An exciting semifinal line-up is set at the WTA Lyon Open. There should be plenty of entertaining action with two intriguing matches on the slate at the Palais des Sports Gerland and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both matches. But who will book their place in the final.
WTA Lyon Semifinal Predictions
Zhang Shuai vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Zhang 1-1 Garcia
Victories have come increasingly easily to Zhang Shuai on route to the semifinals. Zhang started the week with a hard-fought 7-6 7-5 win over Kristina Mladenovic before beating Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-4. Zhang then got lucky in the quarterfinals, barely raising a sweat as her opponent Vitalia Diatchenko retired with an injury after losing the first three games.
Caroline Garcia has not found things quite so straightforward this week and she had to go the distance in all three of the matches she has played. Garcia started the week with a 5-7 6-4 6-0 win over the top seeded Camila Giorgi before outlasting Martina Trevisan 6-4 2-6 6-3. The Frenchwoman booked her spot in the semifinals with her toughest outing of the week, a hard-fought 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory over Alison Van Uytvanck.
A motivated Garcia in front of her home crowd in Lyon is definitely the better player in this matchup. Of course, Garcia isn’t the most reliable player, far from it. But it seems Garcia is locked in this week and should be able to execute well enough to get over the line in this matchup.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Sorana Cirstea vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sorana Cirstea has cruised into the semifinals in Lyon without dropping a set. The Romanian has benefited from a comfortable draw, she’s made the most of it. A 6-3 6-1 win over Mariam Bolkvadze was followed by a 6-3 7-5 victory against Stefanie Voegele. The second seed booked her spot in the semifinals with a comfortable 6-3 6-3 win over Anna Bondar. A far greater test awaits Cirstea in the semifinals when she faces an inspired Dayana Yastremska.
Dayana Yastremska’s tennis has been amazing given the chaos outside the court. Yastremska escaped war-torn Ukraine just days before the tournament started in Lyon. The 21-year-old saved a pair of match points in an epic 3-6 7-6 7-6 opening round win over Ana Bogdan in over three hours of play. A Pair of straight set wins followed for Yastremska, a 6-2 6-3 victory over Cristina Bucsa and a 6-4 7-6 win against Jasmine Paolini.
This will be the first meeting between Cirstea and Yastremska, two players like to dictate from the back of the court with their powerful, flat groundstrokes. Yastremska’s game is more explosive, and she is likely to feed off the manageable power Cirstea throws at her. Yastremska has been forced to play the better tennis this week in tougher matches and seems primed to power her way into the final.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
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