Alexander Bublik and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are the last two remaining seeds in Lyon, where semifinal action takes place on Friday. They are going up against Luciano Darderi and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, respectively.
(6) Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Luciano Darderi
Etcheverry and Darderi will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a final spot at the Open Parc on Friday. Each player’s place the semis is no surprise–and that is especially the case for Etcheverry. The 29th-ranked Argentine has been stellar in 2024, with 15 main-tour match victories–including three this week at the expense of Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo, Thiago Seyboth Wild, and Dominik Koepfer.
Darderi has been one of the tour’s most notable newcomers this season. The 22-year-old Italian is up to No. 47 in the world thanks in part to his first ATP title in Cordoba (as a qualifier), a semifinal showing in Rome, and a third-round performance in Rome. Darderi has remained in fine form with Lyon defeats of Taro Daniel and Adrian Mannarino (he got a walkover from Arthur Rinderknech on Thursday). This should be a high-quality contest between two comfortable clay-courters, but Etcheverry has been the best player all week long in Lyon and that trend will likely continue.
Pick: Etcheverry in 2
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(WC) Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. (2) Alexander Bublik
The second semifinal promises to deliver a much different stylistic matchup. Whereas Etcheverry and Darderi will be showcasing a classic clay-court grind, Bublik and Mpetshi Perricard will be serving bombs. Bublik has wielded one of the best serves on tour for several years and his all-court game has been playing its part a decent amount of the time in 2024. The 19th-ranked Kazakh is 18-10 this season following wins over Aleksandar Vukic (6-4, 6-2) and Pavel Kotov (6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3).
Mpetshi Perricard is just now making a name for himself at 20 years old. The 6’8” Frenchman owned only two ATP-level match victories in his career prior to this week and he has already equaled that number in Lyon. Mpetshi Perricard booked his spot in the semis thanks to defeats of Lorenzo Sonego and Hugo Gaston while also getting a walkover from Yoshihito Nishioka. In a contest between similar game styles, Bublik is obviously the far more polished player and–somewhat surprisingly–he has looked extremely motivated in Lyon.
Pick: Bublik in 2
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