ATP Vienna 2020: Dennis Novak vs Kevin Anderson Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction for Erste Bank Open

Home-crowd favored Dennis Novak has a wildcard entry into the tournament. Since turning pro in 2011, he has been at the lower tiers of professional tennis, and only this year broke into the top 100 of the ATP world rankings. Blazing through many of the qualifiers he has played has given him a net positive win-loss record. However, his performance in the main draws of tournaments is yet to be seen, with many first-round exits this season.

His best tournament was the Bett1Hulks Indoors, where he produced two spectacular upsets of higher-ranked opponents, including world no. 26 Benoit Paire in the second round. He eventually lost in the quarterfinals to a relatively mild opponent, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Meanwhile, South African Kevin Anderson was one of the better players from the era of the Big 3, reaching a peak world ranking of 5 and making two Grand Slam finals, including Wimbledon in 2018. He also boasts of a Vienna Open title, winning it in 2018. However, since then, injuries have gradually derailed his career, unfortunately. He has had multiple surgeries on his knee, but it hasn’t been able to handle the intensity of a professional tennis match.

Having a dismal 6-8 record in 2020, he has best managed to reach the third round – at the French Open. However, he will be looking to bounce back into form, trying to emulate Roger Federer and play well into his late 30s.

Kevin Anderson still possesses some of his former sparks and will try to use that as leverage to go far in this year’s Vienna Open. However, he faces a stern test in the underdog Austrian. Novak has much more match practice than Anderson, but if Anderson maintains his composure and plays to the best of his ability, he will pull through the victor.

Match Prediction: Kevin Anderson to defeat Dennis Novak in three sets.