TennisSection previews the 2021 Lyon Open as Karen Khachanov (8) meets Richard Gasquet in the Quarter-Finals on Friday May 21st, 2021.
An exciting match is expected here at the 2021 Lyon Open as eighth seeded Russian star Karen Khachanov will face veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the Quarter-Finals. Both players are very experienced and have been impressive so far here in Lyon. Who will get the win here and advance to the Semi-Finals?
Karen Khachanov is currently ranked #26 in the ATP world rankings, and is a former top 10 player. The Russian has seen his ranking slowly decline due to some poor results over the past few years. He started slowly here at the 2021 Lyon Open, being pushed to the limit by Benjamin Bonzi before defeating Kamil Majchrzak in the Round of 16. Khachanov displayed his traditional attacking brand of tennis, dominating the Pole from the baseline. While he is in good form, he is up against the highly experienced Frenchman Richard Gasquet here in the Quarter-Finals, and will have to be better than he has been to get the win. Gasquet is unlikely to give away many free points, so Khachanov will have to keep his unforced error count low if he is to get the win here and advance to the Semi-Finals here in Lyon.
Richard Gasquet is a local favorite here at the 2021 Lyon Open, and is currently ranked #52 in the ATP world rankings. Like his opponent Kare Khachanov, he has struggled over the past few seasons, seeing his ranking slide dramatically from its former top 10 position. Despite his poor recent form, Gasquet has been very impressive here so far, defeating Gregoire Barrere in a tough three setter before upsetting third seeded Diego Schwartzman in straight sets in the Round of 16. The Frenchman was very impressive throughout that match, using his world-class backhand to great effect and mixing his game up nicely on the clay. While he enters this match as the underdog on paper, the local crowd and his experience will give him a good shot at getting the win here, and advancing to his first Semi of the season.
Somewhat surprisingly, this will be the first career meeting between the two players, and their head to head record stands at 0-0. This is a tough match to call, as the players are in similar form, and have had identical paths to the Quarter-Finals. Despite Karen Khachanov having the higher ranking, I am going with the Frenchman Richard Gasquet to get the win here. He was fantastic in his win over Diego Schwartzman, and has a lot more versatility in his game than his opponent. I expect a very close match and it will very likely go the distance, but I am backing Gasquet to get the win here, advancing to his first Semi-Final of the season here at the 2021 Lyon Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Richard Gasquet to win.
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