Alexandra Panova and Olga Danilovic will face the 2nd-seeded team of Nadiia Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya in the semifinals of the 2023 Lyon Open on Saturday.
The Russian-Serbian duo had a tough time start to their campaign in the Lyon Open. They were outplayed in the first set by the team of Lidziya Marozava and Vivian Heisen. However, Panova and Danilovic showed no signs of panic in the second set. They got the better of Marozava and Heisen convincingly in the second set. The match eventually ended 2-6, 6-2, 10-5 in favor of Panova and Danilovic. They had a win percentage of 73 on the first serve and that was one of the secrets to their success.
In the quarterfinals, they were set for another stiff challenge. They were going to face the 3rd-seeded team of Alicia Barnett and Natela Dzalamidze. However, the British-Georgian duo pulled out ahead of the match as Panova and Danilovic advanced to the semifinals.
Ninomiya and Kichenok have had two tough encounters en route to the semifinals. In the round of 16, they got off to a steady start against the team of Elsa Jacquemot and Alena Fomina-Klotz. They won the first set but Jacquemot and Fomina-Klotz bounced back to win the second set. The seeded team held their nerves in the third set to win the match 6-4, 3-6, 10-4.
In the quarterfinals, Kichenok and Ninomiya once again took the first set against the team of Danka Kovinic and Ana Bogdan. Kichenok and Ninomiya lost the second set and had to win the match in the third set. The match eventually ended 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.
Prediction: Makoto Ninomiya & Nadiia Kichenok to win in three sets.
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