ATP Lyon 2017 draw preview, predictions and tips: Four top 20 stars and wildcard Juan Martin del Potro headline inaugural Lyon Open
Considering the first ever Lyon Open takes place just one week before the French Open, this has got to rival the likes of Doha, Brisbane, Stuttgart and Stockholm as one of the best ATP 250 tournaments on the calendar - a big boost for the Lyon event as it hosts the world’s best tennis players for the first time at the Velodrome Georges Preveral.
Milos Raonic will be the top seed in Lyon, but if the Canadian is to secure a first ATP title in 15 months he will have his hands full, with the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Nick Kyrgios, Juan Martin del Potro and more all ready to strike and claim silverware in Lyon.
There’s also quite a few young guns present in Lyon, including the returning Thanasi Kokkinakis, who will be playing his first main draw ATP event since Stockholm in 2015.
Live Stream: ATP Lyon tennis live!
It promises to be a great week in Lyon as some of the world’s best players and most exciting youngsters battle for glory in the French city. Read on below for a Lyon draw preview, predictions and tips!
First quarter
Milos Raonic (1) vs Juan Martin del Potro (6) - H2H: Raonic leads 2-1
Since finishing last year at a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world, Milos Raonic hasn’t really got going this season - partly due to injuries, but I think it’s also fair to say his level has dropped as well. Raonic made the final of Istanbul to launch his clay season, but he has suffered heavy straight sets losses to David Goffin and Alexander Zverev at the Madrid and Rome Masters, while Roland Garros has never been a happy hunting ground for the big-serving Canadian. Raonic could face Aussie youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, who is returning to competition after almost two full years on the sidelines due to multiple injury problems. Kokkinakis has a pretty good draw in the first round - Denis Istomin, who beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open but doesn’t play well at all on clay.
Juan Martin del Potro has accepted a wildcard into Lyon and is the sixth seed this week, beginning his campaign in the opening round against the out-of-form Marcel Granollers. Either Radu Albot or a qualifier will be waiting in the second round, so it seems likely that del Potro will be featuring in the quarter-finals - most likely against Raonic, unless Kokkinakis can pull something magical together in his first tournament back, which is unlikely.
Predicted semi-finalist: Del Potro
Second quarter
Tomas Berdych (3) vs Gilles Simon (5) - H2H: Simon leads 7-6
Tomas Berdych and Gilles Simon, two players who’s best tennis is seemingly behind them, have taken wildcards into Lyon this week and have been drawn into the same quarter. Berdych has suffered straight sets defeats at the Round of 16 stage at all three Masters 1000 events on clay in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, and he’s really struggling at the moment to push on into tournaments and claim notable scalps.
However Simon is in a far worse predicament, losing seven of his last nine matches and finding it challenging to discover his best tennis in the twilight of his career. Simon could be in trouble in his opener against Next Generation star Daniil Medvedev, while Thiago Monteiro or a qualifier will advance to the second round. Berdych has a bye in the first round and will take on Donald Young for a qualifier in his opener. Simon is more unreliable now, while the unseeded players in this section don’t look likely to cause too much damage, so Berdych will probably advance to the semi-finals.
Predicted semi-finalist: Berdych
Third quarter
Nick Kyrgios (4) vs Borna Coric (7) - H2H: Kyrgios 1-1 Coric
Nick Kyrgios was arguably playing top five tennis throughout February and March, taking down Novak Djokovic twice, reaching the Acapulco and Miami Masters semi-finals, the Indian Wells quarter-finals and helping Australia through to the Davis Cup semis in Brisbane. However he hasn’t really had the chance to build any significant momentum on clay, pulling out of Estoril to return home for his grandfather’s funeral and suffering a third round loss in Madrid to Rafael Nadal before pulling out of Rome with injury.
With new part-time coach Sebastien Grosjean joining the team, Kyrgios enjoys a first round bye and could face Dustin Brown in the second round - which would be entertaining to say the least. Borna Coric, who also missed Rome due to niggling injury concerns, is coming off a great showing in Madrid, where he toppled World No. 1 Andy Murray to make his second Masters 1000 quarter-final - he made the first in Cincinnati last year, beating Kyrgios along the way. Coric faces the unpredictable Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round and if he wins, awaits the challenge of Andrea Seppi or Damir Dzumhur in round two.
With the French Open in mind, and two possibly somewhat injured younger seeds, the chance is there for someone else to come out of this section. Brown is a strong candidate, but you never know with him, especially on clay, so someone consistent like say Dzumhur could be poised to take advantage.
Predicted semi-finalist: Dzumhur
Fourth quarter
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2) vs Benoit Paire (8) - H2H: Tsonga leads 3-0
Another injured seed in Lyon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has won only one match since capturing the Rotterdam and Marseille titles in February, although he did also become a father during that period. Tsonga suffered a shoulder injury during that only win over Andrey Kuznetsova in Madrid, forcing him to withdraw before the third round. Following a first round bye, Tsonga opens against either Steve Darcis or Carlos Berlocq.
Eighth seed Benoit Paire could be the man to emerge from this quarter, but who actually has any idea what the enigmatic French talent will do? Paire begins his campaign against plucky Aussie Jordan Thompson, while Nicolas Mahut or boom youngster Karen Khachanov are possible round two rivals. Paire has been decent on clay recently, most notably toppling Stan Wawrinka in Madrid, but if Tsonga is fit, he should be able to extend the head-to-head over his compatriot to 4-0.
Predicted semi-finalist: Tsonga
The 2017 Lyon Open is live between May 21-27.
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