By Chris Oddo | Tuesday October 24, 2016

Back at the scene of his first ever ATP-level win, Dominic Thiem mowed down a fellow Austrian to reach the second round of the Erste Open in Vienna.

More: Cautious Federer Prepping for Extra Long Hurrah

Theim snapped a two-match losing streak with the 6-0, 6-3 win over wild card Gerald Melzer; he won 20 of 21 first serve points and saved both break points he faced against the 26-year-old.

Thiem is currently seventh in the race to the ATP Finals in London, but he’ll need to reach the final to improve his point total. That said, the Austrian has already benefitted from Tomas Berdych’s first-round loss in Vienna, and he’ll further benefit if David Goffin and Marin Cilic do not proceed any further in the Basel draw.

Thiem improves to 57-20 on the season and 25-11 on hardcourts. He will face Serbia’s Viktor Troicki in the second round at Vienna.

Defending champ David Ferrer reached the second round when Kyle Edmund retired in the first set, and fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez knocked off No.7-seeded Lucas Pouille, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

Lopez will face American John Isner in the second round; Ferrer will face Joao Sousa.

Other winners on Tuesday in Vienna were Gilles Simon (d. Garcia-Lopez), Joao Sousa (d. Cuevas) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (d. Becker).

Top-seeded Andy Murray will begin his bid for a second Vienna title on Wednesday when he faces Martin Klizan.