Lyon Open 2021: Dominic Thiem vs Cameron Norrie preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (1) Dominic Thiem vs Cameron Norrie
Date: 20 May 2021
Tournament: Lyon Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Lyon, France
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €419,470
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport
Dominic Thiem vs Cameron Norrie preview
Looking to fine-tune his game ahead of Roland Garros, Dominic Thiem will start his 2021 Lyon Open campaign with a second-round match against Cameron Norrie on Thursday.
Thiem took nearly two months off from competitive action in March, and only returned at the Madrid Open. The Austrian went on to defeat the likes of Alex de Minaur and John Isner on his way to the semifinal in the Spanish capital, where he lost to Alexander Zverev.
Thiem then struggled to cope with the change in conditions at Rome, where he was tested to the limit in his second-round win against Marton Fucsovics. The 27-year-old eventually bowed out to local favorite Lorenzo Sonego in a high-quality third-round match.
Thiem will now look to build on his form and fitness in Lyon, where he was the champion in 2018.
Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, has been a mainstay on the ATP tour for a few years now. And his 2021 clay season so far has been very solid, to say the least.
The Brit started in Barcelona, where he defeated Karen Khachanov and David Goffin on his way to the quarterfinals. He then reached the final in Estoril, narrowly losing to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in a deciding-set tiebreaker.
Norrie has started his week in Lyon by defeating local favorite Corentin Moutet in straight sets, thus setting up the encounter against Thiem.
Dominic Thiem vs Cameron Norrie head-to-head
The second-round in encounter in Lyon is the second match between the two players, and Dominic Thiem currently leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Cameron Norrie.
Their only previous meeting on tour came at Acapulco in 2018, where Thiem outlasted the Brit 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
Dominic Thiem vs Cameron Norrie prediction
Dominic Thiem's game has gone from strength to strength on clay this year. The 27-year-old has gone through a bunch of difficult encounters in varied conditions at Madrid and Rome, and looked like his old self on many occasions.
Thiem's hard-hitting, aggressive game has historically yielded brilliant results on clay. But if he fails to lift the trophy in Lyon this week, it will mean the Austrian will go into Roland Garros without a title for the first time since 2014.
Cameron Norrie, on his part, does a lot of things right on this surface too. The Brit's solid serving numbers and accurate groundstrokes have found plenty of success this year, and his lefty game will give him the chance to test Thiem's backhand - his weaker side.
Thiem's forehand - which, at its best, is one of the deadliest on the tour - has found plenty of depth in his last few matches. He is looking in good physical shape too, but he does have some work to do on his serve.
All things considered, Thiem is certainly the superior player on clay. Barring any major lapses, the Austrian's natural power and explosive footwork should be enough to get him through to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Dominic Thiem to win in two tight sets.