STARNBERG, May 20, 2018

One week ahead of Roland Garros, two ATP 250 clay-court events will take place in Europe, kicking off on Sunday.

Swiss star Stan Wawrinka is the two-time defending champion at the €561,345 Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. As a wild card entry, the 33-year-old will attempt to lift his third trophy in the tournament’s fourth edition.

But his title defence will not be easy, with top seed Sam Querrey leading a talented crop of challengers. Fabio Fognini, one of three wild cards along with Wawrinka and David Ferrer, played terrific tennis in Rome, earning his 300th match win against Gael Monfils before ousting Madrid runner-up Dominic Thiem and taking a set against top seed Rafael Nadal. The No. 2-seeded Italian seeks his second title of 2018.

Thiem leads the field in Lyon

A clay-court superstar is making his debut in Lyon, as Dominic Thiem is the top seed at the €561,45 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon. The 24-year-old seeks his second ATP World Tour title of the season just weeks after eliminating Rafael Nadal, who had won 50 consecutive sets on clay, in Madrid.

But the likes of Miami Open champion John Isner, 2017 Paris winner Jack Sock and reigning Next Gen ATP Finals Champion Hyeon Chung stand in the Austrian’s way. In total, six players who have triumphed on the ATP World Tour this year are competing in the main draw on French soil.