The final week of tournaments before the French Open continues, with more action at the ATP Lyon Open. There is a superb schedule of Round of 16 matches for Day 4 of the event, with top seed Ugo Humbert and Frances Tiafoe both featuring. We at LWOT predict all the contests in Lyon here and in a separate article, including Francisco Cerundolo vs Hugo Gaston. But which players do you think will progress to the quarterfinals?
ATP Lyon Day 4 Predictions
Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-head: Etcheverry 1-0 Seyboth Wild
These two met less than two weeks ago in Rome. Etcheverry won that contest 6-3 7-5. Seyboth Wild struggled against Etcheverry’s formidable forehand in that match, which was problematic for the Brazilian, since forehand-to-forehand exchanges are often an area where he has an advantage in his matches. Etcheverry will still need to be wary against an opponent who can suddenly spring to life during matches. That could earn Seyboth Wild a set on this occasion, but overcoming Etcheverry will still be a tough ask.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 3
Ugo Humbert vs Dominik Koepfer
Head-to-head: Koepfer 3-1 Humbert
The head-to-head looks slightly alarming at first for Humbert. However, these two have never played on clay. It will be interesting to see how that impacts this matchup. Humbert will have more time to set up his powerful groundstrokes and hit through Koepfer, but it also gives the German a better chance to return his opponent’s big serve. Koepfer will aim to target the slightly weaker Humbert backhand with heavy spin on the high-bouncing clay, which could be an effective tactic. This is likely to be tight, but a home crowd and Humbert’s superior ability to hit through the slow conditions make the Frenchman a slight favourite.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Arthur Rinderknech
Head-to-head: First meeting
Both players got important victories in the previous round. Tiafoe stopped a run of losses against Jaume Munar, while Rinderknech claimed an emotional victory in a deciding set tiebreak against Dan Evans in front of a passionate home crowd. In truth, the outcome of this match is on Tiafoe’s racket. His firepower and overall talent is far superior to Rinderknech, who is a fighter that maximizes his ability. The American has been very inconsistent this year, but that win in the previous round might be the confidence boost he needs to string a few wins together in a row.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
