Felix Auger Aliassime vs Pablo Llamas Ruiz Prediction & Betting Tips - Lyon, France

Prediction published on 23/05/2023, 12:23  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 24/05/2023 at 04:00 in Tennis Predictions

Top seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz in the Lyon Open second round. Waiting in the last eight for the winner is either wild card Artbur Fils or Mikael Ymer. Auger-Aliassime began this tournament ranked tenth in the world. He's not playing like someone in the top ten and has had a disappointing clay court season. He's only played in Madrid and Rome and lost in the first round on both occasions. Both losses came against players ranked well below him. The Canadian reached two quarter finals and one semi-final on hard courts but needs to get some wins on clay before Roland Garros. The fact he is only 28th in the Live Race illustrates his lack of consistency in 2023.

It'll be a major shock if he loses to the qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz. His 20-year-old opponent began this tournament ranked 240th in the world. He's risen 20 places to a new career high after reaching the second round in Lyon. He's already lost two sets in this tournament. One came in his first qualifying match when going a set down to Guido Andreeozi. The other was in his first round win over Max Purcell, dropping the middle one on a tie-break. Ruiz is playing in his first ATP Tour event and may be a player to keep a close eye on in the future. He's had success in ITF events winning a title in Palmanova. This is a massive step up in class and we go for Auger-Aliassime to win in straight sets.