Lyon QF previews and predictions: Etcheverry vs. Koepfer, Bublik vs. Kotov

After taking out top seed Ugo Humbert on Wednesday, Dominik Koepfer will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Thursday in Lyon. The quarterfinal schedule also includes Alexander Bublik vs. Pavek Kotov.

Dominik Koepfer vs. (6) Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Etcheverry and Koepfer will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in the Open Parc quarterfinals on Thursday. ATP 250 titles immediately preceding Grand Slams are always up for grabs, and this Lyon event is no exception with the French Open on the immediate horizon. Etcheverry was among the favorites from the start; that certainly hasn’t changed now that five of the eight seeds are already out. The 29th-ranked Argentine has taken care of his business without too much trouble, advancing past Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo and Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Koepfer needed three sets in each of his first two matches, beating Javier Barranco Cosano 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 and No. 1 seed Ugo Humbert 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. The 67th-ranked German is a decent 12-11 at the ATP level this season and has now won multiple matches at two straight events, having previously reached the third round in Rome. Koepfer is no easy out, but he would probably win this matchup only on a hard court; on clay, Etcheverry should advance.

Pick: Etcheverry in 2

Pavel Kotov vs. (2) Alexander Bublik

Bublik’s motivation level is always a question mark–especially during a tournament that is right before a major. The fact that he doesn’t like clay also hinders his chances of making a deep run in Lyon. Nonetheless, the 19th-ranked Kazakh got off to an encouraging start with a 6-4, 6-2 beatdown of Aleksandar Vukic on Tuesday.

Up next for Bublik in the quarterfinals is a second meeting with Kotov, who lost their only previous contest 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 on the indoor hard courts of the Budapest Challenger in 2019. A move to clay should help Kotov immensely, not only because Bublik is uncomfortable on it but also because the 57th-ranked Russian owns far more victories on dirt throughout his career than he does on any other surface. Kotov, a recent semifinalist in Marrakech, has advanced this week by beating Pedro Cachin and Alexandre Muller in straight sets. This is a great opportunity for him to pull off an upset.

Pick: Kotov in 3