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Match details
Fixture: Dan Evans vs Lorenzo Sonego
Date: 31 October 2020
Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2020
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €1,409,510
Match timing: Not before 3 pm local time, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony ESPN
Dan Evans vs Lorenzo Sonego preview
British No. 1 Dan Evans takes on lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego in an unlikely semifinal at the ATP 500 Erste Bank Open on Saturday.
Despite not being at his very best in the early part of 2020, Evans has had a breakout year overall. He has reached three semifinals and five quarterfinals this season - as many as he had reached in his entire career previously.
The World No. 33 certainly performs well on indoor hardcourts as well, with two of his three semifinals coming on the surface. Apart from this week in Vienna and last week in Antwerp, Evans had also made the last four stage in Dubai before the lockdown.
The 3-year-old has had a less than complicated route to the semifinal in Vienna, defeating Ajaz Bedene via retirement and then home favorite Jurij Rodionov in straight sets. The Brit faced Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal on Friday, where he prevailed in three hard-fought sets.
Lorenzo Sonego, on the other hand, has been on a dream run in the Austrian capital so far. Carrying an underwhelming 7-12 W/L record for 2020 into the tournament, the World No. 42 was handed a lucky loser entry into the main draw following Diego Schwartzman's retirement.
Sonego used the opportunity to pick up big wins over Dusan Lajovic and Hubert Hurkacz in the first two rounds. He then caused the upset of the year, defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-1 in the quarterfinal.
Although Djokovic was admittedly not at his best, Sonego played an incredibly solid match in all aspects of the game. Needless to say, the Italian comes into the semifinal high on confidence after the greatest result of his career.
Dan Evans vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head
The semifinal matchup in Vienna is the first between Dan Evans and Lorenzo Sonego, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0 between the two players.
Dan Evans vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction
In a section of the draw that consisted of Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Karen Khachanov, this is perhaps the unlikeliest of semifinal matchups and thus an extremely difficult one to call.
Dan Evans is in a purple patch of sorts at the moment, reaching back-to-back semifinals. The Brit also enjoys playing on the quick indoor hardcourts, and does well while redirecting pace across the court. He has also displayed a refined net game over the past two weeks.
Lorenzo Sonego, however, will be no pushover. Sonego's favorite surface may be clay, but he happens to be a deceptively quick and accurate server. He also possesses strong movement and clean groundstrokes off both wings, with the ability to open up sharp angles on the court.
Given his high level of confidence and form this week, the Italian could cause more than a few problems for Evans. The Brit, however, remains the favorite owing to his experience and quick-court skills.
Prediction: Dan Evans to win in three sets.
