Vienna Open 2022: Matteo Berrettini vs. Dan Evans Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Vienna Open as Matteo Berrettini takes on Dan Evans in the first round on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022.

Will Matteo Berrettini return to winning ways at the Vienna Open? Or will Dan Evans register his first win over the Italian? This should be an intriguing opening match, so who will prevail?

Matteo Berrettini endured a frustrating afternoon in the city of Naples as he failed to add to his trophy collection the Napoli Tennis Cup. Berrettini was beaten by his younger compatriot Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in a match he barely looked like winning. A foot blister had severely hampered his movement in his semifinal win over Mackenzie McDonald, and he did well enough to stay within touch against Musetti in a close first set, he just couldn’t sort his feet and his serve which coughed up four double faults and two breaks. Nonetheless, with two days of rest, he should at least overcome any niggling effects of the blisters and perform to his absolute best level at the Vienna Open.

Dan Evans, meanwhile, came within a few points to knock out Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals in Antwerp but lost 6-4 6-7 2-6 to the eventual champion. It has been another campaign where Evans has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in men’s tennis. With multiple top 10 wins in 2022, Evans could still surpass his career-high ranking of No. 22, although he is running out of time to do so with just a couple more tournaments left. So could he fire a statement of intent at the Vienna Open when he faces Matteo Berrettini?

Matteo Berrettini leads Dan Evans 2-0 in their head-to-head. Both matches were contested at London’s Queen’s Club, with Berrettini winning their quarterfinal bout last year and their opening-round match this season. Beating Evans signifies a good omen, with the ‘Italian hammer’ cruising to win the title both times. However, this time, it will certainly be against the odds if he goes all the way given Berrettini’s foot problems. His serve has looked shaky this autumn and Evans might just nullify Berrettini’s biggest weapon with his own court craft.