately, he has been finding his mark with his forehand as well.
He also showed the ability to compete in long matches without a dip in his level. Everything seems to be falling into place for the Austrian. As for Paul, he has arrived in Vienna following an unsuccessful title defense in Stockholm. He lost rather tamely to Ymer and will be aiming for a better showing here.
The American's forehand is also a great shot and it'll be interesting to see if Thiem's forehand holds up in the crosscourt exchanges. The former US Open champion seems to be in better form at the moment and should be able to ease past Paul if he continues playing at his current level.
Pick: Dominic Thiem to win in straight sets.