Two of the top four seeds in Lyon went down on Thursday, but No. 1 and No. 4 are still alive. It’s Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime in one semifinal, while unseeded floaters Taylor Fritz and Benoit Paire will square off.
(1) Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. (4) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Basilashvili and Auger-Aliassime will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the Lyon title match on Friday. Their only previous encounter came earlier this spring on the hard courts of Miami, where Auger-Aliassime prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4 on his eventual way to the semifinals. The 18-year-old Canadian’s ongoing surge up the rankings is also highlighted by a runner-up finish in Rio de Janeiro and a third-round showing in Indian Wells. He is through to the semifinals this week thanks to hard-fought victories over John Millman and Steve Johnson.
Also the beneficiary of an opening bye as the top seed, Basilashvili booked his spot in the last four by beating lucky loser Tristan Lamasine and protected ranking entrant Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. The 18th-ranked Georgian has been mostly mediocre in 2019, as most of his points come from the second half of last year. With Auger-Aliassime, the opposite is true. A clear edge in current form and perhaps a slight advantage on clay go the youngster, whose breakout on tour should continue.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
[polldaddy poll=10326711]
Benoit Paire vs. Taylor Fritz
Paire took a losing record in 2019 with him into Lyon, but he will arrive at Roland Garros over .500 following defeats of Mackenzie McDonald, Pablo Cuevas, and Denis Shapovalov. Now 14-12 for the season, the 51st-ranked Frenchman earned a place in his second semifinal of the year (previously captured a clay-court title in Marrakech) by outlasting Shapovalov 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) on Thursday. 
Up next for Paire on Friday is a third career contest against Fritz–and third on three different surfaces. Fritz cruised 6-3, 6-2 at the 2017 Indian Wells Masters before Paire picked up a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 victory on the lawn of Stuttgart last summer. From completely out of nowhere, Fritz has suddenly become a borderline overnight sensation on the slow stuff. The 46th-ranked American reached the third round in Monte-Carlo and the second round in both Madrid and Rome as a qualifier on each occasion. He finds himself in a semifinal this time around following wins at the expense of Jiri Vesely and Roberto Bautista Agut (also got a walkover from Richard Gasquet). Fritz is comfortable on clay right now and looking inspired, while Paire might be a bit more inclined to get to Roland Garros.
Pick: Fritz in 3
[polldaddy poll=10326710]
WWW?
I’m going for Paire over Fritz.
It will be interesting as it’s the pair’s first meeting on clay, I think Benoit has the tools to win, add home crowd support to that too.
Bash in 2; Fritz in 2.