Top two seeds Dominic Thiem and John Isner will be back on the court for quarterfinal action in Lyon on Friday. Thiem is going up against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, while Isner is facing fellow former college star Cameron Norrie.
(1) Dominic Thiem vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
Thiem and Garcia-Lopez will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2016 French Open, when Thiem got the job done 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(3). Garcia-Lopez once again has the misfortune of meeting the eighth-ranked Austrian on clay, a surface on which he stunned world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the Madrid quarterfinals. Thiem, however, has otherwise underwhelmed on the slow stuff in 2018 by his lofty standards. After beating Nadal he eventual lost to Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-4 in the Madrid final while also falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Barcelona semis and to Fabio Fognin in his Rome opener. Lyon’s top seed at least managed to beat Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
It has already been a productive week for Garcia-Lopez, who is through to his third quarterfinal of the season and third on clay (previously in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo). The 34-year-old Spaniard, who still registers at a decent ranking of 71st in the world, earned his place in the last eight by seeing off Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino and Calvin Hemery, A steep step up in competition should end Garcia-Lopez’s run and send him on his way to Roland Garros.
Pick: Thiem in 2
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Cameron Norrie vs. (2) John Isner
It will be a showdown between former NCAA standouts when Isner and Norrie square off for the first time in their careers on Sunday. Isner, who starred at Georgia, has been on the pro tour for more than a decade now and just recently picked up the biggest title of his career at the Miami Masters. Back up to No. 10 in the world, the 6’10” American has otherwise struggled in 2018 but at least managed to reach three clay-court quarterfinals (Houston, Madrid, and now in Lyon). Following a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, Isner took care of Radu Albot 7-6(3), 6-3 on Wednesday.
This time last year, Norrie was playing in the NCAA Tournament for TCU. Now he has climbed to No. 102 in his brief time on tour and has direct entry into the French Open. The 22-year-old Brit has earned the fifth and sixth ATP-level match wins of his career in Lyon, beating Jose Hernandez-Fernandez and Maximilian Marterer in straight sets. He also upset Roberto Bautista Agut in a five-setter on clay during a Davis Cup opening-round tie between Great Britain and Spain. Still, Isner has far more experience on this surface and Norrie’s consistency–or lack thereof–remains an issue in the early stages of his professional career.
Pick: Isner in 2
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WYG?
Isner and Thiem in two
Theim looks dead on his feet. He’s played a lot of tennis recently – too much IMO.
He’s into the 2nd TB of the match and there’s another set to go.
Thiem hasn’t played much at all
Ricky, I beg to differ.By recently I was referring to the past 18 months. But even this year alone, of the top ten ranked players, he has entered the most tournaments.