Day two at the Lyon Open in southern France will see the first full slate of main-draw matches and there looks to be no shortage of entertaining action for the fans at the Parc de la Tete d’Or. On day one, former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Australia’s John Millman were able to book their places in the second round. Who will join them?

ATP Lyon Open Day 2 Predictions Including Richard Gasquet vs Maxime Janvier

Cameron Norrie vs Ugo Humbert (first on Court Central)

Britain’s Cameron Norrie will hope to manufacture another good run this week after what has been a promising start to the season. Standing between him and a place in the second round is home hope Ugo Humbert, in what will be their first meeting. Humbert has had significant success at Challenger level but struggled thus far to make his mark on the main tour. Norrie, though not the most natural clay courter, has impressed on the terre battue in 2019, reaching the last 16 in Monte Carlo and the second round at the Italian Open.

Both men, like so many of their colleagues on tour, are excellent movers and possess reliable groundstrokes. But where Norrie be able to carve out an advantage is his slight edge in power and penetration, particularly off the forehand side. That said, he will have to contend with the partisan French crowd. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old, now a well-established touring professional, should have enough to keep the crowd quiet and Humbert uncomfortable.

Prediction: Norrie in three
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Martin Klizan vs Steve Johnson (first on Court One)

The big-hitting Slovakian Martin Klizan is always a dangerous opponent and certainly not one the struggling Steve Johnson will relish facing. Neither man has found much consistency in recent weeks, although Klizan’s results have been better overall. He is also the more comfortable of the two on a clay court. That is largely due to his heavy forehand, which he hits with enough topspin to rival even the great Rafael Nadal. Johnson, whose backhand remains extremely vulnerable on a clay court, seems destined to struggle when confronted with that shot.

Prediction: Klizan in two
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Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs Jeremy Chardy (second on Court Central)

Seventh seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert will look to extend his head-to-head advantage to 2-0 when he takes on his countryman Jeremy Chardy in first-round action at the Lyon Open. But he may need to be at his best with Chardy having picked up some impressive wins in Madrid and Rome recently, reaching the third round at the former. That said, his confidence may have been dented somewhat by the manner of his 0-6 1-6 loss at the hands of eventual champion Nadal at the Foro Italico.

Herbert, meanwhile, has been enjoying the best period of his career in singles. His all-court game ensures he is always a difficult opponent to come up against, with few more accomplished than he at the net. But Chardy has the power to hit through any opponent if he can get his forehand into play and Herbert’s movement can let him down. But for all the power of Chardy’s forehand, his serve and backhand are serious weaknesses that Herbert has the quality to expose. Expect him to do just that.

Prediction: Herbert in three
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Richard Gasquet vs Maxime Janvier (fourth on Court Central)

In another all French battle, sixth seed Richard Gasquet will take on qualifier Maxime Janvier, ranked 199th in the world. With his home Slam just around the corner, Gasquet is understandably eager to get matches under his belt, having played just three at tour-level so far this year after a start to the season blighted by injury. But the former-world #7 still has the tools to cause opponents problem and Janvier, who bested Guilherme Cezar and Lloyd Harris to reach the main draw, will surely be well-aware of the threat he poses.

Gasquet’s backhand remains one of the best one-handers in the sport and he also covers the court well. However, his second serve is vulnerable and his forehand can lack penetration. Janvier’s game is more reliant on power than Gasquet’s, but the 22-year-old can struggle to marshal that power effectively. And against a player with the experience and court craft of Gasquet, such waywardness could well prove costly.

Prediction: Gasquet in three

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