Verdasco set to defend Houston title, Tipsarevic returns

Fernando Verdasco - Cropped

Fernando Verdasco returns to defend his US Men's Clay Court Championship title, starting Monday, as the clay court season opens.

The Spanish left-hander has struggled for consistency since beating Nicolas Almagro in the final in Houston in 2014.

Verdasco has not made an ATP World Tour final since, losing in the semi-final stage on three occasions - including to countryman Feliciano Lopez in Quito in February.

At that same tournament, Verdasco downed Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets - and takes on the Italian again in the first round of the ATP 250 event in Texas.

Verdasco did, however, beat Rafael Nadal at the Miami Open for his second straight win over his countryman, having lost the 13 previous encounters.

Verdasco, the sixth seed, is on a collision course with fourth seed John Isner in the quarter-finals, with the 2013 champion in some stellar form.

Isner held serve 62 times in succession from the BNP Paribas Open through to the Miami Open, with Novak Djokovic - the world number one - the only man to break him at the two hard-court Masters events.

The world number 24 is one of six Americans in the 28-man draw, not including undecided qualifiers.

Americans, generally, have done well at their home event, with a local in the final in all bar two years since 2000.

Other Americans in the main draw include Donald Young and Steve Johnson, who play one another in the first round, eighth seed Sam Querrey (plays Marinko Matosevic), Tim Smyczek (plays Teymuraz Gabashvili) and Jack Sock (plays Joao Souza).

Janko Tipsarevic will make his long-awaited comeback to the singles court, having not played a tournament since October 2013.

The Serbian was handed a wildcard into the main draw, as was Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt.

Tipsarevic will play a qualifier in the first round, while Hewitt is up against Go Soeda.

Lopez, ranked 12th, is the top seed.

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