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PHOTOS: Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz warm up for Vienna with Red Bull exhibition event

Ahead of a pivotal week on the ATP’s Race to Turin, top players took the pressure off for a night during a “tennis meets turntables” tournament in Vienna's city center.

By Baseline Staff
MATCH POINT: T.Fritz def. Y.Nishioka; 1R Vienna 1:02
WATCH: Taylor Fritz defeats Yoshihito Nishioka in the 2022 Erste Open first round

As the ATP Race to Turin comes down to the wire, 11 of the world’s Top 20 players have descended on Austria for the Erste Bank Open.

But before battling it out in the ATP 500, the likes of Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Grigor Dimitrov took the night off for a “tennis meets turntables” tournament in Vienna’s city center.

The Red Bull “Bassline” tournament brought together Rublev, Fritz and Dimitrov with Top 20 players Diego Schwartzman, Karen Khachanov and home favorite Filip Misolic for a one-night event. The tournament featured no umpire, but plenty of music as a live DJ kept the tunes coming.

Khachanov ultimately took home the trophy in the event’s second edition by defeating Dimitrov in the final, while Rublev and Fritz came in third and fourth, respectively.

"The energy was great. I was so happy to play for this crowd—and thanks for the DJ," Khachanov told RedBull.com afterward. "I think everyone enjoyed the great atmosphere today."

Come Monday, it was all business in Vienna as last week’s Gijon winner Rublev and recent Tokyo champion Fritz took their place among the tournament’s Top 4 seeds, along with No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and No. 2 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Karen Khachanov produced a superb performance in Friday night's final to overcome Grigor Dimitrov and win the second edition of innovative tiebreak tournament, Red Bull Bassline, in Vienna, Austria. This year's event, with its faster and highly-engaging format, saw six of the world's best tennis players battle it out, with Khachanov and Dimitrov joined by Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Diego Schwartzman and Filip Misolic. // Diego Schwartzman seen during Red Bull Bassline on October 21, 2022 in Vienna, Austria // Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool via AP Images // For more content, pictures and videos like this please go to http://www.redbullcontentpool.com
© Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool
Karen Khachanov produced a superb performance in Friday night's final to overcome Grigor Dimitrov and win the second edition of innovative tiebreak tournament, Red Bull Bassline, in Vienna, Austria. This year's event, with its faster and highly-engaging format, saw six of the world's best tennis players battle it out, with Khachanov and Dimitrov joined by Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Diego Schwartzman and Filip Misolic. // Karen Khachanov and Grigor Dimitrov seen during Red Bull Bassline on October 21, 2022 in Vienna, Austria // Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool via AP Images // For more content, pictures and videos like this please go to http://www.redbullcontentpool.com
© Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool
Karen Khachanov produced a superb performance in Friday night's final to overcome Grigor Dimitrov and win the second edition of innovative tiebreak tournament, Red Bull Bassline, in Vienna, Austria. This year's event, with its faster and highly-engaging format, saw six of the world's best tennis players battle it out, with Khachanov and Dimitrov joined by Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Diego Schwartzman and Filip Misolic. // Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev seen during Red Bull Bassline on October 21, 2022 in Vienna, Austria // Philipp Carl Riedl / Red Bull Content Pool via AP Images // For more content, pictures and videos like this please go to http://www.redbullcontentpool.com
© Philipp Carl Riedl / Red Bull Content Pool

There are three spots left up for grabs at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Medvedev next in line to qualify. Felix Auger-Aliassime is also in the mix, lapping No. 8 Fritz after lifting back-to-back trophies in Florence and Antwerp. 

The American, seeded fourth in Vienna, has already started off on the right foot after a hard-fought 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over Yoshihito Nishioka in the opening round.

Also in action on Monday, “Bassline” champion Khachanov also edged past qualifier J.J. Wolf 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Third seed Rublev, who sits at No. 6 in the Race, opens his Vienna campaign against Schwartzman. The Russian won the title here in 2020—one of seven indoor hard-court wins he’s racked up among his 12 career titles.