The second of two 250 events in the lead up week to the French Open, is held about 500km down the highway. Here’s a preview of what’s happening in Lyon this week.
While not as much top end star power as Geneva, the depth is relatively similar.
Frenchman Ugo Humbert is the top seed. He started the year in some very good form, but has just dropped off a little, so getting some matches this week might be a good decision. He pulled out of Rome with a knee injury, so obviously needs to test it before Paris.
Thiago Seyboth Wild is putting together a nice season, and is at a career high of 61. He’ll have a tough first round against Spain’s Pedro Martinez, who was runner-up in Bordeaux last week, and is at 51, after starting the year at 109.
Should Seyboth Wild get through, he’ll take on Tomas Etcheverry, in a rematch of Rome round two. Etcheverry got the job done there, and I see him as a real threat for this title.
Adrian Mannerino has only won two matches since the Australian Open, and his late career resurgence appears to have stalled badly. Perhaps playing a few weeks on home soil might re-invigorate his year.
Frances Tiafoe is another who needs an injection of form as we head into the middle of the year. He’s barely fired a shot lately, and playing Jaume Munar on clay first up, won’t be a straight forward assignment.
Thirty-eight year old Gael Monfils is having a somewhat surprising season, having lifted his ranking from 75 to 38. It’d be wonderful to see him make a run in Paris, but if not there, then Lyon wouldn’t be a bad consolation.
Towards the bottom of the draw, two Argentinians, Mariano Navone and Francisco Cerundolo look the most likely to go deep this week, and there’s a good chance they could both reach the semis.
Second seed Alexander Bublik is at a career high of 17, and can’t be underestimated here. However, his clay court season has, like a lot of others in this field, been somewhat underwhelming.
Predictions:
Semi-finals:
Etcheverry v Tiafoe
Navone v Cerundolo
Final: Etcheverry v Navone
Champion: Tomas Etcheverry
For a preview of Geneva, click here.
