Struff could keep tabs on illustrious compatriot Sascha

Third round
Sky Sports Arena, from 10am Thursday

Jan-Lennard Struff has been threatening to make a significant breakthrough for some time now and while it's still a longshot about that happen­ing in the near future, he could cause fellow German Alexander Zverev more trouble in their Monte Carlo Masters last-16 clash than some oddsmakers believe.

Zverev is the reigning Rome Masters champion on clay and it's possible that the German number one could step things up against his compatriot.

But, while world number four Sascha has looked lacklustre on more than the odd occasion this season and had to fight back from the loss of the open­ing set to defeat Gilles Muller in his Monaco bow, Struff appeared in almost total control in victories over Yuichi Sugita and Fabio Fognini in the season's first clay-court Masters Series 1,000 tournament.

Backing the match to feature more than 20.5 games is a definite option given Struff's form, but if the lower-ranked of the pair is playing at or near his peak it could make sense simply to back him with a reasonable-looking handicap start.

Zverev may have to pretty much hammer his Davis Cup teammate for the punt to go belly up.

Elsewhere, David Goffin could defeat Roberto Bautista Agut, but it is not long since the Belgian was too unfit to perform in the States.

Recommendation
J-L Struff +4.5 games
1pt 8-11 general

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