Cuevas has the class to overcome tricky Hamburg opener

ATP German Tennis Championship
Sky Sports Arena, 10am Tuesday
WTA Ericsson Open
BT Sport 1, 10am Tuesday

Pablo Cuevas was blown away by Martin Klizan in last year’s German Championship final but the Uruguayan is at his happiest on clay and should keep alive his hopes of going one better with victory over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in his Hamburg opener.

It’s fair to say Cuevas could have asked for an easier first-round opponent than the Russian, but he’s a six-time ranking title winner on the red dirt and if at his best should prove a class above.

The 31-year-old has operated below his optimum level of late but he reached the last four of the Madrid Masters in May before going deep in Monte Carlo - two of the most competitive events in the clay calendar - and his recent record in Hamburg is admirable.

Cuevas hadn’t dropped a set prior to finding Klizan too strong in last year’s final and was unlucky to bump into clay king Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals in 2015.

It’s worth chancing that the seasoned Cuevas puts his best foot forward and 8-11 may look particularly generous come the close of play.

Caroline Garcia reached the last eight on the clay of her home slam at Roland Garros and if fully tuned up should outlast Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in her Bastad curtain-raiser.

The Frenchwoman, 23, has taken a while to come together but she's one of the most consistent performers on the tour and last month's run to the fourth round at Wimbledon was an indicator of how much she has improved.

Garcia has lost her sole clay meeting with Begu but the Romanian fought hard to win last week's Bucharest Open and those exertions may take their toll.

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