Australian Open Tennis Day 15 Pick 2026- Men's Final (Sunday 1st February)

After two quite unbelievable Semi Final matches, the men's Final on the last Sunday in Melbourne could really signify the passing of the torch between generations.

Novak Djokovic will want to just underline his status as the best player of all time, but Carlos Alcaraz has plenty on the line himself and the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam would certainly place his name in the history books already.

Some may feel it could end up being an important Grand Slam title at the end of the respective careers with Alcaraz looking more than capable of getting close to the current mark set by Novak Djokovic.

It should be a fitting occasion to conclude the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season and one that every Tennis fan should be looking forward to.

The women's Final on Saturday did provide the drama that had largely been missing from that tournament as Elena Rybakina came through in three sets.

It looked like the match was going to get away from the Kazakhstan player in the final set, but a five game winning run turned things in Rybakina's favour and she has moved back into the top three of the World Rankings.

A healthy Elena Rybakina could be a threat at two of the next three Grand Slams, although still has something to prove on the clay courts.

Wimbledon has to be a big target and she can certainly close towards the top of the World Rankings if she can maintain the form of the last six months.

Some words about Aryna Sabalenka- the World Number 1 is a huge personality and remains one of the most consistent players who is always there or thereabouts at the biggest tournaments.

Reaching four of the last five Grand Slam Finals is nothing to be sneered at, even if Sabalenka has come up short in three of those.

You have to expect Aryna Sabalenka to be challenging for the biggest titles throughout 2026 and she has shown plenty of mental resilience to bounce back from plenty of other setbacks to be concerned about how she will respond to this Australian Open Final defeat.

Carlos Alcaraz - 1.5 sets v Novak Djokovic: Depending on your personal belief system, you may describe events on Friday as being 'destiny', 'fate' or perhaps even think some sort of 'divine intervention'.

That is certainly the case for the second Semi Final which was won by Novak Djokovic and the desire to win a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title is now just one match away.

It has been a miraculous few days for the 38 year old and that cannot be denied, no matter what else you believe.

A walkover in the Fourth Round is not so unique- in a long Grand Slam tournament, things like that happen, but the last couple of matches have been very unique.

Trailing 2-0 in the Quarter Final, Novak Djokovic admitted that his time in Melbourne looked to be coming to an end for another year.

Instead, Djokovic was given a reprieve as his fortune was Lorenzo Musetti's misfortune with an injury forcing the Italian to withdraw early in the third set when looking more than on course to beat the ten time Australian Open Champion.

Novak Djokovic admitted the better player had lost on the day, and there may be a similar feeling after he somehow managed to rally and beat the World Number 2 in a five set epic on Friday. The numbers back up that this may have been the most unexpected Semi Final win in a Grand Slam event going back to 1991 when some of the leading number-crunchers have been keeping vigorous records.

The former World Number 1 had 8 Break Points compared with the 18 that Jannik Sinner created, but Djokovic won the majority of the biggest points and recovered from 15/40 positions twice and 0/40 in the final set. He took his one and only Break Point created and the legendary Serb won a match in which his opponent won 12 more points over the course of the epic last four contest.

Suffice to say it is very difficult to overcome those kinds of numbers over and over again, while Novak Djokovic just spent over four hours on the court at 38 years old. Recovery is going to be the big challenge, but it certainly helps that his opponent in this Final has just played the longest Semi Final in Australian Open history.

Carlos Alcaraz is looking to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam, but he had to dig seriously deep to beat Alexander Zverev having cramped up towards the end of the third set. At that stage the World Number 1 looked to be cruising through, but the body began to let him down and that allowed Alexander Zverev to win the next two sets in Tie-Breakers and then take a break lead in the decider.

All credit has to be given to the Spaniard for turning that set around and fighting his way through to the Final, although he has since indicated that he was not receiving a Medical Time Out for cramping issues, but because he felt something else in his muscle. That MTO infuriated Alexander Zverev, because you are not allowed to have a trainer come and work on cramps unless between changeovers and even then it can only be used three times.

Ultimately Zverev has tried to move past any controversy and it is Carlos Alcaraz who will be playing in the Australian Open Final for the first time.

Like his older opponent, Carlos Alcaraz will have to show tremendous recovery after spending almost five and a half hours on the court on Friday. Credit has to be given to the top Seed for the way he managed his serve in that win over Alexander Zverev and it is going to need to be a key shot for him to earn the victory over Novak Djokovic.

Carlos Alcaraz is plenty experienced, even at this young age, but this is easily his best run at the Australian Open and that means he is breaking new ground.

Of course that is far from the case for Novak Djokovic who has won this title ten times in his career and he has NEVER been beaten in the Australian Open Final. This has to give the Serb so much confidence, while he will note that he upset Carlos Alcaraz on this court twelve months ago in a four set win.

Prior to the US Open Semi Final in September, Novak Djokovic had not been beaten on a hard court by Carlos Alcaraz and that is another factor that has to give the veteran belief that this is his moment to win a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title and move clear of all.

The four hard court matches played between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have narrowly favoured the latter, but the win in New York City has to give the Spaniard so much confidence.

He only faced a single Break Point that day and Alcaraz had his chances in the Quarter Final defeat to Novak Djokovic twelve months ago.

Carlos Alcaraz will believe that his serve has improved markedly since that loss to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne when he was only winning 58% of points played behind the serve. That number improved to 70% in New York City and the returning numbers were similar in both matches, which suggests Carlos Alcaraz deserves the edge that has been given to him.

Over the last twelve months, Carlos Alcaraz has been the superior hard court player, while he has definitely been the more impressive within this tournament.

Novak Djokovic has shown he can play clutch tennis at the biggest moments, while the aggressive style surprised Jannik Sinner and may also give Alcaraz something to think about.

Factoring in the ability to recover from epic five setters on Friday is much more difficult- you would think Carlos Alcaraz being younger and playing earlier on the day will give him the edge, but dismissing the motivation that is fuelling Novak Djokovic and having that see him leave everything on the court would be dangerous.

The hard court performances against Carlos Alcaraz and the confidence of playing in these conditions and on this court makes Novak Djokovic a threat too.

Perhaps he is playing with some destiny and that Sunday is all about Novak Djokovic moving past Margaret Court's twenty-four Grand Slams just across from a tennis court names after the Australian.

Winning the title and leaving the sport would just be a fitting end to what has been a wonderful career, but the numbers suggest Carlos Alcaraz will have a little too much for Novak Djokovic. His variety is going to be important, as it was in the US Open Semi Final win, and a cold heart can only pick the World Number 1 to complete his career Grand Slam by breaking the heart of one of the absolute greatest to ever pick up a racquet.

It would really not offend if this Pick is wrong and Novak Djokovic can turn back the clock one more time, but he is going to have to come through some really sticky moments again and this time he may just come up short.

That win in New York City should make Carlos Alcaraz know what he needs to do in this Australian Open Final and he may just have too much over three or four sets.

MY PICK: Carlos Alcaraz - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 37-23, + 15.08 Units (124 Units Staked, + 12.16% Yield)

Winmau World Masters Darts Day 3 Picks 2026 (Saturday 31st January)

If Mike de Dekker had aimed his dart a quarter of an inch to the right, Luke Littler would have been dumped out of the World Masters and the rest of the draw would have really felt a big opportunity had opened up to win the opening Ranking tournament of the 2026 season.

There is an intimidation factor around the World Number 1 for many, while you always feel the longer formats are so much tougher to get the better of Luke Littler.

Most of the big names have made it through to the Second Round and that means there will be plenty of players who will have the belief that they can win the title over the next couple of days. Of course Luke Littler will remain a big favourite until he is out of the event, but we are now moving into the best of seven Set format, although the best of three Legs to win a set means there are chances for upsets with a five or ten minute barrage.

The Second Round is going to be split over two Sessions before the Quarter Final matches are played on Sunday afternoon.

From there, the Semi Final and Final will be scheduled for the Sunday evening as the first Ranking title is handed out and the top eight names will then begin Premier League action next Thursday.

Double- Chris Dobey & Gary Anderson to win: The opening two Second Round matches should see both favourites through after strong performances in the First Round.

Chris Dobey played really well to beat Jermaine Wattimena and averaged just shy of 100.

He is not playing in the Premier League this season, which may not be a bad thing for Dobey, and he should have too much for Damon Heta.

The Australian ended the last calendar year in poor form and did not look himself at the World Championships last month. Getting the better of Michael van Gerwen will give Heta a lot of confidence, but the former did not have his best match and Damo is going to have be a lot better to move into the Quarter Final.

Doubling Chris Dobey with Gary Anderson is the call, even if the latter may still be seething about influencers as he was after his First Round win.

The performance on the oche was nothing to be angry about and Anderson had the better of James Wade when they met on the Tour last season.

You never want to dismiss someone who can dig in like Wade and the First Round performance from a player looking to prove the PDC wrong for leaving him out of the Premier League was very good. Again, James Wade will be under more pressure from the scoring power that Gary Anderson can put together and the former two-time World Champion can edge through.

Gerwyn Price to Win & Over 3.5 180s: Jonny Clayton is the Welsh Number 1 and the Runner Up from twelve months ago at the World Masters, but Gerwyn Price has gotten the better of his mate on the Tour over the last twelve months.

Both produced some very strong darts in the opening Round and there will be no doubt that another strong performance will be needed to move into the Sunday Quarter Final.

Eight straight wins have been produced by Gerwyn Price in this rivalry and he threw four maximums in his First Round win.

Both can be true again in this good looking Second Round match.

Danny Noppert to Win & Over 3.5 180s: He 'only' needed three maximums during the win over Daryl Gurney in the First Round, but Danny Noppert is going to have to win at least a couple more Legs in this and can move that total up to at least four.

He will need them to fend off Stephen Bunting for a second year in a row at the World Masters having beaten him 4-3 in the Quarter Finals twelve months ago.

That was a high quality match and both will be happy enough with the First Round wins on Friday.

Out of the two players, Danny Noppert will perhaps be feeling slightly better with his level and he has been the more consistent player, which can make the difference.

The heavy scoring that can be produced by Stephen Bunting makes him dangerous, but it is the Dutchman who has gotten the better of the recent TV meetings and he can do that again.

Luke Littler to Win & Over 5.5 180s: The power scoring of Ross Smith has to be respected and that has allowed him to push Luke Littler in previous meetings, while the First Round win and the manner he produced it will have given Smith a boost.

He was unexpectedly beaten very early at the World Championships, but Ross Smith is still inside the top 20 of the World Rankings and will be looking for a fast start to 2026.

Of course this is a huge challenge for anyone and Luke Littler was still hitting plenty of maximums even as he looked to be heading out of the tournament on Friday.

There is never really much doubt in his ability to pound the treble 20 and Littler should be able to get up to at least six in this match, which should have at least 10-12 Legs played.

He will need to find those big scores to keep the pressure on a heavy scorer in Ross Smith and Luke Littler should be able to come through in six sets.

MY PICKS: Chris Dobey & Gary Anderson to Win @ 2.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Gerwyn Price to Win & Over 3.5 180s @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Danny Noppert to Win & Over 3.5 180s @ 2.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Littler to Win & Over 5.5 180s @ 1.95 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

World Masters Update: 2-4, - 0.61 Units (6 Units Staked, - 10.17% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2026- Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson (Saturday 31st January)

More and more news is beginning to be released to the public about upcoming fight cards- this past week Zuffa Boxing placed another couple of events on the schedule, while Tyson Fury announced his long-expected comeback for April, although it was a surprise to hear the broadcast deal is with Netflix rather than DAZN.

This feels like another moment where the power of the Saudi influence in Boxing is moving away from supporting that site, which now has a number of Promoters as exclusive to DAZN, and instead focusing on supporting the new kids on the block.

It is common knowledge that Zuffa Boxing is being led by Dana White and TKO, but also that Turki Alalshikh has aligned with them as a minority owner of the new League. If the money is no longer interested in propping up DAZN or the Promoters that have previously been well backed by Alalshikh, you do have to wonder what the future holds.

In saying all that, none of the rival Promoters were too afraid of Zuffa 01- it was a pretty poor card, but the atmosphere and the look of the event was way below the expectations of Boxing fans, no matter what those paid to lead the broadcasting were saying. The criticism has been shared across the board between organisers, those who set up the venue and the commentators with Max Kellerman having to absorb plenty of shots about 'shilling' for his new employers, but this whole product look has not been lost on Dana White who said things will get better.

Something does not sit right with the moves being made by Zuffa Boxing, and there are plenty of articles out there laying out why not, but they look like they are here to stay right now and the other Promoters should just be a little cautious with plays being made behind the scenes.

Andy Cruz came up short in his World Title bid last week, but that means we have a new player in Raymond Muratalla who is likely going to move up in weight class with a signature win on the resume.

Big improvements will be needed from Callum Walsh, who did just enough for a second fight in a row and who failed to push the tempo against a veteran that had been Stopped before.

Despite Kellerman's proclamations, most real fans would have seen the performance for what it was and Walsh will do well to become the 'face' of this League unless really taking the next steps in his development.

There are a number of big cards lined up on the last weekend of January, although the main event of the Boxxer card had to be abandoned last week when Adam Azim suffered a late hand injury- this is a setback considering the lack of activity in recent months and his return will have to be pushed back into April or May, which is far from ideal.

Hopefully Boxxer are going to release a few more dates for upcoming main events, and we should be getting more news from Queensberry and Matchroom about April and May dates shortly.

And just before this thread was set to be posted, it was announced late on Friday night that we do have the Deontay Wilder vs Derek Chisora is now official, which looks a decent contest for both at their respective stages of their careers.

Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson

There are plenty of World Champions and big Boxing names heading out to the ring this weekend, but make no mistake, all eyes are on the main event at Madison Square Garden.

A few years ago there was a real excitement that the likes of Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez would make this a special era.

They were described as the 'Four Kings', much like the 1980s led by Sugar Ray Leonard, but it has been a disappointing period all things considered.

All four of those names have been in and around the World Title picture, but we have not had the multiple fights and rematches that were promised.

Out of the four names, Teofimo Lopez is perhaps the one that will feel most disappointed- that is not to say that he has not put together a solid career with some big wins on the resume, but he is the only that has not fought any of the other three names mentioned.

Things change on Saturday.

Shakur Stevenson was not amongst those names mentioned, but that is also because he started his professional career at a much lower weight class.

For a long time Stevenson has been spoken about as the best Boxer in America, although criticism of his style is that he has been so good that he has often coasted through fights.

He remains unbeaten and Shakur Stevenson is moving up another weight Division in order to really announce himself as the heir apparent to Terence Crawford and Floyd Mayweather Jr, while also becoming a top pick in the pound for pound debate.

Layers have a lot of respect for the skills- Stevenson does hit with more authority than his record suggests and is arguably the best defensive Boxer in the world too- and he is has been set as a significant favourite.

The overriding feeling is that Stevenson will showcase those skills and ultimately be able to bamboozle Teofimo Lopez, but there is a nagging doubt.

Teofimo Lopez has thrived when people don't believe in him and his best wins have been as an underdog.

That makes him dangerous, even if everything is pointing to a Shakur Stevenson win and that makes the fight 'must watch' even in the early hours of the morning in the United Kingdom.

You'd have to agree with the oddsmakers with Shakur Stevenson favourite and most likely to win on the cards, but this is a fight to simply sit back and watch as two stars look to elevate themselves even further.

It is a loaded undercard for the big event in New York City and there are a couple of other World Titles at stake outside of the main event.

Keyshawn Davis returns after embarrassingly missing weight the last time he was due out, but he has moved into the loaded Light-Welterweight Division and is expected to find a way past Jamaine Ortiz, who has been in with Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez and only been beaten on the cards.

Bruce Carrington has been upgraded to full Champion in the Featherweight Division and he should be able to get the better of veteran Carlos Castro- a late Stoppage cannot be ruled out, but the likelihood is that the American will find a way on the cards.

He may not be on the best spot on the card, but Jarrell Miller is back in action this weekend and once again is going to be pushing to get his career back on track- he has not fought in eighteen months and Miller was in line to face Fabio Wardley last year before the latter went on to win the WBO World Title.

Big Baby can match his nickname-sharing Jared Anderson in Stopping Kingsley Ibeh- it should be a fun Heavyweight fight, but Miller can wear down an opponent who has not really stepped up his level since that loss to Anderson.

An event that was supposed to be headlined by Adam Azim will go on in London on Saturday and one of the bouts that has been pushed up the card features a new signing made by Boxxer.

Light Heavyweight Gradus Kraus will be looking to impress and he should have the power to blitz past 32 year old Boris Crighton.

The latter was Stopped in Three Rounds last time out back in September and he may struggle to deal with the power of the young Dutchman.

There will be plenty of eyes on that card in London thanks to Boxxer's deal with the BBC meaning it is available to most households, but British fans will be much more interested in the event in Newcastle, which is going to have a World Title main event.

Josh Kelly is the home Challenger, but is facing Bakhram Murtazaliev who believes he has been avoided and that has contributed to a significant absence from the ring.

The IBF Light Middleweight World Champion was last seen crushing Tim Tszyu in Three Rounds back in October 2024 and had Stopped Jack Culcay in the previous fight to pick up the vacant Title.

He will come forward all day so the pressure is on Josh Kelly to be able to keep this fighter from overwhelming him.

No one will deny the obvious talent that Josh Kelly has, but there have long been questions about the stamina and whether he can maintain any punch resistance as the gas tank empties.

Everyone will remember what David Avanesyan was able to do to Josh Kelly and the Champion is likely going to accept losing some of the early Rounds as long as he able to get close enough to start putting a dent into the home favourite.

In all likelihood, that impact will really become apparent in the second half of this World Title fight against an opponent who showed plenty of signs of fatigue in his narrow win over Ismael Davis.

Josh Kelly has only had One Round since that win over Davis in September 2024 so can hardly point to having significant less ring rust to shift compared with the World Champion and he is going to have to be perfect for thirty-six minutes. We all saw how quickly things unravelled in the loss to Avanesyan and Bakhram Murtazaliev can force another Stoppage to retain his Belt.

The undercard should feature wins for Josh Padley and Elif Nur Turhan but the prices are pretty short on the likely outcomes of a Decision for the former and another Stoppage for the latter.

There are going to be plenty of eyes on the Kelly-Murtazaliev main event with some reports indicating Jaron Ennis could be next for the winner after negotiations with Vergil Ortiz Jr have seemingly stalled for now.

However, Ennis will not be the only one looking on.

In Puerto Rico, Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou will be Unifying their WBO and WBA Light Middleweight Titles and the winning fighter may be looking to move another step towards Undisputed by taking on the winner of that bout in Newcastle.

The home fighter is the favourite, but Baraou will give Xander Zayas plenty to think about and the expectation before the bout is that the younger, unbeaten fighter can come through on the cards after a fun battle.

There is a potential for Giovani Santillan to be the next opponent for the winner of the main event as he looks for a third win in a row since losing to Brian Norman Jr in a Welterweight World Title fight.

Giovani Santillan has won twice in a row since then, and is now moving up into the Light Middleweight Division against Courtney Pennington who has a 17-11-3 record.

Only four of those defeats have been in Stoppages and that will be the target for Santillan to grow some interest in him being the next contender to whoever holds two World Titles after the main event at the end of the night.

MY PICKS: Jarrell Miller to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Gradus Kraus to Win Between 1-4 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Bakhram Murtazaliev to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Boxing 2026: 1-5, - 4.26 Units (10 Units Staked, - 42.60% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick- Women's Final 2026 (Saturday 31st January)

Don't misunderstand, I had been just as disappointed as most with the lack of drama at the opening Grand Slam of the season.

But then it was the turn of the men in the Semi Finals.

And boy, did Friday provide us everything that us fans were demanding and more.

Carlos Alcaraz came through in the longest Australian Open Semi Final on record with the match going three minutes shy of five and a half hours.

You'd have to worry about his fitness ahead of the Final, but the second Semi Final went well over four hours before Novak Djokovic found his way into yet another Grand Slam Final.

I will have more thoughts on that in the Day 15 thread as the Australian Open comes to a conclusion, but first we have what could be a 'blink and you miss it' Women's Final.

Two big hitters are not going to hang around in service games and it should be a decent contest between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina as two players who will occupy the top three places in the World Rankings on Monday morning meet in the Melbourne showpiece on Saturday evening.

Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka: On the pure numbers, you have to consider Aryna Sabalenka not only the World Number 1, but the top player on the hard courts on the WTA Tour.

This is the fourth year in a row that she will be competing in the Australian Open Final and Aryna Sabalenka has also reached the US Open in each of the last three seasons. Four Grand Slams have been won on the surface- twice in a row at both of Melbourne and New York City- but Aryna Sabalenka was denied a third straight success here twelve months ago when upset by Madison Keys.

You would also consider Elena Rybakina's game to work very well on the hard courts and so it is a surprise that she is playing in her first Grand Slam Final on the surface since the 2023 Australian Open.

In fact, you can go even further and state that it is a surprise that she has not reached another Grand Slam Final since that defeat in Melbourne, but Elena Rybakina has been in good form for several months now and there will be plenty of confidence and experience that she can call upon for this Final.

Both players have been in exceptional form at the Australian Open- neither has dropped a set and both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have been particularly effective at protecting the second serve. It is Rybakina who has a narrow advantage on the first serve percentage of points won, but the World Number 1 has been the slightly superior return player.

However, that return game is going to be tested by this Elena Rybakina serve, even in the Night Session when the cooler conditions can make the ball all the heavier to try and hit through the court. That has not prevented the World Number 5 from still having a big impact with her serve and that could be a key to the outcome of this match.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will know that they are going to win plenty of points when the first serve lands and both will want to get on the front foot. That could also mean playing with more aggression on the return of serve whenever a second serve is seen and this has been the one match up that has proven to be pretty challenging for the top Seed.

In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka came from a set behind to beat Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open Final and that meant the Belarusian had won the opening four matches between the players on the Tour and all in three set matches.

She most definitely had the mental edge at that stage, but two months later Elena Rybakina beat Sabalenka for the first time in the Indian Wells Final.

That result has sparked a positive run for the lower Ranked player and the last ten between these two players have ended in six Elena Rybakina wins.

It also includes a run of six wins in the last eight hard court matches, including Elena Rybakina winning two of three last year- both of those wins were on some of the faster hard courts at Cincinnati and then indoors in Riyadh, while Aryna Sabalenka beat this opponent in Wuhan in between those defeats.

Of course the win in the Australian Open Final is one that will give Aryna Sabalenka a lot of confidence, but in the eight matches on the hard courts since then, the World Number 1 has struggled to match the serving qualities of Elena Rybakina. The returning percentage of points won is 10% lower against Rybakina compared with Aryna Sabalenka's average and that is a big difference that keeps the top Seed under real pressure.

Her first serve has not been as punishing in those matches against Elena Rybakina either and the power that the latter can generate means she can stick with Aryna Sabalenka and give as good as she gets.

You have to respect the qualities of Sabalenka in winning multiple Grand Slam Finals and the consistency she has had at all Majors to reach the business end of tournaments over and over again.

Elena Rybakina has struggled for the momentum within Grand Slam tournaments that is needed to go as deep as she would have expected, but that has not been the case in Melbourne and she looks like she can upset the odds.

Twelve months ago, Aryna Sabalenka opened the season by winning the title in Brisbane and then reached the Final in Melbourne.

She has done the same in 2026, but Madison Keys managed to find a way to get the better of Aryna Sabalenka in 2025 and the feeling is that Elena Rybakina's game matches up well enough to help the 26 year old win a second Grand Slam title.

MY PICK: Elena Rybakina @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 36-23, + 12.08 Units (122 Units Staked, + 9.90% Yield)

Winmau World Masters Darts Day 2 Picks 2026 (Friday 30th January)

Day 1 proved to be pretty difficult for the Darts selections, but that was partly down to a slight bit of misfortune.

I mean it is virtually impossible for someone to throw only five scores of 140 or more and four of those were the maximum, but that is what happened with Ryan Joyce to prevent the Double from coming in.

Jermaine Wattimena was not at the races, while Michael van Gerwen also looked out of sorts as he missed the maximum count by a single score.

Not to worry, it is a long season and you have to go through these peaks and troughs and Day 2 is an opportunity to bounce back.

The First Round looks competitive and the short format in the opening Round means it is very dangerous for all of the players with the matches capable of running away from someone very quickly.

Double- Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurner over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler most 180s: Both of the higher Seeded players are amongst the biggest maximum hitters on the Tour and are favoured to move through to the Second Round.

Danny Noppert was disappointing in his performances at the invitational tournaments earlier this month, and Daryl Gurney is more than capable of upsetting him having beaten him twice last year.

The Northern Irishman has perhaps struggled to reach his consistent best level for a while, but he is more than capable of contributing to this maximum hitting total.

And with likely four sets needed, which means at least eight Legs, you do have to feel that both can put enough big scores together to surpass this number.

Luke Littler is Luke Littler and has had plenty of success against Mike de Dekker over the last couple of years- he has tended to win the maximum count in those matches too and can follow suit as he moves through to the Second Round.

Jeffrey de Graaf v Stephen Bunting: Anyone who has been following the Tour ove the last month should be well aware of the standard that Jeffrey de Graaf has been producing.

He Qualified impressively, which will give him confidence, and the World Number 51 is putting some very good averages on the board.

Two years ago Stephen Bunting won the Masters, but that was in the old format and he has not been playing at a consistent level over the last three months.

In the two invitational events earlier this month, Bunting was able to beat those he should, but failed to make it beyond the Quarter Final with both events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ending in defeats to Michael van Gerwen.

He averaged just 81 in the second of those losses, while Jeffrey de Graaf beat Stephen Bunting in a Players Championship Final in the sole meeting in 2025. That ended 8-7 in favour of the underdog, but this is likely to be close and de Graaf is being underestimated.

Both Josh Rock & Connor Scutt over 2.5 180s and 1+ 100 checkout: These two players had a drama filled match at the Grand Slam which was narrowly won by Josh Rock and the Northern Irishman won two floor matches against Connor Scutt too in 2025.

Those two floor events were of very high quality and Scutt has come through the Qualifiers here with real confidence.

His maximum hitting was on point in the last three Rounds of Qualifying and Connor Scutt is a confident player.

Josh Rock will be making his Premier League debut next week, but this is the first competitive action since a disappointing ending to the World Championship. Last year was a big one for him all the same and he is still one of the top maximum hitters on the Tour.

This match could go pretty long with the capabilities of both and finishing off a ton plus checkout is likely going to provide some of the turning points- both are capable and there should be one between them.

MY PICKS: Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurney Over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler Most 180s @ 2.69 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jeffrey de Graaf @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Josh Rock & Connor Scutt Over 2.5 180s Each and 1+ 100 Checkouts @ 2.70 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Masters Update: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 13 Picks 2026 (Friday 30th January)

We may have gotten down to the Australian Open Semi Final with the top four men's Seeds all still in action, but most fans will believe the World Number 1 and 2 are going to have too much for experienced opponents.

The last three Grand Slam Finals have been a match up between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and they are clear favourites to meet in the Sunday showpiece.

However, out of the two opponents, it does feel like Alexander Zverev can offer some resistance against Carlos Alcaraz as long as he can put together a decent serving day.

Novak Djokovic fans may believe destiny is driving his run to the Semi Final having had some fortune in Melbourne, but his level has dipped significantly from his peak days dominating the Tour. It was really good to hear Djokovic giving a journalist some pushback having received a pretty disrespectful line of questioning, but the 38 year old has to be significantly better than Wednesday if he is going to find a way to upset Jannik Sinner in the other Semi Final.

Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev over 35.5 games: You could easily come to the conclusion that Carlos Alcaraz is a multiple time Champion at Melbourne Park after watching him ease past Alex De Minaur in the Quarter Final.

Instead, the World Number 1 was winning a Quarter Final at the Australian Open for the first time and in doing so was also ending the hopes of the home fans in seeing a men's winner at the event for the first time in fifty years.

Carlos Alcaraz is now two wins away from becoming the youngest men's player to complete the career Grand Slam, but he will have a lot of respect for the opponent in front of him.

Despite both being in the top three of the World Rankings, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev only met once in 2025 and that ended in a routine win for the Spaniard on the fast courts of Cincinnati back in August. That levelled up the career head to head between the players, but also means Alcaraz has won four of the seven matches since joining the elite on the Tour with a couple of the early losses at a time when the Spaniard was making his way up the World Rankings.

The three losses in that time underline the danger that Alexander Zverev does pose with a big serve backed up by enough on the ground to believe he can cause the upset.

It is the serve that has been a crucial weapon for Alexander Zverev in this tournament and the World Number 3 has long been comfortable playing in Melbourne. Last year he came up short in the Final, but Zverev continues to insist he is at his best health-wise right now and the German holds a win over Carlos Alcaraz on this court in the Quarter Final played two years ago.

Taking Alexander Zverev at face value with his assessment on his own health makes it understandable that the hard court numbers dipped as much as they did in 2025 and he will be well aware that he needs to serve very well to win this match.

This was the main reason he was able to hold off Learner Tien in the Quarter Final, while it was a big reason why Alexander Zverev was able to beat Carlos Alcaraz here a couple of years ago.

Of course the challenge for every player chasing the top two in the World Rankings is whether they can play at a high level for long enough to remain competitive.

Carlos Alcaraz looks to be getting stronger as this tournament progresses and he has not dropped a set in the last two Rounds against Tommy Paul and Alex De Minaur. He has admitted working on the serve and that has seen him dominate behind that shot, while Alcaraz has won two of the last three hard court matches against this opponent.

The layers are expecting a straight-forward win for Carlos Alcaraz with the favoured scoreline being 3-0 in sets, while he has been asked to cover the same line that was in place for his Quarter Final match.

However, that does all feel a little disrespectful to Alexander Zverev who can make use of the conditions to get the maximum out of his serve.

He will have to begin this match with some confidence just to make sure he does not allow a frontrunner like Carlos Alcaraz to move through the gears.

As long as Alexander Zverev can continue to serve at the clip he has been in Melbourne, he has every chance of making this a competitive Semi Final and the two players may put enough games on the board to surpass this total.

Jannik Sinner - 7.5 games v Novak Djokovic: The top four Seeds in the men's tournament have made it through to the Semi Final, but the two players competing in this one will feel they have had a bit of fortune on their side to make it through to the final four of the opening Grand Slam event of the season.

In the Third Round, Jannik Sinner looked to be cramping up and not being able to physically deal with the challenging conditions as he trailed by a break in the third set. Fortunately the heat rule was applied by the tournament organisers right at that point, which meant playing under a roof with controlled conditions and, most importantly, allowing the World Number 2 to just take in the liquid needed to get back somewhere close to full health.

He was fortunate at Wimbledon last year as well and Sinner took full advantage by winning his first title at that Grand Slam and the Italian has breezed past his last two opponents to take his place in the Semi Final here again.

So the defending Champion will be thankful, but there is so much more for Novak Djokovic to be thankful about as he looks to win a record twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

Over the last eighteen months, Novak Djokovic has come to terms with the fact that beating both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is going to be incredibly tough for him at this stage of his career- he has admitted he needs to get through the early Rounds of a Grand Slam as easily as possible to have enough in reserve to beat either of the top two players in the world, never mind knowing that he likely would have to beat both.

After coming through three opening wins easily, Novak Djokovic benefited from a walkover in the Fourth Round, which most have seen as a positive for him.

Even more luck was needed in the Quarter Final as Novak Djokovic admitted himself in the post-match interviews.

He was down 2-0 in sets against Lorenzo Musetti in that Quarter Final and looking unable to turn the tide with the Italian dominating, but an injury early in the third set meant the match came to an abrupt stop just four games into that set. Novak Djokovic was gracious enough to admit he felt he was 'going home', but he has made it through and some will think he is 'destined' to win at an event he has previously won ten times.

Novak Djokovic cannot keep hoping for some 'divine intervention', but he remains active at the Australian Open and that makes him a danger.

However, it is hard to imagine the last time Novak Djokovic would have been 8-1 to win a tennis match and that just underlines the gap that has developed between the long time dominant Champion and the two leading the ATP these days.

Last year, Novak Djokovic did upset Carlos Alcaraz here in Melbourne so his chances cannot be dismissed, but he has lost five matches in a row against Jannik Sinner, including at both the French Open and Wimbledon last year. Not only did Djokovic lose those matches, but he did not win a set, while even playing at his favourite Grand Slam might not make much of a difference when noting that he was crushed in four sets by Jannik Sinner here just two years ago.

The Novak Djokovic serve is declining from the level he once produced and he is no longer the best return player on the Tour, although his place in history is firmly secure for now.

These are things that Jannik Sinner just does better than Novak Djokovic in January 2026 and the World Number 2 has not dropped his serve in the last couple of Rounds. The feeling is that he is going to keep Djokovic under some pressure, while also being able to get his teeth into the return games more effectively than the Old King, and Jannik Sinner may end up producing a routine win like the one he did against the Serb in the Wimbledon Semi Final last July.

He broke the Novak Djokovic serve five times in that match and the way Lorenzo Musetti was able to break down that part of the Djokovic game will certainly offer Jannik Sinner plenty of encouragement.

It feels really wrong to be asking Jannik Sinner to cover this spread line against an opponent who has won the Australian Open ten times, but it does feel that time has gotten the better of Novak Djokovic and one of the top two players in the world can underline the difference at this stage of their careers.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev Over 35.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Jannik Sinner - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 35-22, + 12.48 Units (118 Units Staked, + 10.92% Yield)

Winmau World Masters Darts Day 1 Picks 2026 (Thursday 29th January)

The PDC Tour begins with a couple of invitational events taking place in the Middle East, but things really get going in 2026 when the Winmau World Masters is played at the end of January.

The first World Ranking tournament of the season brings together some of the very best players on the Tour and the return to the old format for the first time in 2025 has given the event a boost.

It is another Set play event, but best of three Legs rather than the best of five format that is used at the World Championship.

Opening Rounds are played in best of five Set format, but the first to two Legs to win a set does remove some of the room for error that can be at play in the World Championships.

Luke Humphries is the defending Champion, but the favourite for most events these days is the dominant Luke Littler.

His tournament was ended in a high quality match against Jonny Clayton twelve months ago, but it would take a brave person to back against Littler- however, the shorter format to win a Set does give opponents an opportunity, although you have to imagine there is a huge amount of motivation in the Luke Littler camp to win one of the very few Ranking events that he is yet to pick up.

The draw looks like it is a decent one for Luke Littler to get on a run and make the short odds on him winning the event payout- Josh Rock is a potential danger in the Quarter Final, but it does feel like Littler can build his momentum into Sunday when he will be much harder to beat as there is an increase in the number of Sets needed to progress.

We should see Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen having strong runs in the bottom half of the draw, while players like Gary Anderson, Gerwyn Price and, in particular, Michael van Gerwen will also be looking for big impacts.

Michal van Gerwen had two very solid runs at the two tournaments played in the middle of January with one Title won and the other ending in a Runner Up conclusion and the former World Number 1 looks highly motivated to remind the watching public of his capabilities.

The First Round of the World Masters is played across two evenings before the Second Round takes place over two Sessions on Saturday.

Sunday is a much a stamina test as anything else with the tournament concluded over the course of several hours, which is where the younger players seem to have an edge.

We should be in for a fun four days in Milton Keynes and then we have the beginning of the Premier League next week.

Those will be the focus for the Darts Picks through much of February, although there is also the first European Tour event to be played in Poland.

Jermaine Wattimena v Chris Dobey: Last year Chris Dobey was preparing for the Premier League, which meant being involved in some of the early invitational events played in January.

This time around he has had a bit of time off after the disappointing early exit at the World Championships.

He faces Jermaine Wattimena in the First Round of the Winmau World Masters and this is a really tough looking match on paper and it is something of a surprise that Dobey has been set as the favourite.

2025 was a really big year for Jermaine Wattimena and he has moved into the top 20 of the World Rankings, while feeling there is even more to come. His performance in losing to Gary Anderson at the World Championships was pretty strong and the overall season was one that saw Wattimena playing with a lot more confidence.

He has gotten the better of Chris Dobey in each of the last two matches against one another and the Dutchman looks a decent underdog to get behind to open this tournament.

Michael van Gerwen over 2.5 180s v Damon Heta: A poor end to the season carried over into the World Championships as far as Damon Heta was concerned and he will be hoping the break from the Tour has given him a chance to reset.

The Australian is a very good player on his day, but he will need to be if he is goign to upset Michael van Gerwen in the First Round.

In recent years Damon Heta has beaten the former World Number 1 in big events like the UK Open and Grand Slam, while the sole meeting in 2025 ended in a last Leg win for Michael van Gerwen.

However, the latter looked really confident in the two invitational events played in January and van Gerwen will have been very happy with a Title and then a run to another Final. He has admitted that last year was tough personally, which affected professional performances, but Michael van Gerwen looks more settled going into 2026.

This is a match that could need at least nine or ten Legs to be completed and van Gerwen was finding the treble bed pretty well in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He should have enough opportunities to hit at least three 180s in this one and the expectation is that Michael van Gerwen will find a way to move through 3-1 in Sets.

Double- Gian van Veen Win and Most 180s & Gerwyn Price Over 2.5 180s: A number of the Qualifiers are going to be ready to compete having come through the Preliminary Rounds and James Hurrell should give Gerwyn Price something to think about.

However, the Ice Man is playing pretty well and he should be given enough time to reach at least three maximums.

Putting that together with Gian van Veen outscoring and ultimately beating Ryan Joyce looks the play.

The World Number 3 is progressing and is expected to move past Luke Humphries in the Rankings in the weeks ahead.

He tends to be a much bigger 180 hitter than Ryan Joyce, while Relentless may not be afforded the time to get down to the Doubles that some offer him with missed opportunities on the outer ring.

Gian van Veen is one of the stronger finishers out there and the expectation is that he has too much for Ryan Joyce, which should play up on the stats.

MY PICKS: Jermaine Wattimena @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael van Gerwen Over 2.5 180s @ 1.72 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Gian van Veen to Win and Most 180s & Gerwyn Price Over 2.5 180s @ 2.71 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Australian Open Tennis Day 12 Picks 2026 (Thursday 29th January)

The opening Grand Slam of the 2026 season has now reached the last four days and that means the spotlight will shine on the Singles tournaments on different days.

On Thursday and Saturday it will be the leading ladies who take centre stage with the two Semi Finals played on the Night Session before the Saturday showpiece Final.

On Friday and Sunday it will be the turn of the men and it may take a brave person to back against seeing the Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner Grand Slam Final for the fourth Major in a row. Players like Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic will be hoping experience can give them an edge, but it is a big ask and the two leading male player on the Tour continue to dominate.

Before all of that we get into the women's Semi Final matches and both offer some intrigue.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina know what it takes to get over the line, but Jessica Pegula is a former US Open Finalist and Elina Svitolina will feel that she has already overachieved since returning to the Tour. Of course the latter is being fuelled further by off court events taking place back in her homeland and that is going to be the backdrop to her Semi Final with the World Number 1, while also meaning the latter will be playing with plenty of motivation of her own knowing how some of her peers feel about her presence on the Tour.

The second Semi Final should be another fun match between Pegula and Rybakina and my Picks from both last four matches can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Elina Svitolina: You cannot ignore the political backdrop to this Australian Open Semi Final when Aryna Sabalenka takes on Elina Svitolina. It has been a tournament filled with questions being asked of the American players about political upheaval taking place back in the United States, while a different Ukrainian player made headlines early at the Australian Open when criticising some of the top Russian and Belarusian athletes on the Tour.

There is not going to be a handshake before or after this match, but both Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina will be very respectful of what the other brings on the court. Added motivation cannot be ignored on both sides of the net and it is going to be very important for the two competitors to keep a lid on the emotions if they are going to find a way to compete in the Final of the opening Grand Slam of the season.

While impossible to ignore issues off of the court, the focus here has to be on how the two have matched up with each other.

Both have to be credited for maintaining unbeaten runs through the opening month of the season which has led to each winning a title, while the performances within the Australian Open have also been impressive.

Aryna Sabalenka has beaten a couple of young, developing stars of the WTA Tour in the last two Rounds, but Elina Svitolina will be the highest Ranked player she will have faced in Melbourne this year. Previously that match would have been against World Number 16 Victoria Mboko, but inexperience would still have been. factor in that Fourth Round match and now Sabalenka is facing someone returning to the top 10 of the World Rankings and who has plenty of Grand Slam experience.

Not only that, but Elina Svitolina is much more battle-hardened having beaten three players Ranked inside the top 22, while also having back to back top 10 wins. Those last two victories over Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff came in matches when Elina Svitolina did not drop a set and she produced some high quality tennis to make sure neither Andreeva nor Gauff could get a foothold into those matches.

There is still a mental obstacle to overcome as Elina Svitolina has not reached a Grand Slam Final before, but the run to the Semi Final here means her record in Majors is as successful post-motherhood as it was before she took her leave of absence from the Tour.

This is the first Grand Slam Semi Final since Elina Svitolina's surprising run at Wimbledon 2023, while the style of play has changed with the 31 year old looking to be more aggressive in her tennis. This has been evident here in Melbourne with Svitolina using the serve very well, especially when it comes to protecting the second serve, and Svitolina has really had a lot of success on the return.

She may have played some high Ranked opponents, but that has not stopped Svitolina from winning 52% of return points played, while she has broken at least four times in every match at Melbourne Park.

Of course it has to be noted that this time Elina Svitolina will be facing one of the best servers on the WTA Tour in Aryna Sabalenka and the World Number 1 has been particularly effective at winning a few more points behind the second serve. She may also feel there is room for improvement on the points won behind the first serve, but Aryna Sabalenka looks to be peaking at the right time.

Much like her opponent, Aryna Sabalenka's control of the serve has allowed her to play with aggression on the return and she has also been very effective at winning those points to keep the pressure on the opponent.

It does feel like this Semi Final will come down to which of the two players is most effective at looking after the second serve.

In recent meetings between the players, it is Aryna Sabalenka who has just been able to play the bigger points more effectively and her power has been telling on the return.

The majority of the previous matches have been on the clay courts, which is a surface on which Elina Svitolina may feel she can cause more problems for the World Number 1.

In two previous hard court matches, Aryna Sabalenka's first serve has made the difference, including in the first of those when the younger player was much lower in the World Rankings. The hard court match in Cincinnati in August 2024 was dominated by Sabalenka and the feeling is that she has the serving prowess to avoid the kind of capitulation suffered by Coco Gauff in the Quarter Final.

The blueprint to attack the Elina Svitolina serve has been shown in the Round earlier by Mirra Andreeva and you just have to believe that Aryna Sabalenka's comfort on the Melbourne hard courts eventually see her pull away for a solid win and a place in the Australian Open Final for a fourth year in a row.

Elena Rybakina Over 3.5 Breaks of Serve and 5+ Aces v Jessica Pegula: Both Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina came through Quarter Finals in impressive fashion and that makes for a good looking Semi Final between players who have been amongst the best on the Tour for some time.

Both have played Grand Slam Finals, but it is Elena Rybakina who has gotten over the line when winning the title at Wimbledon.

Elena Rybakina also reached the Final right here in Melbourne six months after winning the title at SW19, but she came up short against Aryna Sabalenka in 2023. Since that defeat, her best Grand Slam runs have been at Wimbledon where she has reached the Quarter Final and Semi Final and, somewhat more surprisingly, at the French Open where Elena Rybakina has played in another Quarter Final.

However, despite the very strong hard court numbers over the last couple of seasons, Elena Rybakina has struggled to make the second week at either of the two Slams played on that surface until this strong opening to the 2026 season.

Jessica Pegula had also reached a ceiling in her Grand Slam performances, but broke through to reach the Final at the US Open in 2024 and was a Semi Finalist in New York City back in September. Before 2024, Pegula had played in and been beaten in five Grand Slam Quarter Final matches, which includes in three straight years at the Australian Open.

There had also been signs that this was a player who was becoming a declining force, but the World Number 6 has really impressed in her run to the Semi Final in Australia over the last few days. She has beaten the defending Champion and Jessica Pegula came through a tight second set to beat Amanda Anisimova, who had reached the last two Grand Slam Finals, while also maintaining a run of having yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Her opponent has also come through in straight sets throughout the tournament and overcame a slow start to motor past Iga Swiatek in the Quarter Final, which will have given Elena Rybakina a real boost in confidence.

The serve is proving to be a monster weapon for Rybakina and she has really gotten in to a nice rhythm behind that shot in the last two Rounds as the competition has increased.

It is going to need to be working as well to keep a lid on Jessica Pegula, but Elena Rybakina has to be confident having beaten the American twice on the hard courts in 2025. Both of those wins saw Elena Rybakina have a real edge on the serve and that is likely going to be a key factor in the outcome of this Semi Final, although Jessica Pegula's mental strength can not be dismissed.

The American has been the stronger return player in the tournament, but that has to be expected.

It is the Elena Rybakina second serve that can become a key in making sure that the Kazakhstan representative is not being pushed back early in rallies and she will certainly feel she has the easy power to come through this match.

You have to expect Elena Rybakina's serve to rack up the Ace count in this match- she has been flowing nicely in the last two Rounds and managed to put up 24 Aces in the two wins over Jessica Pegula last year with at least 9 in both wins.

Elena Rybakina also broke at least four times in both matches and she has the capabilities of hitting those marks again.

As mentioned, Rybakina has been finding some stellar rhythm on the serve and Madison Keys managed 4 Aces in her defeat to Jessica Pegula, while the World Number 5 has broken at least four times in each of the last four wins in the tournament.

You have to respect Jessica Pegula's capabilities of digging in and finding a way to turn points and games, which makes the spread dangerous, but putting the Ace count and Breaks of Serve together gives us an odds against quote for Elena Rybakina, who looks the stronger player overall.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Coral (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina Over 3.5 Breaks of Serve & 5+ Aces @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 33-22, + 8.48 Units (114 Units Staked, + 7.44% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 11 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 28th January)

There really isn't much to complain about when you make three selections from the opening four Quarter Final matches played at the Australian Open and all return as winners.

Making it most pleasing is the ease in which the three selections came in- Alexander Zverev did need to win a fourth set Tie-Breaker, but should have won the second set Breaker and things would have been even more comfortable for him.

He has set up another Grand Slam meeting with Carlos Alcaraz, while Elina Svitolina's comprehensive win over Coco Gauff means the Ukrainian is back in the top 10 of the World Rankings and looking like she is playing at a level to finally win a Grand Slam title.

Of course, she only has the World Number 1, the top Seed and the three consecutive time Australian Open Finalist to beat to reach the showpiece event on Saturday evening.

This has not been a tournament of too many surprises, but that does mean there are four more good looking Quarter Final matches heading out on the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday as we hit Day 11 of the Australian Open.

The two women's Quarter Finals look exceptionally strong, while wins for Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner would mean the men's event is going to be concluding with the top four players on the Tour facing off, although neither should assume that Lorenzo Musetti and Ben Shelton are going to be willing to roll over easily.

On Day 11, three more selections are made from the matches scheduled to be heading out onto the courts as the first Grand Slam of 2026 gets closer and closer to crowning Champions.

Iga Swiatek v Elena Rybakina: When the draw was made a little under two weeks ago, most fans would have been hoping that Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina were going to be on a collision course.

For moment Iga Swiatek fans may have been wondering if the former World Number 1 was going to be able to come through an awkward Third Round match that headed into a deciding set, but these two players have been untroubled for the majority of the tournament.

The numbers have been most impressive on the side of Elena Rybakina.

Not only has she won all four matches in straight sets, but Elena Rybakina has been serving at a really high level and that will always make her dangerous on the faster surfaces on the Tour. The first serve is about as good as any on the WTA Tour and Rybakina will know that she needs to land plenty of those if she is going to put Iga Swiatek under pressure.

However, it is the way Elena Rybakina has protected her second serve in the tournament which has really caught the eye, although there is no doubt that her opponent is going to offer a real test of that shot.

Before the tournament began, there were some question marks about Iga Swiatek and whether she had really prepared as well as hoped in the off-season.

Those concerns look to have been put to bed with her level in the event, although Swiatek has benefited from a kind draw with the toughest match being the Third Round contest against Anna Kalinskaya and that needed a deciding set.

The World Number 2 has been returning really well with over half of the return points being won by Swiatek, and that always puts an opponent under pressure. It is very unlikely that she will be able to do that against this Rybakina serve, but Iga Swiatek has tended to be able to get into the return games and eventually prove to have too much for the former Wimbledon Champion.

Elena Rybakina was able to break the mental hold that Swiatek may have had over her when beating this opponent at the WTA Finals a couple of months ago, but there is a feeling that the higher Ranked player was not quite at her best in Riyadh.

Another competitive match has to be expected, but Iga Swiatek may have the edge on the return of serve and that could see her through to the Semi Final.

Amanda Anisimova - 1.5 games v Jessica Pegula: These two compatriots last met in the Final of the Canadian Masters in August 2024 and it was Jessica Pegula who got the better of Amanda Anisimova in three sets to win the title.

Fast forward to January 2026 and so much has changed for the latter, who is going into this Quarter Final as the favourite.

When Amanda Anisimova last faced Jessica Pegula, she was the World Number 132 and still making her way back onto the Tour after taking a break from the sport.

Now it is Anisimova who will go into this Quarter Final as the higher Ranked of the two players and she has also reached the last two Grand Slam Finals, which has given the World Number 4 a huge amount of confidence. The performances here in Melbourne have been from a player who has total belief in what she needs to do on the court and there is a consistency from Amanda Anisimova that will make her very dangerous.

Of course she has to respect Jessica Pegula who has been a consistent feature of the top 10 in the World Rankings and who has just beaten the defending Champion in the Fourth Round.

Prior to the win over Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula had been crushing all opponents behind some spectacular performances, but that is partly down to the draw opening up for her. The win over Keys was solid enough, although it was a match that could have seen the momentum swing at a couple of key moments and Pegula may feel that she has to find another level when facing someone like Amanda Anisimova.

She has never been beaten on the Tour by Anisimova, which has to be noted, but Jessica Pegula will also be aware that this may be the best version of her compatriot to date.

Over the last twelve months there has been contrasting results when these two have faced top 10 Ranked opponents on the hard courts- Amanda Anisimova has won seven out of ten in that spot, while Jessica Pegula has lost seven out of eleven.

Throughout her career, Jessica Pegula has just found things a bit too tough at the business end of the Grand Slam tournaments and that has happened more often than not. She can cause problems with her returning ability, but Anisimova may just have the slight edge at key moments and she can move through to the Semi Final at the Australian Open for the first time.

Novak Djokovic - 1.5 sets v Lorenzo Musetti: It is not going to surprise anyone that 38 year old Novak Djokovic has produced declining numbers on the hard courts over the last couple of seasons.

However, all credit has to be given to the twenty-four time Grand Slam Champion that he continues to produce at a level that most mortals would consider very high.

The drop from the previous level is hard to ignore and makes it easy to not see Djokovic at the same light as previously, but this is a player that continues to look after himself very well and has all of the experience to deal with adversity.

He has yet to be given a real challenge at the Australian Open, but Novak Djokovic is very comfortable on this court and receiving a walkover in the Fourth Round can only be a positive for him. It has been some time that Novak Djokovic has been making it openly known that he feels he has run out of steam at the business end of Grand Slams and not had the energy to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, while also feeling that he would have to beat both to win a twenty-fifth Slam title.

Lacking energy cannot be an excuse when not having to go out on the court in what have been tough conditions over the last few days in Melbourne and Novak Djokovic is the favourite in this Quarter Final.

Lorenzo Musetti just crushed Taylor Fritz and so will be playing with a lot of confidence, while the Italian has easily had his best year on the hard courts. His opening to 2026 suggests Musetti can build on that, while he took a set from Novak Djokovic on the hard courts for the first time when facing him in the Final in Athens at the back end of the 2025 season.

Despite that, Lorenzo Musetti came up short and has lost all four hard court matches played against the former World Number 1 and so will have something to prove.

Here at Melbourne Park, Lorenzo Musetti has been serving pretty well and he is going to have to keep Novak Djokovic from taking control of rallies by producing a strong opening shot.

This has been a challenge for him against this opponent and that may show up over the course of the three plus hours that these two players will likely need to spend on the court.

Novak Djokovic will know that while he is struggling to keep up with the top two players in the world, like many on the ATP Tour, that there is also a closing of the gap between some of those climbing the World Rankings.

However, he still has some real aura on the court and Novak Djokovic can serve well enough to get out of one or two more jams compared with the World Number 5 and that should see the Serb come through in three or four sets.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Novak Djokovic - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Coral (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 33-19, + 14.48 Units (106 Units Staked, + 13.66% Yield)