ATP & WTA tournament previews and tips

ATP Grand Prix Hassan II

Kyle Edmund, runner-up in the Grand Prix Hassan II last year, is seeded third in his attempt to go one better in Marrakech, but while the British number one is respected it's a stronger heat this season.

World number three Alexander Zverev, ATP Finals hero in London in November, tops the bill but while the German could easily go all the way if he's fully focused, it's the Monte Carlo Masters next week so favourite backers should be careful.

Pablo Andujar, who upended Edmund in the final 12 months ago when he dropped only one set on the way to lifting the trophy, returns as defending champion and could prosper.

But this is one of the best fields in the Moroccan tournament's history so it may pay outright punters to take an alternative view this year.

Like Zverev, second seed Fabio Fognini was also granted a wildcard entry. But while the Italian is a possible victor, it's difficult to escape the pedigree of the Spanish clay-courters.

Sixth seed Fernando Verdasco and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who underperformed as top seed in Marrakech in 2018, are options. But instead it may pay to chance young Majorcan Jaume Munar, who could be a different proposition on European clay than he was on the Latin American Golden Swing earlier this year.

Recommendation
J Munar
1pt 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

ATP US Clay Court Championship

Steve Johnson is the top seed in his attempt to become only the third player to win three successive US Clay Court Championship titles and the Californian merits respect given that the tournament may not take much winning.

Britain's Cameron Norrie, seeded third at Houston's River Oaks club, could also prosper on the slow courts, but it may pay instead to opt for at least one confirmed clay-courter.

There were signs in this year's Golden Swing that Pablo Cuevas may not be the force he was. But the 33-year-old Uruguayan is still more than capable of shining in a field of this quality should he bring his experience to bear in a potentially tricky opener against Christian Garin.

Cuevas is worth an outright punt, as is Taylor Fritz. The fifth-seeded Californian must be wondering what to do in order to claim his first main-tour title. He doesn't look the most driven of players and clay is probably not his chosen terrain but Fritz, who also has a potentially tough curtain-raiser against Marcel Granollers, could still be good enough to navigate a path through an event of this nature.

Recommendations
P Cuevas
1pt 11-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
T Fritz
1pt 12-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

WTA Samsung Open

Belinda Bencic is difficult to oppose in her role as top seed for the Samsung Open now she is back to somewhere near her brilliant best.

The Swiss star is in the toughest quarter of the draw along with Ekaterina Alexandrova and her compatriot Timea Bacsinszky, but she should be tough to stop on the clay with the Lugano crowd cheering her on.

She made the quarter-finals on green clay in Charleston last week, when Petra Martic ended her run.

But this is a big opportunity for Bencic to add to her Dubai win in February and become the first WTA player this season to win a second main-tour singles trophy.

Promising Russian Veronika Kudermetova could enjoy a decent run in the lower half of the draw.

Recommendation
B Bencic
1pt 2-1 Betfred

WTA Claro Open Colsanitas

With Dalila Jakupovic taking the ninth seed at the bottom of the draw, all the non-seeded players in the Claro Open Colsanitas have three-figure rankings so the Bogota tournament may not take much winning.

Top seed Jelena Ostapenko, French Open champion in 2017, could take the honours comfortably if she's in a determined mood and she may be after falling to 31st on the WTA chart. Amanda Anisimova looks her only stumbling-block in the top quarter.

Defending champion Anna Schmiedlova faces a tough-looking opener against Ysaline Bonaventure, while seventh seed Sara Sorribes Tormo could figure after upping her game of late.

In the weaker bottom half, 2012 champion Lara Arruabarrena, runner-up in the last two years, and Irina Khromacheva could go well.

Recommendations
J Ostapenko
1pt 5-1 bet365, Betfred, Betway
S Sorribes Tormo
1pt 16-1 bet365, Betfred, Betway

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