Filip Misolic’s Vienna surge: hometown momentum, De Minaur test tonight, and what to watch

Bassyonni

ago 4 hours

Filip Misolic

Austrian No. 2 Filip Misolic has lit up the indoor swing this week, booking a first-ever Round of 16 at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and earning a prime-time matchup against top seed Alex de Minaur tonight. For the 24-year-old from Graz, it’s a shot to turn a strong autumn into a signature result—on home soil, in front of a packed Stadthalle.

Match today: start time and how the evening sets up

Opponent: Alex de Minaur (seeded, Top 10)
Venue: Vienna, Center Court
Approx. start: 8:15 p.m. CEST (local)
UK: 7:15 p.m. BST
USA/Canada (ET): 2:15 p.m. ET

Times are “not before” and can slide depending on earlier matches, but Misolic is locked into the evening window.

How Filip Misolic got here

Misolic opened his Vienna campaign with a gritty 7–5, 7–6(6) win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, a match that showcased two pillars of his current form:

Serve resilience: He protected second serve under pressure, saving late break points with bold body serves and well-timed kick wide.
First-strike forehand: From 0–30 and deuce, he trusted an inside-in forehand to flip rallies, a pattern that turned defense into instant offense.

The victory mattered beyond the scoreline. Misolic had never reached the Vienna last-16; clearing that milestone in straight sets, with the crowd behind him, is a tangible confidence jolt heading into the favorite’s lane tonight.

Scouting the matchup: Misolic vs. de Minaur

De Minaur brings one of the tour’s cleanest indoor baselines: early contact, skidding backhand redirects, and relentless depth that dares opponents to overpress. To make this a live upset, Misolic needs to alter the geometry of points:

Free points on serve: Vienna’s low-skid court rewards placement over raw pace. Hitting the deuce-side slider to open the inside-out forehand is key.
Backhand height games: De Minaur loves chest-high rhythm balls. Loop a few with heavy shape, then step in on the shorter reply to avoid living on the back foot.
Finish at the net: When he earns short balls, Misolic must close. De Minaur’s speed elongates rallies; trusting the first volley prevents momentum swings.
Scoreboard discipline: De Minaur’s break runs often arrive in clusters. If Misolic gets down early in a set, hold to 3–4 and 4–5 to keep tiebreak routes open.

Form, ranking, and the 2025 picture

Misolic entered the week ranked in the mid-90s, having pieced together a credible season of qualifying wins, a few main-draw breakthroughs, and a summer highlight in Scandinavia. The arc has been steady rather than flashy: improved hold percentage, better break-point conversion, and a noticeable uptick in forehand weight indoors. Vienna offers ranking upside: each additional win inside an ATP 500 pays richly in points and experience, especially against elite opposition.

Keys within the first 20 minutes

Serve patterns: Watch where Misolic lands first serves at 30-all—body vs. wide tells you how confident he feels.
Rally length: If average rally length sits under five shots on Misolic’s serve, the match is on his terms. Over seven, it favors de Minaur.
Return position: Stepping inside the baseline on second-serve returns is a positive sign; retreating cedes tempo.

Crowd factor and intangibles

Home tournaments can cut both ways. The Vienna crowd amplifies every surge, but tension rises if chances slip. Misolic’s composure in the Carabelli tiebreak—patient, no panic on a late mini-break—suggests he’s managing the moment. If he channels that same poise in tonight’s first-set business games, he can keep the favorite in a prolonged arm-wrestle.

What a win would mean

An upset would be career-defining: quarterfinals at a marquee ATP 500, top-tier scalp, and a major ranking boost that strengthens entry lists for early 2026. Even a narrow, high-quality loss can pay dividends—confidence, match reps at elite tempo, and proof that his first-strike patterns carry against a world-class mover.

Quick viewing guide (UK & North America)

UK (BST): Plan for 7:15–9:00 p.m. window depending on match length.
ET: Plan for 2:15–4:00 p.m. ET.
Warm-ups hit about 10 minutes before first ball; on-court interviews follow if time permits.

Filip Misolic has earned his Vienna night session—now comes the steepest climb. If the serve locations hold, the forehand dictates early, and he finishes assertively at net, the Austrian can turn a celebratory home week into a genuine breakthrough.