Miomir Kecmanovic will meet Jack Draper in the Round of 16 at the 2023 Lyon Open. The match will be played on Tuesday May 23rd, 2023.
Miomir Kecmanovic is the fifth seed here at the 2023 Lyon Open and is ranked 36th on the ATP Tour. The Serbian has been very solid over the past few seasons, breaking into the top 30 in the world for the first time and having some good results on clay. So far this season he has reached the Final in Estoril and Semis in Belgrade, but has failed to win a match in any of the three main Masters-1000 events on clay. He cruised through his First Round match, defeating Oriol Roca Batalla 6-1, 6-3 and looks to be in great form at the moment. He is the favorite here against the talented Jack Draper but will have to be at his counterpunching best to get the win.
Jack Draper is ranked 60th in the world and is unseeded here at the Lyon Open. Considered one of the top young talents in the world, he has struggled with injuries lately, and has mostly performed on faster surfaces as opposed to clay. Like his opponent Miomir Kecmanovic, he was clinical in his opening victory over Alexandre Muller, serving very well and being able to control the match with his powerful aggression. Only losing five points on serve in the match, he broke his opponent three times to set up a showdown with Kecmanovic.
This match has the potential to be a fascinating one, between two very talented young players. Miomir Kecmanovic has the far greater clay court pedigree, but I would say that Draper has the higher upside. However, I am going with the proven one, and Kecmanovic has shown that he is the superior player on this surface. If Jack Draper serves well he is in with a shout, but give me the usually reliable Kecmanovic, who looked solid in his opener here at the 2023 Lyon Open.
