Vesely should down Darcis in their Istanbul opener

WTA Prague Open
BT Sport 1, 10am Wednesday
WTA Rabat Open
BT Sport 3, 11am Wednesday
ATP Estoril Open
Eurosport 2, 1pm Wednesday

Jiri Vesely starts to stoke up his engine about this time of year and the powerful Czech should be able to dispel the threat of Steve Darcis in their Istanbul Open first-round clash.

Vesely is a decent performer on any terrain but tends to come to the fore more on clay and a clash against veteran Darcis should not trouble him unduly.

The selection is not known for his speed on court, but he gets more time to think about his shots on the slow red courts and the oddsmakers look right to make him favourite against Darcis.

The Belgian is still capable of producing high-class battling performances, but they tend to be few and far between these days and Darcis probably remains more of an upset force in fast-court tournaments.

There is live action from the men’s Estoril Open and the women’s events in Prague and Rabat, although the match prices in those tournaments look about right.

In the ATP Munich Open, Tommy Haas has been well backed to defeat his fellow German Jan-Lennard Struff. That could happen but the former world number two looks short enough considering he faces a potentially long, tiring battle.

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