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Tennis tips

Feliciano Lopez should handle Djokovic slayer Klizan

Svitolina looks good in Stuttgart

Novak Djokovic has struggled with injury problems
Novak Djokovic has struggled with injury problemsCredit: Cameron Spencer

Sky Sports Arena, 10am Thursday

Martin Klizan overcame an out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic in the Barcelona Open second round - winning 6-2 1-6 6-3 - but may face a tougher match against Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez in the third round.

The markets have reacted to Klizan's victory over Djokovic by making the Slovakian the favourite against Lopez.

Klizan will always look back on the day that he defeated Djokovic but he might not have had to play fantastically well to get the job done.

Djokovic has struggled ever since his return from injury and is yet to get past the last 16 in 2018 despite featuring in five tournaments.

Lopez has also had a slow start to the year but was a 6-3 7-6 victor over Klizan in Rotterdam in February and is ranked 110 places higher at number 30.

The 36-year-old reached the Barcelona quarter-finals in 2011 and 2012 and is odds-against value to set up another last-eight clash.

Eighteen-year-old Czech Marketa Vondrousova is a rising star in women's tennis but she may struggle to cope with world number four Elina Svitolina in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Svitolina - winner of events in Brisbane and Dubai this year - was a 6-2 6-4 victor over Vondrousova at Doha in February and is value to chalk up another straight-sets success.

Recommendations
F Lopez
1pt 11-10 Betway
E Svitolina 2-0
1pt 11-10Betfair, Paddy Power


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