Lyon R2 previews and predictions: Sock vs. Fritz, Isner vs. Albot

It will be an all-American when Jack Sock and Taylor Fritz collide in Lyon on Wednesday. Compatriot John Isner will also continue his French Open preparation when he battles for a quarterfinal spot against Radu Albot.

(3) Jack Sock vs. Taylor Fritz

Sock and Fritz will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time during this clay-court swing when they meet again in round two of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon on Wednesday. All three of their previous encounters have gone the distance, including two five-setters. Sock survived 6-4, 3-6, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the 2016 Australian Open and 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-6, 1-6 later that summer in New York before Fritz got the job done 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 earlier this spring in the Houston quarterfinals.

Fritz has generally done his best work at home in the United States and nothing has changed in 2018, with a quarterfinal finish in Delray Beach, a fourth-round performance in Indian Wells, and a semifinal showing in Houston–where all three of his wins came at the expense of countrymen. The world No. 70 fell in qualifying in both Madrid and Rome, but he bounced back to beat Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-2 on Monday in Lyon. Although last year was mostly a smashing success for Sock, he has been a disaster in 2018. The world No. 15’s record stands at a mere 5-9 following clay-court losses to Fritz, Pablo Cuevas (Madrid first round), and Philipp Kohlschreiber (Rome second round). Fritz should be confident based on his past head-to-head performances, his first-round rout of Ebden, and his opponent’s recent struggles.

Pick: Fritz in 3

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Radu Albot vs. (2) John Isner

Like Sock, Isner struggled to build on a strong 2017 campaign in the early stages of this season. The 10th-ranked American lost his first four ATP tournament matches before beating Albot (Wednesday’s foe in Lyon) in the Delray Beach first round. He was a horrendous 2-6 before arriving in Miami, where–from completely out of nowhere–he rolled all the way to the biggest title of his career, defeating Hyeon Chung, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Alexander Zverev in succession. Isner has predictably cooled off again, but he at least managed to win one match in Houston and two in Madrid (both quarterfinal results).

This marks what is already the third meeting of the year between Isner and Albot. Prior to his Delray Beach loss, Albot pulled off a 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 upset on the indoor hard courts of New York. The 97th-ranked Moldovan had been on a six-match losing streak–including three setbacks in round one of Challengers–before scraping past Federico Delbonis 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 in his Lyon opener. Although that is a decent win for Albot, nothing suggests he is playing well enough or clutch enough to take down Isner on a surface that actually suits the No. 2 seed quite well.

Pick: Isner in 2

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