Vienna Open Round-Up: Daniil Medvedev continues hot streak as Matteo Berrettini dominates Popyrin

The first round of the ATP 500 Vienna Open finished up this Wednesday, with most of the second-round qualifiers already determined, awaiting only Jannik Sinner to take the court for his debut in the night session.

Meanwhile, his Italian compatriots had a good showing today, highlighted by Matteo Berrettini's straight-sets victory over the Australian 2024 Canadian Open champion Alexei Popyrin, while the young Flavio Cobolli overcame the always tricky Tomáš Macháč, also in straight sets.

Flavio Cobolli (No. 22) secured a hard-fought victory against the Czech Tomáš Macháč (No. 31) in his Vienna Open debut. The Italian had a successful return to the European swing after a poor 2-3 record in Asia, where all his defeats were against lower-ranked rivals. In a tight first set, the Italian squandered up to five set points before taking the lead in a close tie-break, but then went on to dominate the match to secure the victory 7-6(8-6), 6-2 after one hour and 40 minutes of play.

Cobolli managed to maintain concentration on his serve from start to finish, with 63% first serves in and winning 84% of those points, against Macháč's 68% and 75%, respectively. However, the difference was clear in terms of opportunities, as Macháč did not have a single break chance, while Cobolli secured two breaks on eight opportunities throughout the match. The Italian advanced easily to the second round, where he awaits a potential duel against Jannik Sinner—if the latter manages to defeat Daniel Altmaier in the night debut.

Matteo Berrettini (No. 59) continues to show that he can regain his physical form and once again secured a victory on the Tour. Berrettini missed much of the season due to injuries, only playing one tournament during a five-month period (between May and September) at Wimbledon (first-round loss). He returned in the Asian Swing, looking to score points and wins in the final part of the season, although he still hasn't found his best level.

Back on the indoor hardcourts, Berrettini was impeccable with his serve in his Vienna debut. He defeated the 2024 Canadian Open champion Alexei Popyrin (No. 48) 7-6(5), 6-3 and will meet Cameron Norrie in the second round. The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up remained solid on his serve throughout the match—winning 78% of service points against 67% for Popyrin. The 29-year-old Italian saved the single break opportunity against him, while converting 2/4 chances in his favor.

Daniil Medvedev (No. 14) secured a hard-fought victory against Nuno Borges (No. 47) 6-4, 6-7(7-9), 6-2, marking a triumphant return after winning the Almaty Open title last week. The Russian ended a two-and-a-half-year title drought over the weekend in Kazakhstan, defeating Corentin Moutet in a tight three-set final.

Medvedev quickly flew back to Europe with the mission to maintain his winning streak, while still dreaming of the possibility of finishing the season inside the Top-10. The former US Open champion had to fight for two and a half hours to overcome the Portuguese player. Medvedev totaled 17 aces and won 82% of points on his first serve, in addition to securing three breaks on eight opportunities, while Borges could not capitalize on any of his four chances in the match.

Medvedev took the lead in the first set thanks to a single break, and in the second set, he squandered two match points, allowing Borges to take the set. Nonetheless, Medvedev dominated the final part of the match, secured a double break at the start of the third set, and ended up securing the victory, which takes him to the second round, where he will face Corentin Moutet again—just like in the final in Almaty on Sunday. The former World No. 1 is now on a six-match winning streak, and a good campaign in Vienna could return him to the Top-10—or even allow him to dream of qualifying for the ATP Finals if he also performs well at the Paris Masters next week.