Fernando Verdasco will begin his SAP Open title defence with a first round match against Rajeev Ram

Fernando Verdasco will fancy his chances this week in the SAP Open. He enters the competition as the reigning champion and No. 1 seed. There are some big names in the draw, including Gael Monfils and Sam Querrey, but the Spaniard appears to be deserving of his seeding. He will enter this first round match against Rajeev Ram as the clear favourite, and he’ll be looking to get this one wrapped up in two sets.

Verdasco made a disappointing start to his season in Brisbane, but produced some solid displays in the Australian Open, where he was eventually beaten in round four by Tomas Berdych. Ram, the world No. 188, won’t stand much of a chance here unless he can produce one of his very best performances. He took a set from Verdasco in their only other previous meeting back in 2006, but he’ll do well to repeat the feat on Tuesday.

Verdasco should be able to book his place in round two with minimum fuss. He’s likely to feature in the latter stages of the competition, and has a reasonable chance of winning the SAP Open for a second successive year.