It’s quarterfinal day at the WTA 250 level Open 6e Sens Métropole de Lyon. Four seeds remain in the draw, each face an unseeded opponent with a spot in the semifinals up for grabs. The second seeded Sorana Cirstea is the highest seed remaining in the draw, she faces Anna Bondar in the final match of the day. Whilst the seventh seeded Alison Van Uytvanck faces Caroline Garcia in the most intriguing clash of the day. Who will prevail?
WTA Lyon Quarterfinal Predictions
Shuai Zhang vs Vitalia Diatchenko
H2H: 2-2.
Zhang has won the last couple of matches against Diatchenko, both in 2021, both in straight sets. A 6-2 7-5 win on the grass of Birmingham, followed by a 6-0 6-4 victory in the Angers 125K final on an indoor hard court. That victory in Angers wasn’t too long ago and was played on a similar surface to the one in Lyon this week. There’s little reason to suggest a drastically different result will occur here. Zhang has already claimed a pair of straight set wins this week over Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 7-5 and Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-4 and is likely to continue that streak against Diatchenko.
Prediction: Sh. Zhang in 2
Jasmine Paolini vs Dayana Yastremska
H2H: Paolini 3-0.
Dayana Yastremska bravery this week has been admirable. The Ukrainian escaped her war-torn homeland just days before this event started but has somehow managed to put that aside to reach the quarterfinals. Yastremska will need to overcome a terrible recent head-to-head record with Jasmine Paolini if she is to advance any further in Lyon.
Paolini defeated Yastremska on three occasions in 2021. All three matches were on a hard court. To be fair, each match was quite close, and one ended in a retirement. Their most recent match was in Linz where Paolini won 6-4 3-6 6-2. It’s hard to go against Paolini in this matchup given the head-to-head record and the Italian’s greater consistency in recent times.
Prediction: Paolini in 3
Sorana Cirstea vs Anna Bondar
H2H: Cirstea 1-0.
Sorana Cirstea has been handed a very favourable draw in Lyon. The Romanian has claimed a pair straight set wins over opponents ranked well outside the top 100. A 6-3 6-1 win over Mariam Bolkvadze, followed by a 6-3 7-5 win against Stefanie Voegele. Anna Bondar presents as a slightly greater test given the fact that the Hungarian has achieved some of her best results over the last six months. Nevertheless, Cirstea is still a class above in these conditions and shouldn’t have many troubles on route to victory.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Alison Van Uytvanck vs Caroline Garcia
H2H: 1-1.
Alison Van Uytvanck is an indoor specialist. The Belgian has won four of her five WTA Singles titles on indoor courts. All at the WTA 250 event. These numbers make her especially dangerous this week at a 250 level event on an indoor hard court. It’s been smooth sailing so far this week for Van Uytvanck with a pair of straight set wins, 6-0 6-3 over Vera Zvonareva and 6-2 6-4 over Varvara Gracheva.
Caroline Garcia looms as Van Uytvanck’s first real challenge of the week. The final French hope in Lyon has recorded a pair of three set wins this week. A 5-7 6-4 6-0 win over the top seeded Camila Giorgi was followed by a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory over Martina Trevisan. A more consistent level will be required if she is to go any further this week.
I’ll side with Garcia here. The Frenchwoman has come through some tough matches this week, whilst Van Uytvanck is to be tested. This could work in Garcia’s favour in a matchup of small margins. Garcia’s general form isn’t great, but I still see her as the better player in this matchup. At home, with a few good wins under her belt Garcia looks a decent chance.
Prediction: Garcia in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
