Thiem, Goffin claim key wins

It took Thiem just 21 minutes to move one set up, and he broke to love in game eight of the second before serving out a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Gerald Melzer

Austrian Dominic Thiem will take on Viktor Troicki for a place in the quarterfinals of Vienna Open.

Dominic Thiem stayed on track for a place at the ATP World Tour Finals with a straight-sets win over Gerald Melzer at the Vienna Open, while David Goffin was a victor in Basel.

It took Thiem just 21 minutes to move one set up, and he broke to love in game eight of the second before serving out a 6-0, 6-3 victory.

The Austrian third seed will take on Viktor Troicki, who beat Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5, for a place in the quarterfinals as he aims to boost his hopes of featuring at the O2 Arena in London next month with a strong run.

Lucas Pouille and Roberto Bautista Agut were not as fortunate, though, the pair sustaining severe dents to their chances of making the Finals with first-round defeats.

Feliciano Lopez saved match point en route to a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 triumph against Pouille, while Bautista Agut was defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Jurgen Melzer.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga remains in the hunt after a routine straight-sets win over Benjamin Becker and Gilles Simon set up a second-round match against Andy Murray by overcoming Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Goffin remains a chance of making the Finals and won his first-round clash at the Swiss Indoors, beating Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Also in Basel, second seed Milos Raonic and sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov suffered shock defeats in the first round.

Raonic, who has already secured his place at the Finals, let a lead slip in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Ricardas Berankis and Dimitrov fell 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 6-4 to Gilles Muller.

Top seed Stan Wawrinka suffered a scare when he lost the opening set against Marco Chiudinelli, but he fought back in fine fashion to complete a 6-7 (1-7), 6-1, 6-4 victory.