Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 7th August)

So we finally make it through a strange scheduling format at the Canadian Masters with two matches left at Montreal/Toronto.

Both Finals have been scheduled to be played on Thursday with the WTA Montreal one going up about an hour before the ATP Toronto Final is set to head out onto the court.

We will have a surprising winner of the first of two Masters events played ahead of the US Open, but the majority of the big names and top contenders at the final Grand Slam will already be in Cincinnati preparing for a Masters event that has First Round matches beginning on Thursday.

It has been a solid tournament for the Tennis Picks, but the expectation is that the first of the Cincinnati Masters selections will be when the Second Round begins on Sunday.

Naomi Osaka - 2.5 games v Victoria Mboko: There is no doubting the talent that Naomi Osaka has displayed on a tennis court in her career and the potential of Victoria Mboko is exciting for her team and Canadian tennis in general, but they are still considered surprising Finalists in Montreal.

It has been a huge tournament for the pair of the players and a strong conclusion would offer a big boost to the World Rankings, which can be crucial in helping a player build forward.

Naomi Osaka has pushed into the Seeding spots for the US Open, but a win for Victoria Mboko would see her crack the top 30 of the World Rankings.

She was perhaps a little fortunate to beat Elena Rybakina in the Semi Final considering the former Wimbledon Champion served for the match on two occasions in the final set. A Match Point was also missed, and Rybakina will feel that she blew the match as much as Victoria Mboko was able to will her way through to win it.

The teenager spent a long time on the court, which could be a factor with no rest day between the Semi Final and Final, while there was also some issues with the wrist that could compromise Victoria Mboko's chances of winning a massive title.

The crowd support could be a big confidence booster for Victoria Mboko and these are emotions that she has to use if she is going to earn the upset.

However, it will also mean fending off a Naomi Osaka playing about as well as she has since returning to the Tour. Earlier this year she won a title for the first time on her return, albeit at a much lower level than this, and Osaka could be a real threat at the US Open if she is able to secure a Masters trophy ahead of a tournament she has won twice before.

The serve is always a big weapon for Naomi Osaka, but she has really impressed with her returning in Montreal and that could be key for her if Victoria Mboko is not able to improve on her numbers from the match against Elena Rybakina. The younger player did manage to get a lot of first serves in play, but she was only winning 57% of the points behind that shot and Osaka is offering up plenty on the return, which feels like a big edge for her in the match.

All credit has to be given to Victoria Mboko for the fight and character she has shown, but needing almost three hours on the court on Wednesday should show up during this Final.

It would be a surprise if Mboko does not have some big moments, as she has had throughout this Masters tournament, but Naomi Osaka should be able to use her big serve and aggressive groundstrokes to win the biggest title since the Australian Open in 2021.

MY PICKS: Naomi Osaka - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 14-6, + 5.65 Units (20 Units Staked, + 28.25% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 6th August)

Plenty of people have come out and criticised the new format being used by the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters with the extended schedule causing some problems.

While we have yet to have a conclusion to the two tournaments being run north of the border, the Cincinnati Masters First Round will begin on Thursday, which is the same day the Canadian Finals have been scheduled to be played.

Traditionalists will be baffled by a Thursday Final for the tournaments in Canada, but they will be pretty unhappy that the Cincinnati Masters is set to be concluded on a Monday, which is less than a week before the US Open begins.

The Tours are likely going to make some adjustments with the events, but the back to back nature of the two Masters ahead of the final Grand Slam means needing more space in the calendar. At least those events earlier in the season at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome are all in a part of the schedule where they can begin on Thursday and have the traditional Sunday finish, but the Canadian Masters is played right after a big event in Washington and there has already been some overlap with that tournament without the pre-weekend start.

Fans are not that happy, but players are also aggrieved with the scheduling and so it has to be assumed something will be done to appease everybody, including the Masters events that want to sell extra sessions.

The Grand Slams have done the same with the First Round now beginning on a Sunday at all but Wimbledon, while the Night Session approach of the other three Slams also means they can make that extra revenue. Maybe in the years ahead Wimbledon will be following suit, especially if they do finally begin work on the ground extension that was given approval by the courts in the UK, and that will be another blow to what traditionalists have become used to seeing on the Tour.

It has been a solid week for the Tennis Picks at the Canadian Masters, but there are still six matches to be played before the Tour can all move onto Cincinnati.

There are three selections from the Semi Finals that have all been scheduled for Wednesday and those can be read below.

Alexander Zverev - 2.5 games v Karen Khachanov: In a tournament that was missing the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the field will have arrived in Toronto with the belief that a deep run could be possible. Those three players will go into most tournaments as the favourites to win the title so the absence is a big boost to others, although that may have increased the pressure on the Seeded players involved.

That may have been the case for someone like Alexander Zverev who had such a disappointing Wimbledon, but who has always been able to make a big impact at the US Open.

He came close to winning the French Open last year, but Alexander Zverev's biggest miss feels like the US Open in 2020 when leading 2-0 in sets and also serving for the title in the Fifth Set. Playing on the hard courts have been a comfortable experience for the top Seed and his numbers over the last couple of years means he has to head to New York City as a genuine contender.

The performances here in Toronto have been very strong and dumping out the defending Champion after dropping the first set will have given Alexander Zverev confidence. It is the second time he has won a match in Toronto having lost a first set tie-breaker, but Zverev looks a player performing with a lot more belief than even a month ago and that has shown up in the strong finishes to those matches.

Karen Khachanov is the Semi Final opponent and the World Number 16 deserves plenty of respect as a hard court player, even if 2025 had been disappointing prior to his run here. He had been just 5-7 in hard court matches before the four wins at this Masters event, but Karen Khachanov had won 65% of his hard court matches in the previous two seasons and is someone who loves playing on the surface.

With a big serve, Khachanov is able to build plenty of pressure on the hard courts, and an aggressive style means he will look to get on the front foot on the return.

His numbers have been very good in Toronto with 71% of his service points being won and Karen Khachanov will know he needs to serve well to try and keep a lid on Alexander Zverev.

It is the lower Ranked player who has found a bit more joy out of the returning numbers, but Karen Khachanov has seen those declining in each of the four wins produced in the tournament run. He was tested by Alex Michelsen in the Quarter Final win and now arguably faces the toughest serve he will have seen in this event.

Alexander Zverev does have the upper hand in the head to head having beaten Karen Khachanov in five of seven meetings on the Tour.

That includes two hard court wins in North America in 2024 in matches where Zverev had a significant edge as far as the serving numbers go as he comfortably dismissed Karen Khachanov both times. Add in the fact that the latter has tended to struggle when facing higher Ranked opponents on the surface, despite the win over Casper Ruud earlier in the tournament, and you have to believe Alexander Zverev can get the better of the World Number 16 in two tight, competitive sets.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Victoria Mboko: It has been a really strong season for Victoria Mboko as she continues her development as a professional tennis player with a huge amount of expectation on her shoulders. The 18 year old has won a lot of matches and reached a career high World Ranking of Number 85 in the lead up to a big event in her home country, but even the biggest advocate of Mboko could not have been prepared for the tournament she has put together.

An upset of Coco Gauff will have made headlines, but Victoria Mboko has refused to allow that victory to overwhelm her and she has won two more matches to make it through to the Semi Final in Montreal.

She has already climbed into the top 50 of the provisional World Rankings and now Victoria Mboko takes aim at reaching her biggest Final in her young career.

That would mean overturning a result from Washington when she was beaten by Elena Rybakina and this looks a big challenge considering how well the former Wimbledon Champion is playing right now.

As mentioned previously this week, Elena Rybakina has been struggling on the Tour as off-court issues have regularly been making the headlines instead of her tennis. However, she has looked much more comfortable back on the hard courts over the last month and Elena Rybakina has been in very strong form here in Montreal, while also perhaps benefiting from the fact that Victoria Mboko will have made the majority of the headlines.

Both players will feel they can dominate behind a big first serve, while it is the younger player who has perhaps impressed most with her return game.

In saying that, it was Elena Rybakina who was the stronger of the two players in Washington and she was able to make many more inroads into the Victoria Mboko serve compared with the other way around.

This week the home support will make it that much tougher for Elena Rybakina, but she has a very strong game for the hard courts and the expectation is that she can frank the form with another win over the youngster. In that match in Washington, it was Elena Rybakina who managed to protect the second serve much more effectively compared with Mboko and that may be the case again in this Semi Final with the former World Number 3 also having the advantages of being much more experienced at the latter stages of these big tournaments.

Victoria Mboko will have learned plenty out of that defeat in the previous tournament, and she is playing with a lot of confidence. She will have her moments, but the feeling is that Elena Rybakina may have a few more as she looks to put a big tournament in the books ahead of the US Open.

Naomi Osaka - 1.5 games v Clara Tauson: Both of these players earned dominant Quarter Final wins on Tuesday and so there will be no excuses for Naomi Osaka and Clara Tauson when they have to play again on Wednesday.

The performances throughout the runs in Montreal have been very impressive, although you have to perhaps say the wins that Clara Tauson has produced have been superior to the ones that Naomi Osaka has on the board.

Beating two of the three Grand Slam Champions of 2025 will give Tauson so much confidence and she will feel she is serving well enough in these conditions to try and shorten the points against a dangerous player standing on the other side of the net.

Naomi Osaka has some very strong wins on the record, but she has not faced the likes of Madison Keys or Iga Swiatek and that has to be a potential factor. Crushing Elina Svitolina in the manner she did on Tuesday would have gotten the attention and Naomi Osaka is set to be Seeded at the US Open, which is important to allow her to work her way into that Grand Slam.

Much like her opponent, Naomi Osaka has been using the serve to contain the threats posed from the other side of the net and this has the makings of a close match.

Earlier this year, it was Clara Tauson who will hold the win over Naomi Osaka in the Auckland Final, but the latter withdrew from that match after winning the first set. The numbers really were heavily skewed in favour of Osaka in that match and so she will certainly enter the court with a lot of belief that her game is going to match up well with Clara Tauson's.

The expectation is that both players are going to have plenty of success behind the serve, but Naomi Osaka looks to be playing with a lot of confidence. Her numbers at the event look similar to Clara Tauson's, but Osaka may not make the errors that ended up costing Madison Keys in the Quarter Final defeat to the Dane.

The first set will be important, and Naomi Osaka could be tough to peg back if she is able to get in front.

Clara Tauson is going to be playing at a career high World Ranking from next week and has to be respected, but a big hitting match may end up just slipping away from her at the end.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka - 1.5 Games @ 1.66 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 13-4, + 6.99 Units (17 Units Staked, + 41.12% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Tuesday 5th August)

Appreciating the positives of the tournament has to be the right approach for these pages, but back to back days having players in winning positions only to have the opponent withdraw mid-match is a blow.

The numbers would have been very, very good if both Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Marta Kostyuk had completed their matches, even from a tough position, but that is just the way it goes.

Fortunately the selections around those Picks have come in as winners and that has eased the frustration- those retirements hurt a lot more when they have left just losing selections, meaning a dip in the numbers rather than just missing out on more additions.

The Semi Final lineup at both events in Montreal and Toronto will be completed on Tuesday as we fast approach the rare Thursday Final.

On the same day, the First Round at the next Masters event in Cincinnati will have begun, while those making the Final in the Canadian Masters are expected to be in action over the weekend. It is far from ideal, but the positives is that there is momentum behind those still involved this side of the North American border and the US Open is now two and a half weeks from getting underway.

Both Men's Quarter Final matches look difficult to pick on Tuesday, but the underdogs may show a bit of bite in the Women's tournament in Montreal.

Naomi Osaka + 2.5 games v Elina Svitolina: There is no doubt that Naomi Osaka would have recognised how tough her return to the Tour would be, but over eighteen months have passed and some will perhaps be disappointed by the fact she is lingering on the edges of the top 50 in the World Rankings.

That will change thanks to her run to the Quarter Final of the Canadian Masters with Osaka provisionally at around World Number 34, but the focus will be on trying to win a first title on the hard courts since winning the Australian Open in 2021.

Four Grand Slams have been secured, but Naomi Osaka has not made the second week of a Major since returning and a lot of her career has felt like 'all or nothing'. For example, Naomi Osaka has not made the Quarter Final at any Grand Slam that she has not gone on to win.

Her Quarter Final opponent, Elina Svitolina, may serve as something of an inspiration as to what is possible for a mother returning to the Tour. While Osaka has struggled for consistency, Elina Svitolina is the World Number 13 and a player who has reached the Quarter Final or better in half of the ten Grand Slam events played since returning to action.

The run to the last eight in Montreal will not improve the World Ranking, but winning the title here would push Elina Svitolina back into the top ten and give her a lot of confidence in her bid to win a maiden Grand Slam title at the upcoming US Open.

She has been in solid form in her three wins and beating Amanda Anisimova in straight sets will provide a boost.

Naomi Osaka has had to start a little earlier and so has won four matches to reach the Quarter Final, while her own performances have been very solid.

The key is going to be to serve as well as possible and try and avoid getting drawn into the longer rallies where Elina Svitolina's movement can help turn defence into attack very quickly. You also have to assume that Naomi Osaka is going to lose the majority of longer rallies and so it is key to get on the front foot and dictate the terms of this match.

That was the case when Naomi Osaka beat Elina Svitolina in Miami last year, although it was a competitive match with very little separating them on the day. It was the Osaka serve that delivered the advantages in favour of the former World Number 1 and she has been playing well enough to win a set, which may in turn be enough to cover as the underdog, even if ultimately it is the higher Ranked player who finds a way to reach the Semi Final.

Clara Tauson v Madison Keys: The history books will only state who won a Grand Slam title and the manner will long be forgotten, but it is pretty clear that Madison Keys is still operating on pretty fine margins on the hard courts. Back in Melbourne, she won a number of very close matches that could easily have swung away from her, but the American is very comfortable on the hard courts and has won another title outside of the Australian Open, as well as reaching the Quarter Final and Semi Final at Masters level events.

With that in mind, Madison Keys will be playing with plenty of confidence even if her last two wins here in Montreal have been far from convincing.

She has needed three sets in the last two Rounds to overcome Caty McNally and Karolina Muchova, and the concern for fans of Madison Keys is that she is not looking like a player peaking towards the end of the tournament.

At the Australian Open, Madison Keys was pretty steady with her performances even if there were some very close wins in her run to a surprising Grand Slam success. However, the numbers have dipped in each match played in Montreal and now Madison Keys has to try and hold off a confident youngster who just beat the Wimbledon Champion in the Fourth Round.

Clara Tauson has long been seen as a player with a huge amount of potential and she is set to improve on her career best World Ranking mark of Number 19, which was set in July.

She has just toughed out a win over Iga Swiatek, which will give Clara Tauson a lot of confidence after crushing her first two opponents without much resistance. The 22 year old won the title in Auckland in the build towards the Australian Open, but it has been a season where Clara Tauson may have expected more from herself on this surface, at least before she arrived in Montreal.

Having an impact at one of the big Masters events prior to the US Open beginning will really help Clara Tauson and the first serve can be a particularly strong weapon for her on the hard courts.

We have seen that in her three wins this week, but Clara Tauson has perhaps impressed even more with the way she has been seeing the ball on the return. Facing the Madison Keys first serve will be challenging, but Tauson may believe that she can be plenty aggressive against the second and her performances suggest she is a real threat to pull the upset.

That was the case when the pair met earlier in the year in Auckland and it was Clara Tauson who protected her second serve with much more success compared with the American.

Playing after an upset can be tough for players on the Tour, but Clara Tauson is experienced enough and this has the makings of a competitive Quarter Final. The underdog is perhaps been underestimated and Clara Tauson has every chance of securing a second outright win over Madison Keys.

MY PICKS: Naomi Osaka + 2.5 Games @ 1.83 William Hill (1 Unit)

Clara Tauson @ 2.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 11-4, + 5.06 Units (15 Units Staked, + 33.73% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 4th August)

After the setback on Saturday, Sunday proved to be a bounce back day for the Tennis Picks and the Canadian Masters are in a decent position to end on a positive and with momentum to take into the two big tournaments to be played in August.

The Quarter Finals will begin in Toronto and Montreal on Monday and the remaining four matches will be played on Tuesday as we fast approach the end of the tournaments here and the beginning of Cincinnati. The midweek Finals are still feeling awkward, both to players and fans, but there is a big prize on the line and that has to be the focus for the players still involved.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Alexei Popyrin: The serve is a big weapon for Alexei Popyrin and he has found plenty of consistency from out of this shot on the hard courts. In recent years he has averaged winning around 66% of the points played behind the serve on a regular basis, but the Australian had put some strong results on the board in 2024 because he had shown plenty of improvement on the return of serve.

However, that has not been the case this season with Popyrin breaking in just 11% of return games played and that is a massive reason he has gone from winning twenty-one hard court matches last season compared with just two wins from ten hard court matches prior to the Canadian Masters winning.

In just a few days, Alexei Popyrin has won more matches on the surface than he has for the entirety of the season and it will give him confidence with the US Open fast approaching.

He has fought back to beat Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune in consecutive Rounds and there will be encouragement from the amount of Break Points that have been created in the deserved wins.

Alexei Popyrin is also the defending Champion in Canada, albeit in a tournament that was played in Montreal rather than Toronto, and that has clearly offered him some belief that has taken him through to the Quarter Final.

He has yet to earn a win over Alexander Zverev on the Tour, although the two hard court losses were several years ago when Alexei Popyrin was still building as a professional player. The last match was on clay at the Paris Olympics last year and that is a surface on which Alexander Zverev would be considered a significant favourite.

Even then, Alexander Zverev has been putting together some very solid hard court numbers over the last two seasons and he is a genuine threat to have a deep run at the US Open. The serve is a big weapon, but the top Seed here in Canada has been much more consistent when it comes to the return and that should give him the edge over Alexei Popyrin.

The handicap line is a tough one with Alexander Zverev potentially needing at least two more breaks of serve compared with Alexei Popyrin, but the former has been playing well all year on the hard courts and that should give him the advantage. There will be times when Popyrin is pretty dominant on the serve, but Alexander Zverev can keep plenty of scoreboard pressure on him and that should see him find a way to win and cover.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Marta Kostyuk: This is a very big line for any Quarter Final match, but the power of Elena Rybakina can see her come through with a solid win against Marta Kostyuk.

If the latter is able to serve well, she can put some pressure on Elena Rybakina, but Marta Kostyuk's second serve continues to be the issue.

She is also not the strongest of return players when it comes to matches on the hard courts and both of those aspects of her tennis take a significant dip when only considering Marta Kostyuk matches against those Ranked higher than herself.

Earlier this season, Kostyuk suffered pretty comfortable defeats to Qinwen Zheng and Jessica Pegula and it may be tough for her to stick with Elena Rybakina, who continues to serve extremely well.

Confidence, or lack of confidence, has been an issue for Elena Rybakina, but she has looked good in the last couple of tournaments and that can only bode well for the World Number 12 at the upcoming US Open. She also showed plenty of character to come from a set behind to beat Dayana Yastremska in the Fourth Round and that is a victory that will do Elena Rybakina the world of good.

In the victories produced in Montreal, Elena Rybakina has looked to be in the more convincing form of the two players and she has also beaten Marta Kostyuk in their last two meetings on the Tour. One of those was a routine victory at the US Open in 2023 and it does feel like the higher Ranked player is going to be in a position to move through to the Semi Final behind another solid looking win.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 10-4, + 4.06 Units (14 Units Staked, + 29% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 3rd August)

The Quarter Final lineup at the Canadian Masters will be confirmed at the end of the Sunday action and there were a couple of upsets on Saturday that will have made the leading contenders a little more focused.

It looks a difficult day from which to make Picks, but there are two matches on the Men's side of the tournament in Toronto that seem to fit the bill.

Alex De Minaur - 3.5 games v Frances Tiafoe: This is the time of the season when Frances Tiafoe has tended to flourish with strong runs in his home Grand Slam the highlight.

He also reached the Final at the Cincinnati Masters in 2024, although Frances Tiafoe has not had a big impact at the Canadian Masters with some early exits in the last couple of years. It looked like being another opening Round defeat earlier in the event, although Tiafoe showed his character to rally, while following up with another victory that needed all three sets to be played.

Now he has to take on Washington Champion Alex De Minaur who has benefited from a Walkover in the Third Round.

This should mean the Australian is fresh having played through to the weekend in Washington and he has only needed to play a single match here in Toronto to take his place in the Fourth Round. It has been a really solid season for Alex De Minuar on the hard courts and he is getting closer to surpassing the career best World Ranking mark of Number 6 which was set thirteen months ago.

With nothing to defend in terms of Ranking points in Canada and Cincinnati, Alex De Minaur can play with some freedom and he continues to operate as a player that tends to beat those he is expected to beat, but perhaps still looking to find a way to get closer to the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

The World Number 8 is getting plenty out of an improving serve, and Alex De Minaur remains a very dangerous return player.

These players have not met on the Tour since October 2022 so there will be some learning to be done on the court with both Tiafoe and De Minaur stronger than they were when last facing off on an indoor court at the Paris Masters.

Frances Tiafoe is going to have to serve well to try and keep Alex De Minaur contained, but there is a big difference in the way they have gone about their return games and the successes that they have had.

He is better than the sum of his parts, but Frances Tiafoe continues to operate at very fine margins and someone playing at the level of Alex De Minaur may have too much about him. As long as the higher Ranked player continues to return as well as he has been, he can wear down Tiafoe in a tournament where the latter has not had the same type of successes as Cincinnati and New York City.

Andrey Rublev v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: One Washington Finalist can force their way through to the Quarter Final of the Canadian Masters, but it may be tougher for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to work his way past Andrey Rublev.

After playing so well in Washington and arguably deserving to win the title, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has been very good in winning two matches in Toronto. The form is hard to ignore and he is at a peak career World Ranking inside the top 20, although it feels like the Spaniard has operated at a higher level than that.

It is the third Final lost on the hard courts in 2025, but the Alejandro Davidovich Fokina numbers have not exactly leapt off the page.

The serve is sometimes a vulnerability on the hard courts, but the Spaniard is a capable returner and that does give him chances.

Andrey Rublev has fallen out of the top ten in the World Rankings and he has a 13-9 record on the hard courts in 2025, although he has been a dominant winner to keep the numbers at a decent level. He has won two good matches in Toronto, but there have been plenty of disappointing losses over the course of the season as Andrey Rublev has tried to turn his form around, at least from a consistency point of view.

His serve can be very productive on the hard courts and that is going to be important to try and keep the opponent under the cosh.

He has also broken in 20% of return games played on the hard courts this season and that makes Andrey Rublev dangerous against an opponent he had beaten five straight times before losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won their last match on the clay courts of Barcelona earlier this season.

They have been competitive matches between the players, but the Rublev serve could be key with a few more cheaper points that can be earned. This can make the difference in what should be another close match and Andrey Rublev can come through as the narrow underdog in this Fourth Round encounter.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 9-4, + 3.34 Units (13 Units Staked, + 25.69% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 2nd August)

The Canadian Masters continues through the weekend with Fourth Round action in Toronto and Montreal.

There are some good matches scheduled for Saturday and there are three selections made, which can be read below.

With the majority of the Tennis Picks from Friday being played in the evening in Canada, the weekly totals will be updated and placed in this thread once they have all been concluded.

Casper Ruud v Karen Khachanov: It was not a surprising decision to see Casper Ruud miss the entirety of the grass court season after suffering an injury issue at the French Open. He has been rehabbing for some time now and the Norwegian has returned to the Tour with two solid wins here in Toronto as he has moved through to the Fourth Round.

Casper Ruud will feel his tennis is well suited to the hard courts and he has had plenty of successes at the US Open in the past.

However, he has been set as the underdog in this match against Karen Khachanov and that is something of a surprise.

Of course you have to acknowledge the fact that Casper Ruud has been out of action for some time, but he should have gotten his legs back under him having put two wins on the board. Karen Khachanov has been playing pretty well himself and he did have a solid showing at Wimbledon, which will have boosted the confidence, but the overall hard courts record is just 7-7 for the season.

It has been a particular struggle for the World Number 16 when facing opponents who are Ranked higher than himself.

He has lost all four hard court matches in that spot this season and Karen Khachanov is just 2-8 in those matches over the last twelve months, which is something he is likely going to have to battle against. The serve has been put under pressure by the fact that Khachanov has really struggled with his return against the higher Ranked opponents faced and Casper Ruud will feel he can exploit that fact.

In two previous matches on the Tour, Casper Ruud has been much the better player although the last of those came at the US Open in 2022. Casper Ruud beat Karen Khachanov in the Semi Final of that Grand Slam, and he has been serving well enough in his two wins at the Canadian Masters to be able to edge through this contest.

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 games v McCartney Kessler: Both of these players have had to dig in and work hard to move through to the Fourth Round in Montreal, but having a day of rest between matches should help.

There are similarities in the performances that Marta Kostyuk and McCartney Kessler have been able to produce on the hard courts and that should lead to a competitive match.

It is McCartney Kessler who has won a title on the surface earlier this season, and she also reached the Final in Austin, but the most recent hard court results have perhaps been a little disappointing. That makes the two wins in this tournament feel important and she will have the confidence to take on an opponent who beat her convincingly at the US Open last year.

Marta Kostyuk has really been struggling for consistency on the hard courts and she has only reached the Quarter Final in one tournament in 2025.

The second serve has been a vulnerability and that is something that McCartney Kessler has to look to attack and try and build the pressure on the World Number 28.

However, the Kostyk first serve seems to have a bigger impact compared with the American's same delivery and it may give the higher Ranked player a few more cheaper points.

She has the slightly superior returning numbers too and Marta Kostyuk may end up getting better of the match, even if she needs three sets to move through.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Dayana Yastremska: There are still plenty of wins being produced by Elena Rybakina, but she has dropped out of the top ten in the World Rankings. Off court issues have been affecting her for several months and that has really not helped Elena Rybakina to consistently challenge the very best players on the Tour.

Over the coming weeks, Elena Rybakina has a really good chance to reverse the drop in the World Ranking with very few points to defend and she is already doing a good job of that here in Montreal.

Two solid wins have been earned by the World Number 12 and she has been playing at a pretty consistent level on the hard courts, although Semi Final defeats have been a feature of her season on this surface. Underwhelming showings at Indian Wells and Miami would have hurt too, but there is every chance that Elena Rybakina will make it through to the Quarter Final here.

Dayana Yastremska will have plenty to say about that, although she has not been as convincing in her two wins compared with her opponent.

In both victories, the Ukrainian has actually allowed more Break Points to be created against her serve and that can be tough to sustain if she wants to keep winning matches.

At her best, Dayana Yastremska can be an effective server and she will need to do that if she is going to challenge Elena Rybakina. The latter is not always at her best on the return of serve on the hard courts and it has long felt like an area of her tennis that can be improved, but Elena Rybakina can build plenty of scoreboard pressure with her own serve.

That could be key to the outcome of this match as Rybakina looks to beat this opponent for the second time on the Tour.

Earlier this season, Elena Rybakina beat Dayana Yastremska at the Australian Open and it was a relatively comfortable win too. She had been the much stronger server in that match and created almost three times as many Break Points as she faced and the feeling is that Rybakina can do something similar here to edge past the handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Casper Ruud @ 2.10 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 8-2, + 4.47 Units (10 Units Staked, + 47% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 1st August)

The Canadian Masters continues on Friday and after an emotional night a couple of days ago when Eugenie Bouchard called time on her career in front of the home fans.

Injuries limited the impact Bouchard was able to make following a breakthrough year on the Tour over a decade ago and in reality it has felt like she had moved onto the next stage of her career already having joined the Pickleball Tour.

Some top names are in action on Friday as we conclude the Third Round and edge ever closer to the strange end of the tournaments, which are scheduled for next Thursday rather than the weekend as most events conclude.

The US Open is beginning at the end of August and the move into the month may just double down the focus for all of the players involved here before the Tour moves onto Cincinnati. Winning events now are no guarantee of playing well in New York City, but the confidence boost cannot hurt, especially in the men's tournament which is missing arguably the three favourites for the final Grand Slam of the year.

The weekly total will be added to this thread on Friday morning when the night session in Toronto/Montreal has been completed with the sole selection made on Thursday to be played in the early hours of the morning.

Ben Shelton - 2.5 games v Brandon Nakashima: In individual sports like tennis, there does sometimes feel like a hierarchy is in place between compatriots- the World Ranking will show that more often than not, but there is also a mental challenge for a lower Ranked or younger player when it comes to facing someone whose game they will be very familiar with.

Maybe that is the case for Brandon Nakashima when going up against fiery Ben Shelton who has won all four of their previous matches on the Tour.

Two of those wins have been this year on the hard courts of Melbourne and Indian Wells, while twelve months ago, Ben Shelton also beat Brandon Nakashima in Washington. All nine sets have been won by Shelton, the World Number 7 and a leading hope for American fans when it comes to the US Open which will begin later in the month.

Brandon Nakashima made harder work of his Second Round win on Wednesday than it needed to be, but he played well and continues to beat those that he is expected to beat, especially on the hard courts. However, it is not only Ben Shelton who has caused him problems on the surface and Nakashima has something to prove in this Third Round match in Toronto.

Over the last twelve months, Brandon Nakashima has a 9-12 record on the hard courts when facing opponents Ranked higher than himself, but that reads 1-6 when only considering matches played in 2025. The numbers have been really poor as far as the World Number 32 is concerned with the hold of serve percentage dipping to 78% in those matches and breaks of serve being converted in just 10% of return games played.

You would have to expect Brandon Nakashima to be able to roll through some of his service games in this match, but it is hard to know how he will be able to create chances against the Ben Shelton serve.

Scoreboard pressure becomes a factor if that is the case and in the three previous hard court matches between the compatriots, Brandon Nakashima has broken in 8% of service games and won fewer than 30% of the points played on the Shelton delivery.

Ben Shelton is still a player looking to develop his game into a position where he can win a Grand Slam, even if he has made big impacts at Major level in his short time on the Tour. One of the key areas that needs to be improved is the return of serve and Shelton should be given credit for the fact that he is winning a few more points and breaking a bit more in hard court matches in 2025 compared with 2024.

One may be all that is needed to cover this handicap mark set and Ben Shelton's history against his fellow American is tough to ignore as he looks to reach the business end of the tournament north of the border.

Emma Raducanu v Amanda Anisimova: She toughed out her first match on the Tour since the Wimbledon Final and Amanda Anisimova has to be given credit for getting back to winning ways.

There is no doubt that the confidence will have been hurt by the manner of the loss to Iga Swiatek, but over the next few weeks Amanda Anisimova will be on familiar ground in the United States and the fans are going to be firmly behind her. This should help in Cincinnati and at the US Open, but it may be tougher to find support in Montreal against Emma Raducanu, who was born in Canada, although moved to the United Kingdom when very young and so represents Great Britain.

It has been tough for Emma Raducanu to live up to the hype of the US Open win in 2021, but there have been some positive signs that the tennis is picking back up.

Two more solid runs in Montreal and Cincinnati may see Emma Raducanu Seeded when the US Open draw is made and there have been plenty of wins put on the board to rebuild some confidence. Solid runs on the grass courts would have been expected and Raducanu has backed that up by beginning her bid for a second US Open when reaching the Semi Final in Washington.

She has had to play through two Rounds at the Canadian Masters and Emma Raducanu has really impressed in her wins over Elena Gabriela Ruse and Peyton Stearns.

Of course this is a much tougher match, but Emma Raducanu will hold the mental edge over Amanda Anisimova having beaten her at the Australian Open and in Miami. Both hard court wins have been deserved with Raducanu creating 10 Break Points in each match and Amanda Anisimova has yet to win a set.

The overall hard court numbers produced by these two players are actually very similar over the course of the season- Amanda Anisimova may have more faith in her second serve, but Emma Raducanu has been the slightly more effective return player and it is the latter who has been able to impose her strengths with more consistency in the two matches played against one another.

Amanda Anisimova is a very good player and the World Number 7, but the momentum may be with Emma Raducanu right now and she can edge through in this good Third Round match.

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 games v Anna Kalinskaya: Outside of the absolute elite, women's tennis have had a number of upstarts put together a solid year, but who have been unable to sustain the success they have been having.

Anna Kalinskaya was just outside of the top ten in the World Rankings in October 2024, but injury and a loss of form has held her back and her overall hard court numbers in 2025 have been disappointing.

However, she reached the Final in Washington last weekend and two wins have been earned in Montreal, which will just help the World Number 31 as she looks to secure a Seeding for the US Open. However, it has been far from easy this week at the Canadian Masters with Kalinskaya needing to play all six sets possible in her two wins, while also spending a lot of time on the court.

She has perhaps been fortunate to win her opening two matches having put in so much effort last week in Washington and you have to wonder if that is going to catch up with her.

Next up is a match against Elina Svitolina, who won't find it hard to be motivated when facing a Russian national, and the World Number 13 continues to be a consistent performer on the hard courts. Winning a Grand Slam remains the ambition in what has been an era of opportunity for women's players without a dominant Champion leading the way, but Elina Svitolina has not quite been able to get over the line.

A 28-15 record on the hard courts since the beginning of 2024 underlines the confidence Elina Svitolina has when playing on this surface.

She was a solid Second Round winner in Montreal and Elina Svitolina should have plenty more in the tank compared with her opponent having not played a tournament since Wimbledon.

These two players have met twice on the Tour on clay and on the hard courts and both matches have been won very well by Elina Svitolina. She should be able to exert her will on this match against a potentially tired opponent and that could allow the highest Ranked player to also cover a decent sized line on the handicap.

Naomi Osaka - 3.5 games v Jelena Ostapenko: Overall the numbers have continued to look decent, but Naomi Osaka is perhaps still struggling with dealing with the twists and turns that any match can potentially take.

There is something to be said about playing points with the match state in mind, but that is not always something that is seen from Naomi Osaka and especially not since returning to the Tour in a full time capacity.

Talent-wise, no one is going to deny how good Osaka can be- she has won four Grand Slam titles and that is more than the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. However, the lack of consistency has held her back and that is going to be the main reason that Naomi Osaka will enter the US Open as a dark horse, rather than a favourite like she would have been when at her very best.

She did show plenty of fight and desire to beat Liudmila Samsonova in the Second Round, although Naomi Osaka was very close to being dumped out of the tournament.

In that match, Osaka was not seen as nearly the same strength of favourite as she is going to be in this Third Round match against Jelena Ostapenko.

Prior to the tournament, Jelena Ostapenko had a 6-8 record on the hard courts and five of those wins came in the same event in Doha when reaching the Final. One other win was in Adelaide and the World Number 26 might find the opponent standing across the other side of the net as having too much firepower for her.

Jelena Ostapenko is a steady performer on the hard courts, but she is very reliant on the first serve landing. If she is serving well, she is tough to beat, but her first serve average is not that high and that has allowed opponents to attack the second serve and force an aggressive player to ramp up that aggression on the return.

Any loose balls offered up to the former French Open Champion will be thumped, but there is going to be plenty of power coming from the other side of the net and Naomi Osaka will feel she can out-hit this player.

That was the case at the US Open last year, although Naomi Osaka has to find a bit more consistency in her return game if she is going to have serious ambitions of getting back amongst the elite. She can be helped in this match if Jelena Ostapenko is giving up plenty of looks at the second serve and that should help the lower Ranked player come through with a solid victory.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Emma Raducanu @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-1, + 2.12 Units (5 Units Staked, + 42.40% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 31st July)

The Canadian Masters has been stretched over the space of around twelve days like so many of the big Masters events and that has replaced the old format of the Tour when this event and the Cincinnati Masters would be played in a fortnight.

It also means that some of the players who were competing in the Finals of events at the last tournament have had little time to prepare for a Masters event that began on Sunday and that has cost Leylah Fernandez in her home tournament.

She did win the title prior to the Canadian Masters beginning, but I am sure she would have liked to have had a bigger impact here in Montreal and it may be something that the Tour have to fix in the years ahead.

We move onto the Third Round on Thursday, but finding selections has not been easy with just the sole pick made on the day.

The tournament totals will be added to this thread on Thursday morning once the final selection from Wednesday has been completed in the early hours of the day.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Matteo Arnaldi: After having to go through the Big Three in his younger days, it feels like a path towards a maiden Grand Slam title remains very difficult for Alexander Zverev with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating.

He did reach the Australian Open Final earlier this season and Alexander Zverev has reached the Quarter Final twice, the Semi Final and the Final in the last four appearances at the US Open.

However, the World Number 3 was beaten in the First Round at Wimbledon and admitted that he was feeling the pressures both on and off the court. In theory the life of a top professional athlete seems to be very fortunate, but Alexander Zverev spoke of the feeling of loneliness during the grind of a Tour and his early exit at Wimbledon really did hurt.

Alexander Zverev more than deserved his win in the Second Round, even if the scoreline was far more competitive than it felt it should be.

With the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner and Novak Djokovic all missing in Toronto, Alexander Zverev does have a chance to lay down a marker for the final Grand Slam of the season and also boost his own confidence.

Next up is a match against Matteo Arnaldi, the World Number 41 who is yet another Italian making an impact on the Tour.

Of course it is tough to reach the heights of Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Jasmine Paolini, but Matteo Arnaldi has cracked the top 30 in the World Rankings. That was twelve months ago and he does have some big points to defend having reached the Semi Final at the Canadian Masters in 2024, although Arnaldi has struggled for some consistency on the hard courts this season.

Last week in Washington, Matteo Arnaldi was beaten by Taylor Fritz and he has lost five of the nine hard court matches played against top 50 Ranked opponents in 2025. The serve can be a very effective weapon for Matteo Arnaldi and that was the case when he pushed Alexander Zverev in Acapulco, albeit in a losing effort.

He will have to serve more effectively than he did last week against Taylor Fritz if this is going to be a match he can win, but that might be beyond Matteo Arnaldi.

Alexander Zverev looked in decent shape in the Second Round win and he can build on that by finding the breaks of serve needed to cover this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-1, + 1.42 Units (4 Units Staked, + 35.50% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 30th July)

While there is a bit of a wait between the opening Grand Slam and the second one of a season, the gaps between the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open are much shorter.

The titles were handed out at the third Grand Slam of the season earlier this month, but the Canadian Masters has begun and is a big part of the build up towards the US Open.

Cincinnati is another big stop between now and the final Grand Slam of the season beginning in New York City, but the focus is on this expanded tournament which is split between venues in Toronto and Montreal,

Some big names are missing out and should be ready to return when Cincinnati begins, but that means there is a chance to put a confidence building tournament in the books for those involved. Big Ranking points can also be earned ahead of two more important tournaments coming up in the next few weeks and there are still many players involved who will feel they are genuine contenders to win the next Major.

Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 games v Ethan Quinn: The build up to the final Grand Slam of the season continues with the Canadian Masters one of two big events before the US Open gets underway in New York City.

For those playing in the ATP event in Toronto, it does feel like a big opportunity has opened up with some many of the top names missing.

Players like Brandon Nakashima have a chance to pick up valuable Ranking points that may mean a Seed at his home Grand Slam event and the 23 year old arrives having reached the Quarter Final in Washington. His run was only ended by eventual Champion Alex De Minaur and Brandon Nakashima continues to be a player who is well suited to the hard courts, but perhaps not quite ready to become the latest American to have a really deep run in a Grand Slam event.

There is nothing much wrong with the serving numbers, but Brandon Nakashima may be the first to admit that he has not found the consistency he may have hoped when it comes to the return. The numbers on that side of the court have remained steady on this surface, but Nakashima would have hoped to have shown better signs of development.

It also should be noted that Brandon Nakashima has really struggled when it comes to playing those he is not expected to beat compared with those that he will feel he is favoured against. The service numbers are decent enough when facing higher Ranked players, but the return is really problematic in those matches, whereas the World Number 32 has been so much better when facing those Ranked lower than himself.

Fortunately for Brandon Nakashima, that is the case in this Second Round match ahainst compatriot Ethan Quinn who reached his career high World Ranking mark of Number 82 earlier this month.

Much like so many players from the United States, Ethan Quinn is very comfortable on the hard courts, although his numbers are still a work in progress. At 21 years old and without the experiences of others, that is not a big surprise and it has been tough work for Ethan Quinn when facing top 100 Ranked opponents, even on a familiar surface like this one.

Earlier in the year, Ethan Quinn did take a set from Tommy Paul in Dallas, while he has beaten Christoper O'Connell in the First Round in Toronto. However, Quinn was second best when facing Brandon Nakashima last week in Washington and it does feel like the higher Ranked American is going to be able to frank that victory with another north of the border.

Ethan Quinn has served well in the matches against the top 100 Ranked opponents he has faced, but the return has not really made the kind of impact he would have hoped. It was the case when losing to Brandon Nakashima in Washington and eventually the scoreboard pressure and feeling that 'you must hold at all costs' can wear on an inexperienced player.

The spread is potentially hazardous when you think of some of the issues Brandon Nakashima has had on return, but he was able to exert enough pressure in the win in the last tournament and can likely do the same here.

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Lulu Sun: Any player who reaches the Final of a Grand Slam is very successful at their job, but there is no doubt that the Wimbledon Final would have been a really tough experience for Amanda Anisimova.

She will look back at the grass court season with a real fondness and she enters the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time.

However, this is the first match back since the Wimbledon Final when the American failed to win a match and she will need the fans to get behind her.

The return takes place in Montreal and Amanda Anisimova is a very comfortable hard court player, while she may benefit from facing Lulu Sun who has really had a very difficult year on the surface.

The 24 year old was within the top 40 in the World Rankings ten months ago, but Lulu Sun has slipped all the way back to World Number 97 as the lossed have piled up. It is important to have won her First Round match and Sun has the chance to turn things back around, but the lower Ranked player is just 4-10 on the hard courts in 2025 and this is a significant challenge for her, especially if Amanda Anisimova has overcome what happened in London earlier in the month.

Lulu Sun is a lefty and the serve has been a solid weapon for her, but she has struggled to make an impact on the return and that could show up in this Second Round match.

It may take a set for Amanda Anisimova to settle on the court, but she can move through the gears with her aggressive returning and the serve to contain the threat from the other side of the net. Covering will not be easy, but the American may return with a confident win and one that reminds the rest of the field about the yeat that Amanda Anisimova has been putting together.

Naomi Osaka v Liudmila Samsonova: She clearly was not very happy with some of the questions posed to her after the defeat in Washington, but Naomi Osaka will be looking to make her biggest impact on the court at the Canadian Masters.

There has been enough time since Naomi Osaka returned to the court to have expected her to have a stronger World Ranking than her current mark.

Inconsistency continues to blight her tennis, even if the numbers have been strong and Naomi Osaka will be keen to put some strong results together in what should be her strongest surface. It may have been a while, but Osaka does hold four hard court Grand Slam titles and the style is well suited to those in North America.

She was a pretty comfortable winner in the First Round, but Naomi Osaka has not had the kind of impact on the Tour as she would have hoped.

However, there is an opportunity to reach the Third Round here in Montreal when Naomi Osaka takes on Liudmila Samsonova, even though the latter was able to win their most recent match on the grass courts in the build towards Wimbledon. That was a match that Osaka will feel she should have won, while the former World Number 1 has beaten the current World Number 16 twice on the hard courts of North America in Indian Wells (2024) and Miami (2025).

Naomi Osaka has been dominant in those wins, while Liudmila Samsonova has not been producing the strongest numbers on the hard courts over the last eighteen months.

The higher Ranked player is a solid hard court performer, but Samsonova may struggle to get into the Naomi Osaka service games, while also having a vulnerable second serve that can be attacked.

Too often Naomi Osaka has been in a position to win matches that she has lost, but the confidence will be there within this match up thanks to the two hard court wins produced over Liudmila Samsonova.

That should be a factor in this Second Round match and the former World Number 1 can come out on top.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: This is going to be the twelfth time that Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari are facing each other and it is the American who has been getting the better of the recent matches.

The hard courts are a very comfortable surface for Jessica Pegula, but consistency has long been her biggest problem at the biggest events.

She did reach the US Open Final last year and that means Jessica Pegula has a lot of Ranking points to defend in the next six weeks, but one Fourth Round in three Grand Slams is a disappointing return in 2025. After winning a title on the grass, Pegula would not have expected to have been dumped out of Wimbledon in the First Round and the window does feel like it is closing as far as winning a Major is concerned.

An early loss in Washington is far from ideal preparation, but overall the hard court successes in 2025 makes Jessica Pegula a favourite to move into the Third Round.

Jessica Pegula may be older than Maria Sakkari, but the decline of the latter has been much sharper and she is now playing as the World Number 72. It is imperative for Maria Sakkari to begin to turn that around and avoid having to Qualify for some of the bigger events on the Tour and she does need to back up her Quarter Final run in Washington last week.

Holding a 9-12 record on the hard courts, Maria Sakkari has to find a way to break through the Pegula defences without losing her own consistency.

Ultimately she has not been returning as well as her opponent and Maria Sakkari has a second serve that can be exploited.

The second serve has been attacked relentlessly by Jessica Pegula in the three most recent meetings, all on the hard courts, and that has seen the American dominate those matches. The most recent came earlier this year before the Australian Open and Jessica Pegula looks capable of getting back to winning ways against an old rival who has not been playing with the same kind of consistency as she once did.

MY PICKS: Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Boxing Picks 2025- Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II (Saturday 19th July)

It has been a couple of months since the last Boxing Picks post and that is largely down to wanting to take a break after a disappointing opening four months.

Some bad luck has been a part of the problem, but there have been some poor picks and it was just nice to spend a bit of time enjoying the sport without making selections.

There have been some big fighters out in the time between picks, and the stronger backing being put forward by Turki Alalshikh in partnership with DAZN means the days of having one fight per year as one of the top names is over. The likes of Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Naoya Inoue will be out in big events later in the year, while the announcement of the David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde headliner for November is already building excitement.

In previous years June, July and August have tended to slow down as far as the Boxing events are concerned, but the investors in the sport want to make it more of a year-round spectacle. That has helped with some of the headline acts that have been out, including another big Ring card in New York City last weekend, and having all of the Heavyweight World Titles on the line in mid-July underlines the point.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II may not have picked up the back pages of the sporting world as it would have done if the British representative was Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, but this is still a big fight.

The undercard is disappointing to say the least, while the Boxing world will also have a very keen interest in a returning Manny Pacquiao as he bids to become World Champion again.

There is a big rematch on that card between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu, while Bam Rodriguez looks to Unify before also joining the Night of Champions card that Riyadh are putting together for November.

It is a busy weekend for fight fans to say the least.

2024 was a positive year for the Boxing Picks, but it has been tough work in 2025.

There are still five months of the year to go and with some big fights to come, but picking up some momentum is key out of the short break taken. This is not going to be easy, but there is time to put back to back years on the board with a positive return and that has to be the focus through the remainder of the calendar year.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II

Having won the Undisputed Heavyweight Title when beating Tyson Fury for the first time, Oleksandr Usyk is looking to become a two-time, four belt World Champion in the box office Division in Boxing.

He is 38 years old now and it has long felt that Father Time would be the one opponent that would eventually get the better of Oleksandr Usyk, although there has not been any sign of decline in his performances.

The Ukrainian is not the most active of fighters and since beating Tony Bellew in late 2018 he has fought twice in the same calendar year just once. That was last year when getting the better of Tyson Fury twice, but now Oleksandr Usyk returns to London for the first time in four years to turn back another British fighter in what is expected to be the sole outing of 2025.

It is another rematch and does mean Usyk has not taken on anyone outside of Anthony Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury (twice) since beating Dereck Chisora back in 2020.

This is a much different Daniel Dubois compared with the one that Oleksandr Usyk beat in Poland in 2023, although the former continues to take a lot of confidence from what he felt was a legitimate Knock Down in the Fifth Round. The referee called it a low blow, and the feeling it was low, but Daniel Dubois and his team believe they were robbed and should have been in the Undisputed bout against Tyson Fury instead of the unbeaten World Champion.

A win over Jarrell Miller to close out 2023 rebuilt some of the confidence and Daniel Dubois followed up with victories over Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. The performances look to be improving after each of those fights, which means his team are very confident that Daniel Dubois has the right mentality to fulfil his dreams, but he had to withdraw from a fight with Joseph Parker earlier this year and that means Dubois has actually been out of the ring for longer than his opponent.

You have to give Daniel Dubois a lot of respect for the way he has bounced back from that defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, especially as many felt he had given up on the night. His trainer, Don Charles, has instilled plenty of belief in his fighter and is another deserving of respect, but this is a huge challenge for the younger fighter.

Unlike the last three opponents beaten, Oleksandr Usyk has strong footwork and countering ability to give Daniel Dubois problems.

Making him reset before throwing can just wear down Dubois, while the expectation is that the latter is going to employ different tactics compared to that night when beaten in Poland. This time Daniel Dubois will likely want to get on the front foot and try and bully Oleksandr Usyk, but the Ukrainian has seen almost everything in Boxing.

Fighters can age overnight, which is always going to be a concern with Oleksandr Usyk, especially with the tough nights he has been through, but the Champion hasn't shown many signs of slippage.

Daniel Dubois could have some early successes, but Oleksandr Usyk has been improved in rematches with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury having had the previous Rounds to build up his knowledge of the opponent. The wins produced by Dubois will have this team shouting out how different their fighter is compared with two years ago, but this is the ultimate challenge in the Heavyweight Division.

There is a feeling that Oleksandr Usyk can weather an early storm and that may just break the heart of the challenger.

Pop shotting, countering, making Daniel Dubois think and think again, while keeping the feet moving and forcing Dubois to dance to his tune can see Oleksandr Usyk turn the screw, much as he did two years ago. I think Daniel Dubois will want to show how much stronger he is mentally and physically, but the gas tank may end up running close to empty when either an accumulation of shots puts him down or a careful referee steps in to stop what may feel like an increasingly one-sided contest.

When this Heavyweight World Title was announced, the rumour mill ramped up about the kind of fights we would be getting on the undercard.

Instead it is something of a disappointment and falls short of the undercard that was put together for the Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Solomon Dacres is returning after being Stopped by David Adeleye in the First Round last December and he is in with another unbeaten Ukrainian in Vladyslav Sirenko.

The latter is stepping up his level in some respects, while Dacres has plenty to prove.

It could end up being a shoot out in the Heavyweight Division and the power of Vladyslav Sirenko could see him come out on top.

Another Heavyweight contest on the undercard features Lawrence Okolie as he looks to move another step closer to challenging for a World Title.

There is plenty of reason to believe the World Titles could fragment over the next several months, especially if Oleksandr Usyk is the main event winner. Lawrence Okolie is Ranked highly by the WBC and he can retain his place in those Rankings by seeing off Kevin Lerena.

The South African has been floating between Bridgerweight and Heavyweight having begun his career at Cruiserweight and Kevin Lerena is perhaps best known for putting Daniel Dubois down three times in the First Round in December 2022.

Ultimately it was Dubois who rallied for a Third Round Stoppage, but Kevin Lerena did manage to go the distance with Justis Huni last year.

He will look to make things tough for Lawrence Okolie and there is always a concern that the British fighter will resort to his jab and grab tactic that can be so infuriating to watch.

Ultimately Lawrence Okolie has to look to make a statement and it does feel like he has the power and the set up to land a few big shots on Kevin Lerena and force a Stoppage in the contest.

Mario Barrios vs Manny Pacquiao

A legend returns to the ring on Saturday night and it is no surprise that Manny Pacquiao has been offered the chance to win a World Title in his comeback.

Rumours have long been running that Manny Pacquiao wanted to return to the ring, but four years have passed since he was pretty well beaten by Yordenis Ugas. He looked like a fighter that had seen Father Time catch up with him, but at 46 years old, Pac Man believes there is still something left in the tank.

He is returning to a Welterweight Division that is lacking a true number one and the feeling is that he is taking on the weakest of the three World Champions.

Mario Barrios had lost consecutive fights to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman in 2021 and 2022, but he picked up the WBC Interim World Title when getting the better of the aforementioned Ugas in September 2023. Even then, he has not really convinced as a World Champion since being elevated to full status and Barrios has not been out since November 2024.

Despite all of that, Mario Barrios is the fresher and much more active fighter and he should have all of the tools to break down an all-time great.

Like so many great Champions of the past, Manny Pacquiao refuses to accept that his greatness has dipped and that he can turn back the clock. He might even start out pretty well, but Pac Man looked well past his best in his last bout and the time spent away from the ring cannot have done him any favours at all.

When at his best, Pacquiao would have rolled past Mario Barrios, but at this stage of their respective careers, the World Champion should be able to turn the screw and potentially force an empathetic Stoppage.

The chief support on this card is a rematch between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu and this is likely going to be a fascinating fight to watch.

Many have criticised Tim Tszyu's team for not withdrawing their fighter after he suffered an awful gash in the first fight- that withdrawal would have come at a time when the Australian could return home with his World Titles, but instead the Tim Tszyu career has just left the rail tracks.

Winning the rematch would rejuvenate the career, but this is a very tough fight and it is one that is likely going to have plenty of action attached to i.

Picking a winner looks tough and this is a bout worthy of viewing without landing on one side.

Matchroom are also running a card this Saturday in Texas and the lead is Bam Rodriguez who is looking to Unify World Titles.

He has already had another bout announced on the Night of Champions in Riyadh in November and that can be risky, but Bam should have too much for Phumelela Cafu, the WBO World Champion.

The chief support is an intriguing Super Middleweight bout between Diego Pacheco and Trevor McCumby.

The latter gave Caleb Plant all he could handle, but was eventually Stopped in the Ninth Round, and that has given Trevor McCumby another opportunity.

It will also give Diego Pacheco the motivation to put a stronger performance on the board than Plant, even if the latter has lost his way a little bit after suffering an upset loss last time out. That result should focus Pacheco, who believes he is the best Super Middleweight out there and looking to earn a shot at the winner of Canelo-Bud Crawford.

Fans will only call for that if Pacheco can continue to impress and he has the tools to secure a mid-fight Stoppage.

MY PICKS: Oleksandr Usyk to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.75 William Hill (1 Unit)

Vladyslav Sirenko to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Lawrence Okolie to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Mario Barrios to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

Diego Pacheco to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2025: 18-50, - 25.37 Units (83 Units Staked, - 30.57% Yield)