Vienna 2022: Men's Singles draw analysis, preview and prediction | Erste Bank Open

The draw for the 2022 Vienna Open, also known as the Erste Bank Open for sponsorship reasons, is out. The ATP 500 tournament will be held from October 24-30.

Daniil Medvedev is the top seed in an extremely competitive field. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, and Taylor Fritz round out the top four seeds. Alexander Zverev is the defending champion but is unable to participate as he recovers from an injury.

2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem is also in the mix. Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov, and Matteo Berrettini are some of the other big names participating here as well.

On that note, let's take a look at how the Vienna Open draw could unfold over the next week.

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Top half: Former US Open champions Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem on an early collision course

Daniil Medvedev is the top seed at the 2022 Erste Bank Open.

Seeded Players: (1) Daniil Medvedev, (3) Andrey Rublev, (6) Jannik Sinner, (7) Cameron Norrie.

Expected semifinal: Daniil Medvedev vs Andrey Rublev.

Dark Horse: Tommy Paul.

Top seed Daniil Medvedev will return to action following a brief injury hiatus and the birth of his first child. The last time the Russian was on the court, he competed against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Astana Open, but retired from the match.

Medvedev is up against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round, a winnable match for him. He could face either a resurgent Dominic Thiem in the second round or Tommy Paul. A win would send him into the quarterfinals.

Jannik Sinner sustained an injury during his semifinal match at the Sofia Open and has since been sidelined. He'll begin his campaign in Vienna against Cristian Garin, who has struggled to string together wins since his Wimbledon run.

The Italian is likely to face Francisco Cerundolo in the second round. He'll be the favorite to win both those matches and make the last eight, where either Medvedev or Thiem will await him. If Sinner has fully recovered from his injury, he'll fancy his chance against either of them.

Andrey Rublev recently won his 12th career title and fourth of the season at the Gijon Open. He's got an easy path to the quarterfinals as he faces an out-of-form Diego Schwartzman in the first round, followed by Grigor Dimitrov.

Cameron Norrie's campaign came to an early end at the Stockholm Open and he'll be eager to perform better here. The Brit is up against a qualifier in the first round and could meet either Tallon Griekspoor or Marcos Giron in the next round. Norrie's opponent in the quarterfinals is likely to be Rublev and it's hard to see him getting past the Russian.

Bottom half: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz looking to scoop up yet another title

Taylor Fritz is seeded fourth at the Erste Bank Open.

Seeded Players: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (4) Taylor Fritz, (5) Hubert Hurkacz, (8) Matteo Berrettini.

Expected semifinal: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Taylor Fritz.

Dark Horse: Borna Coric.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won a couple of titles this season, while reaching the finals on four more occasions. He's currently competing in the Stockholm Open and is up against Emil Ruusuvuori in the semifinals on Saturday. The Greek will kick off his challenge in Vienna against Denis Novak in the first round.

Tsitsipas could potentially face Borna Coric in the second round, who defeated him in the final of the Western & Southern Open a couple of months ago. A win over the Croat would secure him passage into the quarterfinals.

Hubert Hurkacz, who's fighting for a spot in the ATP Finals, was handed a tough opener. He'll take on Frances Tiafoe in the first round, who was the runner-up here last year. If he manages to beat the American, he could then meet either Lorenzo Sonego or Emil Ruusuvuori in the next round.

Hurkacz might find it tough against Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, but if it's Tiafoe who makes it, he might stand a chance against the Greek. The American, however, did lose in the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open, so Tsitsipas will be favored to advance further.

Taylor Fritz is gunning for his fourth title of the season here. After a first-round clash against a qualifier, he's likely to face Denis Shapovalov in the second round. He defeated the Canadian en route to the Japan Open title last month and could very well best him yet again to reach the last eight here.

Matteo Berrettini is also in this section and is up against Dan Evans in the opening round. The Italian is currently a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 in Napoli and will take on Mackenzie McDonald for a spot in the title round. Over in Vienna, a win over Evans would set up a second-round date with Karen Khachanov. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, though it seems unlikely that either will get past Fritz once they are there.

Semifinal predictions:

Andrey Rublev def. Jannik Sinner.

Taylor Fritz def. Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Prediction for the final: Taylor Fritz def. Andrey Rublev.