There has been no shortage of entertaining tennis at the WTA Lyon Open so far and the excitement should continue on day four with the conclusion of the second round. But who will book their place in the quarterfinals?
Lyon Open Day Four Predictions
Viktoria Kuzmova vs Tereza Martincova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Viktoria Kuzmova likely has a fine career ahead of her, but the Slovakian has rather lost her way over the last year, falling from her career-high ranking of world #45 to outside the world’s top 85. She was tested in the first round at the Lyon Open, but ultimately claimed a deserved 6-2 2-6 6-2 win over Holland’s Lesley Kerkhove. But she made just 54% of her first serves in that match, something she will surely be eager to improve on against Tereza Martincova.
The 25-year-old has yet to break into the world’s top 100, but she has been playing well of late, notably coming through the qualifying to reach the second round at the Qatar Open, taking the first set off Maria Sakkari there. She too was made to work hard for her place in the second round in Lyon, but saw off the challenge of Ana Bogdan in three sets. However, with Kuzmova’s confidence surely somewhat renewed by her win, expect the Slovakian, who has been a top 50 player for good reason, to edge this one.
Prediction: Kuzmova in 3
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Daria Kasatkina vs Irina Bara
Head-to-head: first meeting
Daria Kasatkina was not at her best in her first-round win over Pauline Parmentier, squandering a match point in the second set before ultimately prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4. But the Russian has not been playing her best tennis for some time now, so that rather lacklustre performance should not be viewed as a massive surprise. What is important is that she found a way to get over the line, a feat made more impressive by the fact she was up against a French player on home soil.
But she may well need to recapture that battling spirit in the second round when she takes on Irina Bara, who is enjoying a fine run at the Lyon Open. The Romanian, ranked outside the top 150 at world #168, stormed through the qualifying without dropping a set, before upsetting the veteran Timea Babos 6-3 6-7 6-4 in the first round. She showed admirable composure in that match and was able to maximise her game against a crafty opponent. But Bara does not possess the sort of power to regularly hit winners and as a result, if Kasatkina is able to play anything like her best, she should have enough to reach the last eight.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
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Sofia Kenin vs Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sofia Kenin scored her first win on tour since winning the Australian Open in the first round at the Lyon Open, beating Vitalia Diatchenko in straight-sets. It was a match in which she showed her quality and one that bodes well for her chances going forward this week. Jaqueline Cristian, meanwhile has excelled so far in Lyon, beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz and Lara Salden in the qualifying before hammering Priscilla Hon in the first round of the main draw. However, Kenin will mark a significant step up in the quality of her opposition and it does not seem likely to be one that Cristian is ready to make.
Prediction: Kenin in 2
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Anna-Lena Friedsam vs Kristina Mladenovic
Head-to-head: Mladenovic 1-0 Friedsam
Kristina Mladenovic made a slow start to her Lyon Open campaign, but rallied from losing the first set to her compatriot Chloe Pacquet to win in three. That win set up a second-round clash with Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, who impressed in her 6-2 6-2 win over Anastasiya Komardina, a win which will surely have given Friedsam real confidence about her chances going forward this week. She did lose her only previous match against Mladenovic, but it came four years ago on the grass in Eastbourne. With Friedsam in the better form, expect her to overcome Mladenovic and the vocal French crowd to avenge that defeat, though she will likely have to go the distance to do so.
Prediction: Friedsam in 3
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