Vienna Open 2018 Day 3: List of seeds in action

With the main business happening at the Basel Open, the event in Vienna might not get the attention it deserves. The quality of matches, though, is just as good with the case in point being Day 4. It had 6 very exciting contests out of the 8 played, 5 of which went to the decider. There were couple of upsets too, making the day an all-round entertainment package.

The Austrian crowd will love the fact that both the local players have reached the second round. One of them is in his prime, walking into the sunshine (Dominic Thiem) while the other is in his last tournament, fading into the sunset (Jurgen Melzer). There are couple of other players as well, who are out there to prove a point.

So, there is a lot to play for and for us to watch out for. Here are the previews of the 5 seeds in action on Wednesday.

1. Kyle Edmund (GBR) v Schwartzman, 6pm IST - Estimated

Kyle Edmund is the current British No. 1, taking over from the injury-prone Andy Murray. He has a good balance between power and finesse to go with a nice temperament.

He'll be looking to move up a spot to 13 in ranking during this tournament as it also involves the current no. 13, Borna Coric. But, the crucial point for Edmund is the fact that a good showing in this tournament might get him into the ATP Tour Finals next month. Looking to stop him is the Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

The Brit's serve will be very effective against a vertically challenged opponent. But, Diego is a very underrated player who has proved to be a silent killer. The key to defeating him will be a consistently strong serve and powerful returns off his second serve.

Prediction - Kyle Edmund to win in 3 sets.

2. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) v Kukushkin, 6:50pm IST - Estimated

Grigor Dimitrov has had a very sub-par year with first round exits in the last 2 of the 4 Grand Slams. After a good showing in the French Open, his game has just deteriorated. He hasn't had much success in the ATP Tour games as well with 4 first round exits, only 2 semi-final appearances and just 1 final.

The tournament is a good opportunity for the Bulgarian to get some rhythm back to ease into form again. It will also present him a chance to climb a few places in the rankings as the 3 players above him are playing here.

He will face Mikhail Kukushkin, the man who upset Chung in the US Open a couple of months back, in the Round of 32. The Kazakhstani returns serve very well and has a good forehand off his own serve. Dimitrov can target his backhand for points.

Prediction - Grigor Dimitrov to win in straight sets.

3. Fabio Fognini (ITA) v Fucsovics, 7:20pm IST - Estimated

Fabio Fognini has had a good year in terms of his quality of tennis. He has reached 4 finals and 6 semi-finals in the ATP tournaments. He has also had decent Grand Slam outings, reaching the Round of 16 twice.

The casual flamboyancy of the Italian is one of the great sights in the last few years although he's not an elite player. His angles on the forehand are incredible and he has no visible weakness on that side. In terms of volleys, he has won 79% of the points when approaching the net.

In the Round of 16, Fognini faces the powerful Marton Fucsovics, who showed his ability to bounce back a couple of days before. He must take advantage of the Hungarian's below average serve and target his weak backhand. It will be an interesting match as both of them rely on power.

Prediction - Fabio Fognini to win in straight sets.

4. Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Jürgen Melzer, 9pm IST - Estimated

Kevin Anderson has had an excellent year and a half that might be the turning point of his career. He reached the final of the US Open in 2017. He also got to the Wimbledon final this year after winning 2 marathon matches. Apart from that, the South African reached the 4th Round in 2 out of the other three Grand Slams in 2018.

On the other side, Jürgen Melzer will be looking for a good farewell to his career. He turned pro way back in 1998. But his best performance came only 13 years later, when he became No. 8 in the world. Due to inconsistent performances, he could never push on from that.

Kevin Anderson has to find an angle to get past the left-handed Melzer while serving. The service might be big but without finding the right angle, it's not of too much use.

Prediction - Kevin Anderson to win in straight sets.

5. Borna Coric (CRO) v Pouille, 10:20pm IST - Estimated

This year has been quite a mixed bag for young Borna Coric. He won the Halle Open 4 months back and reached the Shanghai Masters final, both times by beating Roger Federer. He has reached the 3rd and the 4th Round in the French Open and US Open respectively. But, his performances were marred with quite a few first and second round exits in between.

The Croatian has a solid technique and also possesses a crunching backhand, albeit making some unforced errors off it. While his forehand is not as powerful, it's still very accurate and effective in point-building. Facing Lucas Pouille, he needs to do exactly the same.

The Frenchman is an effective serve-and-volleyer and takes time away from the opponent, so constructing longer points is key. This also means that Coric's backhand will be an effective tool to hit passing shots.

Prediction - Borna Coric to win in straight sets.

Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee