The second round of the SAP Open will continue on Thursday, with Juan Martin Del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt taking centre stage

Play begins on Thursday with Denis Istomin up against Michael Russell. Istomin is the No. 5 seed this week, but isn't expected to breeze through his match against the American outsider. Russell holds a 1-0 head to head lead over Istomin entering the match, having beaten the Uzbek last season in Miami. This contest could easily go into three sets, and should provide plenty of entertainment for the fans.

Next up will be Kei Nishikori and Tim Smyczek. Nishikori is seeded, but will be well aware of the fact that he lost his last matchup against Smyczek. Smyczek is a wildcard entrant this week, though this does not necessarily mean that he's out of his depth. The young American has steadily climbed the rankings over the past few years, and might not be needing a wildcard for this event should he attempt to enter in a few years time. Expect another close match here.

The third match will be contested by Lleyton Hewitt and Brian Dabul. Hewitt won this event in 2002, and stands a good chance of at least making another decent run this week. He began his campaign with a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory against Bjorn Phau, and seems to be in good form. He began the season with some good results, but crashed out of the Australian Open in round one against David Nalbandian. Dabul is aiming to get back in the top hundred, and could really use a win here. That said, he seems destined for an uphill struggle on Thursday.

Finally, Juan Martin Del Potro will face Lukas Lacko. Del Potro's progress is being keenly tracked at the moment, as he seems to be finding his feet again following last season's long-term injury. The Argentine faltered on his return to the tour, but is starting to rack up wins as predicted. He secured a convincing victory against Teimuraz Gabashvili in round one, and a similar performance on Thursday will make him one of the favourites for the competition. Lacko shouldn't be overlooked just yet, though he'll have a big task ahead of him if Del Potro can perform to his pre-injury standards.



Order of play (All times GMT)


17:45    Michael Russell   v   Denis Istomin            

19:15    Kei Nishikori   v   Tim Smyczek        

20:45    Brian Dabul   v   Lleyton Hewitt        

23:45    Lukas Lacko   v   Juan Martin Del Potro