Vienna 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Erste Bank Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak.
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.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak preview
World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on home favorite Dennis Novak in the first round of the 2022 Erste Bank Open.
Tsitsipas has put together another memorable season. He underperformed a bit at the Majors by his standards. He started off well with a semifinal at the Australian Open, then lost in the fourth round of the French Open. It was followed by a third-round exit from Wimbledon and ultimately a first-round loss at the US Open.
Tsitsipas has won two titles so far. He successfully defended his Monte-Carlo Masters crown to win his first title of the year. He claimed his second trophy at the Mallorca Championships, which was also his first title on grass. He has also finished as the runner-up on five occasions.
The Greek lost the finals of the Rotterdam Open, the Italian Open, the Western & Southern Open, the Astana Open and most recently, the Stockholm Open on Sunday.
Tsitsipas defeated Maxime Cressy, Mikael Ymer and Emil Ruusuvuori in the Swedish capital, but lost to teenager Holger Rune, who had also knocked him out of the French Open earlier this year.
Dennis Novak, meanwhile, hasn't competed that often on the ATP tour this year. His first tournament was the Maharashtra Open, but he fell in the opening round. This was followed by another first-round exit in Marseille. He then won a Davis Cup tie for his country, but lost the other one.
Novak defeated Facundo Bagnis in the first round of Wimbledon, but lost to Jason Kubler in the next round. On the Challenger circuit, the Austrian has notched up a couple of runner-up finishes. He was given a wildcard to compete in Vienna.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dennis Novak prediction
Tsitsipas will enter this contest with his most recent loss in mind. He was defeated by Rune in the final of the Stockholm Open, his fifth loss in the title round of a tournament this year. The Greek could only muster a lone break point chance throughout the match, which he failed to convert.
Tsitsipas' backhand was also targeted frequently and he fumbled quite a few easy volleys. Novak could get some pointers from Rune, but the Austrian might not find the same success rate as the teenager. He has hardly won any matches on the ATP tour this year. Despite the Greek's shortcomings, he hasn't lost to players ranked far lower than him for a while now.
Tsitsipas will be eager to move on from yet another heartbreaking loss in the final. He couldn't have asked for an easier start in Vienna given Novak's poor results on the main tour. The World No. 5 should make it through without any fuss.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.