Brandon Nakashima will meet Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 16 at the 2023 Lyon Open. The match will be played on Tuesday May 23rd, 2023.
Brandon Nakashima is the eighth seed here at the 2023 Lyon Open and is ranked 52nd on the ATP Tour. The young American is well known for his hard court prowess but is showing that he is capable on clay, defeating Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 in a very physical contest. Nakashima overpowered the Argentine, hitting a whopping 32 winners and serving four aces. An area of concern was on serve, where he was broken three times, even though he was able to break five. He is the favorite here against Arthur Rinderknech, but due to the slower surface it won't be easy.
Arthur Rinderknech is ranked 78th in the world and is unseeded here at the Lyon Open. The Frenchman has beaten his opponent Brandon Nakashima once before, in a three set battle in 2021 so he will take confidence from that. He defeated Lloyd Harris in the First Round 6-4, 6-2, hitting 24 winners and 3 aces. He won 80% of his first serve points, a stat that he will likely need to repeat against Nakashima. While he is usually a solid player he has struggled this year, going 7-11 overall and 2-2 on clay, making him the clear underdog here.
This is a tough match to call, with neither player being totally at home on this clay surface. However, after considering all the facts it is clear that Brandon Nakashima is the player to beat and should be backed. I don't fully trust him on clay but he was impressive in his win over Schwartzman, and he simply has the firepower to be able to overpower Arthur Rinderknech. The home crowd will help the Frenchman, but his struggles will likely continue and the American should advance here at the 2023 Lyon Open.
