Vienna 2020: Grigor Dimitrov vs Dan Evans preview, head-to-head & prediction | Erste Bank Open

Match details

Fixture: Grigor Dimitrov vs Dan Evans

Date: 30 October 2020

Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2020

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Vienna, Austria

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €1,409,510

Match timing: Approx. 7.20 pm local time, 11.50 pm IST

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

Grigor Dimitrov vs Dan Evans preview

Grigor Dimitrov was successful in exacting revenge for his fourth-round loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at this year's French Open, as he managed to take out the fourth seed at the Vienna Open on Thursday.

Playing in his fourth consecutive two-hour match, the Bulgarian showed no signs of slowing down. He fought back from losing a tight opening set to notch up his first top 10 win of the year and 26th overall.

Dimitrov will now fancy his chances of another semifinal appearance as he goes up against England's Dan Evans - who got the better of local favorite Jurij Rodionov earlier in the day.

Dan Evans

Evans is in the midst of a purple patch of sorts himself. The British No. 1 reached the semifinals of the Antwerp event just last week and has done well to back up that run here in the Austrian capital.

The big win for him came in the dramatic Antwerp quarterfinals against Karen Khachanov. Evans not only battled past the Russian's booming groundstrokes, but also saved a couple of match points and overcame a tense atmosphere.

That is the sort of win which can set the ball rolling for a player, and Evans looks to making the best of his newfound confidence. But the Brit's tenacious style will come under heavy scrutiny when pitted against Dimitrov's aggressive game in Friday's last eight clash.

Grigor Dimitrov vs Dan Evans head-to-head

Grigor Dimitrov will be the heavy favorite to come out on top in this match

Grigor Dimitrov has a comfortable 3-1 lead when it comes to the duo's head-to-head stats. The Bulgarian came out on top in their most recent meeting too, at this year's ATP Cup.

Dans Evans would, however, take some heart form his straight sets win over his opponent on the hardcourts of Washington back in 2016.

Grigor Dimitrov vs Dan Evans prediction

Grigor Dimitrov enters this match as the heavy favorite, but Dan Evans has proven his mettle against top players in the past.

The Brit enjoys playing on quick hard-courts and is well equipped to redirect shots coming at pace, something he did exceptionally well even against Khachanov last week.

Evans has also had considerable success coming forward in recent months, which seems to be a conscious effort towards being more proactive on court.

In that context, Dimitrov will need to continue playing the first strike tennis that he has done all week. If the Bulgarian makes the mistake of being too passive against an on-song opponent, he might end up paying a heavy price for it.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov to win in two tight sets.