Jannik Sinner's Vienna triumph caps "incredible experience" at Austria's top tournament

A dream final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, a successful debut for the Marx Halle as a second match venue, and a record-breaking 82,000 spectators—the Erste Bank Open could hardly have ended on a higher note in 2025.

On Sunday, tournament director Herwig Straka drew an overwhelmingly positive conclusion to this year’s edition of Austria’s biggest tennis event.

Record-breaking attendance

The milestone of surpassing 80,000 visitors for the first time was largely due to the addition of the Marx Halle, which hosted matches alongside the traditional Wiener Stadthalle.

“In the Stadthalle, we’ve reached our limit in terms of capacity. Wednesday was the busiest day in tournament history—not a single ticket left, not even standing room, which has never happened before,” explained Straka. “Thanks to the Marx Halle, we broke the 80,000 mark for the first time this year.”

Inaugural wheelchair tennis event

The new venue didn’t just bring more fans, but also broadened the event’s scope. For the first time, the Erste Bank Open hosted a wheelchair tennis competition, which was met with great enthusiasm.

Britain’s Gordon Reid claimed the title in impressive fashion. The world No. 5 defeated France’s Stéphane Houdet, 6-3, 6-1 in Saturday’s final, earning a winner’s check of €5,000.

“It’s been an incredible experience to be here,” said Reid after his victory. “Everyone has shown us great appreciation from the first minute - you really feel part of the tournament family. Playing today on Centre Court, with such an amazing atmosphere, was a dream come true.”

Straka sees this as a step toward further growth. “We want to make the event even more inclusive and ensure that no one in Vienna or Austria can overlook it,” he said. “That’s why we’re also considering a women’s tournament, allowing the Erste Bank Open to serve as a launchpad for Austrian tennis.”

A fantastic players’ line-up

As for the tournament’s sporting strength, the 2025 edition featured an outstanding field: five of the world’s Top 10 players, with Jack Draper’s last-minute withdrawal preventing a sixth, competed in Vienna. “We won’t be able to top that line-up,” Straka admitted. “Five Top 10 players is fantastic, and if we can achieve that again in the future, it would be great.”

Looking ahead, Straka revealed that he will meet Jannik Sinner next week in Paris to discuss a potential return in 2026. “He really enjoys playing here,” Straka said. “If he decides to play a 500-level tournament, Vienna will certainly be high on his list.”

However, he considers it “unrealistic” that both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play the Erste Bank Open at the same time. Two other players were also high on his wish list for this year: Ben Shelton, who played in Vienna two years ago, and rising Brazilian star João Fonseca.

Both opted to compete in Basel instead. While Shelton’s campaign was short-lived in Switzerland, Fonseca has made an impressive run by winning the biggest title of his young career.