Boxing Picks 2026- Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia (Saturday 21st February)

You never want to make a lot of assumptions, but there is clearly a feeling amongst those who follow Boxing that something has changed for the United Kingdom Promoters who had been in lockstep with Riyadh Season over the last couple of years.

That has meant a lot of the big fights have ended up in Saudi Arabia, but Turki Alalshikh has joined forces with Dana White and TKO to produce a new 'Boxing League' and that has perhaps meant less interest in partnering up with the likes of Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn.

The latter of those Promoters is still having some work together with the Saudis, but there seems to have been a real breakdown between Turki Alalshikh and Frank Warren.

Of course nothing has been said, but it is interesting that the WBO World Heavyweight Title will be defending in Manchester, while Callum Smith vs David Morrell heads up a card in Liverpool.

That fight and Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois are the kind of bouts that have not really been seen over in the United Kingdom over the last eighteen months and rumour will continue to swirl that all is not well between the big parties involved.

Ultimately it matters little to fans of the sport as long as the big fights are being made and there are several big cards taking place between April and May.

Before all that, we have a big fight taking place in Las Vegas this weekend when the WBC World Welterweight Title is on the line- the Division is still looking for a dominant force to come through and take over from the likes of Terence Crawford and Jaron Ennis who had been the leading names in the 147 pound Division.

And while the headliner in Nottingham is between two fighters who are perhaps past their best and the days when they won World Titles, fans have to be really excited about seeing Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington for the second time.

Two weeks ago, Britain lost a World Champion when Nick Ball was Stopped in the final Round by Brandon Figueroa and it was a missed opportunity for the Boxing Picks.

My feeling was that Figueroa might not have gotten a fair crack if the fight went to the cards, but he was someone that I wrote I would have backed in any neutral setting.

The last twelve months have been a little like that when not quite having the full conviction to follow through with a Pick and being disappointed at missing out.

2026 is still a long year and there are plenty of opportunities in front so you cannot be thinking backwards and instead have to stick to the plan and look for that to reap its own rewards.

Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia

There is a huge amount of controversy around Ryan Garcia- he has been Stopped by Gervonta Davis and the win over Devin Haney is massively tainted after Garcia failed a drugs test.

The last time we saw Ryan Garcia he was being dropped in the Second Round and putting in a listless performance in losing to Rolly Romero.

Of course that has been seen as good enough for the WBC to allow their Champion to fight Ryan Garcia having kept the latter in the top four of the Rankings(!)

The Welterweight Division is lacking real star power, although Devin Haney is now holding the WBO World Title and there is a natural rivalry with Garcia that can be explored further if the 27 year old is able to win the WBC World Title.

It is hard to know what to expect from Ryan Garcia who has won one of the last four fights if you consider the Devin Haney bout a No Contest.

He does feel like a fighter who has a big reputation without actually having proved he deserves that in the ring and Ryan Garcia is going to have a tough day in the office if he is not fully prepared.

However, it has long been stated that Mario Barrios may be one of the weakest World Champions in ANY Division and he has only managed to earn two Draws since being upgraded from Interim to full World Champion.

To say his run has been underwhelming would be an understatement and the last time anyone saw Mario Barrios, he had just drawn with Manny Pacquiao who had not fought in four years.

Prior to that, Mario Barrios had been given another Draw with Abel Ramos in a controversial Decision and that was against an opponent who had lost three of the previous five bouts.

So many people have thought about targeting Barrios for an 'easy' World Title bid, but he has managed to retain the support of the WBC and this will be just the third defence of this Title since October 2024.

Both fighters have come up short when they have stepped up their level and that makes the World Title clash tougher to call, but you have to feel that Ryan Garcia has the higher ceiling. He cannot afford to think he can coast to a win though and will have to put together a lot more intensity than he showed in the loss to Romero last year, while inactivity has been a real issue for both (at least Ryan Garcia had an 'excuse' of being given a ban after his failed test following the Devin Haney clash).

The winning fighter may be presented with a few opportunities, but you have to imagine most at the top of the sport would prefer that to be Ryan Garcia.

He does have the faster hands and the flashier combinations, while Mario Barrios will want to dig in and make this a rough fight.

Ryan Garcia does carry some power though and that may end up being the difference in the Championship Rounds of this World Title fight, although he needs to put together a really strong effort to impress and erase the memories of some of those recent outings.

There will be some expectation on Ryan Garcia to make a statement and perhaps push through the gears and Stop Mario Barrios, but he may have to settle in becoming World Champion thanks to the Judges.

This is a card being headed up by Riyadh Season and The Ring Magazine, which means there is a healthy looking undercard that has been put together.

Young prospect Amari Jones can continue his move up towards the top of the Middleweight Division, which could soon have a number of vacant World Titles available if Janibek Alimkhanuly is banned after failing a drugs test.

He is facing a veteran in Luis Arias who has only been Stopped once before.

However, Arias has become a fighter used to give prospects Rounds and has lost two in a row against unbeaten opponents, but taking both to the cards.

His best days are behind him and Amari Jones has shown a bit more spite than most as he has moved up the Rankings and he can become the second fighter to force a Stoppage against Luis Arias after Erickson Lubin managed that in 2023.

We should also see Bektemir Melikuziev continue his winning run as he takes a step back in level of opponent in the wide open Super Middleweight Division.

Recent outings have not been the most impressive, but Bully is facing an opponent who has been out of the ring for fifteen months and who had been Stopped very early in back to back fights before a blowout in his most recent outing.

Sena Agbeko has not been able to handle the early power and that may be the case again in this bout.

One of the intriguing undercard bouts features a returning Frank Martin who is back out just two months after ending a year long layoff.

He is now operating at the Light-Welterweight level, but he looks a very short favourite against Nahir Albright.

The underdog was only beaten by Keyshawn Davis in a Majority Decision in the Lightweight Division, but upset his brother Kelvin Davis last June. That victory was marred by a backstage scrap with the other Davis brothers, but Nahir Albright has shown he is a tough out and his style could make things very tough for The Ghost.

On paper the Gary Antuanne Russell World Title defence against Andy Hiraoka looks like an appetising support for the main event.

Combined they have suffered just one defeat between them, while thirty-seven of the forty-two combined wins have been in Stoppages.

It most definitely feels like the Champion has been in with the higher calibre of opponent, while there has to be some serious doubts about Andy Hiraoka's decision to arrive in the United States just a couple of days before the fight is due to take place.

At one point it sounded like he would not be given a Visa to travel, but the late arrival is not going to be ideal in what could develop into a really good fight.

You would not describe Gary Antuanne Russell as the most active fighter out there, but he may just outlast the Challenger and he can force the Stoppage after an entertaining battle.

Another who may earn a Stoppage in defence of his World Title is Richardson Hitchins who will be defending the IBF Light-Welterweight Title for the second time.

His Promotional team have asked Hitchins to move through the gears and impress fans by putting his shots together and the Stoppage of George Kambosos Jr in his first defence has given the Champion a real boost.

There is a dangerous opponent in front of him as Oscar Duarte Jurado is unbeaten in four fights since losing to Ryan Garcia to earn this shot.

The Mexican earned a couple of wins in 2025 to earn this opportunity, but it does feel like this is a step up compared with recent opponents and the toughest fight since he was beaten by Ryan Garcia.

In the main Richardson Hitchins has been happy to rack up the points and use the cards to remain unbeaten, but the performance against Kambosos Jr showed a bit more.

An open Division is going to be calling for Unifications soon and Hitchins will want to remind the fans of his own quality by matching the Stoppage earned by Ryan Garcia against this opponent.

Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington II

There is no love lost between these fighters, but there is also a healthy respect having shared the ring once before.

October 2023 was the first time Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington faced off and it was not the first time that Wood had seemingly been losing a fight before turning it around by displaying his huge punching power.

Josh Warrington has seemingly been haunted by the defeat and felt the referee had let him down by Stopping things right at the end of Round Seven instead of allowing him to have that minute between Rounds.

In fairness Warrington looked done in the fight having dominated, but then caught by some huge shots from the gloves of Leigh Wood.

He is the underdog in this fight back in Nottingham, although not at the City Ground as Leigh Wood would have liked, and both fighters know that this could be a career-ender for the loser.

The defeat to Wood was the second of a three fight losing run for Josh Warrington, which culminated in a defeat on the cards by Anthony Cacace- that took place in September 2024 and Warrington left his gear in the ring to suggest he was calling time on his career before surprisingly returning in 2025 and shaking off the ring rust in a Ten Round Decision win.

Leigh Wood has only had one fight since the win over Warrington and that was also a defeat to Antony Cacace, although this time it was in a Ninth Round Stoppage in May last year.

There is no doubt that both have moved past their primes, but that should mean we are in for another barnstormer with some of the punch resistance gone and the two at a similar stage in their careers.

Plenty of leather was thrown in the original bout and that ended in the Seventh Round.

The pattern is likely to be the same when Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington meet again and it would be a surprise if this one goes the distance.

It will either be Josh Warrington wearing out Leigh Wood or the latter finding another combination of big punches, but the wear and tear on both fighters at 35 and 37 years old respectively should be shown up in the ring on Saturday.

Ultimately the fans should be getting their money's worth when these two face off with neither looking like they will settle for taking a backwards step.

The chief support sees the British Light Middleweight Title on the line.

Ishmael Davis won the that Title and the Commonwealth Light Middleweight Title in a close victory over Sam Gilley in November and he has won two fights in a row having suffered three straight defeats.

Those came in contests when Davis was willing to step in on short notice, but he impressed enough to be given more opportunities and he is the favourite.

However, Bilal Fawaz has to be respected having beaten a highly touted prospect in Junaid Boston- he had to fight the youngster twice after a controversial Draw the first time around, but Fawaz deserved the Decision in the rematch and he has been signed by Matchroom, which underlines the potential they still see in a 37 year old who has been held back in his career as his immigration status has been fought out in the courts.

In another life Fawaz would have competed for Great Britain in the Olympic Games and there is some momentum in his career right now and an opportunity you feel he can grasp.

This is a tough step up and Ishmael Davis has overcome plenty of disadvantages in his own life, while also operating against a higher level of opponent.

Beating Troy Williamson is impressive and Davis certainly gave Josh Kelly and Caoimhin Agyarko real tests, which also look more impressive especially after Kelly has moved on to become a World Champion.

Both are tough, grizzled and with everything to gain and so it does feel like the Judges will be needed.

Bilal Fawaz is hugely motivated, but Ishmael Davis has shown he can do enough to win fights against this kind of level of opponent and it makes for fascinating viewing.

The undercard is littered with a number of one-sided women fights with the A side names all expected to come out on top.

There is still a real lack of depth in the women's side of the sport, which means Sandy Ryan is able to fight for a World Title just one fight removed from back to back defeats. She should be able to get a Belt back around her waist and both Molly McCann and Tiah Mai Ayton are also expected to continue their development towards the top of the Rankings with wins.

One fighter who is expected to impress is Dave Allen who returns and is expected to make short work of Karim Berredjem.

The latter is experienced and only been Stopped in three of his ten defeats, but those have come in the Fourth, Third and First Round and Allen should be able to come in and just get back to winning ways pretty quickly.

MY PICKS: Ryan Garcia to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Amari Jones to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.61 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Bektemir Melikuziev to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.83 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Gary Antuanne Russell to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.75 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Richardson Hitchens to Win Between 7-12 @ 10.50 William Hill (1 Unit)

Leigh Wood-Josh Warrington Fight to Go Distance- No @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

David Allen to Win Between 1-3 @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2026: 2-7, - 6.66 Units (16 Units Staked, - 41.63% Yield)

European Tour 1- Poland Darts Open Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 21st February)

The first European Tour event of the 2026 began with an excited crowd on Friday as the First Round in Poland was completed, but the atmosphere should be even better on Saturday when some of the very best players on the Tour join the party.

Some quality matches have been set out ahead of the final day and the opening selections returned a slight profit.

Backing that up is the key across the two sessions set for Saturday with eight Second Round matches in the best of eleven format to be completed in both.

Nathan Aspinall to win & most 180s v Darryl Pilgrim: The early performances at the Players Championship have been solid enough for Nathan Aspinall, but he would have wanted at least one deeper run this past week.

He remains one of the big maximum hitters on the Tour and Nathan Aspinall is looking to put together a year that does earn him a return to the Premier League.

The likelihood is that the scoring power is going to be key for Aspinall against Darryl Pilgrim who upset Dave Chisnall, as well as one of the selections made on these pages on Friday.

However, that was not exactly a strong performance from Pilgrim and he is going to have to find a higher level, while also unlikely to be afforded as many chances as Chisnall allowed him to have in the First Round.

You have to expect Nathan Aspinall to have the majority of maximums in the match and that should set him up for a place in the Third Round.

Wessel Nijman v Gary Anderson: It has been made clear over the first seven weeks of the 2026 season that Gary Anderson is one of the favoured players, but he may struggle to contain Wessel Nijman.

Big hitting gives Anderson a chance to win any match he plays, but a couple of Third Round losses at the opening two Players Championship tournaments have continued an inconsistent start to the season.

He is well rested having skipped the two Players Championship tournaments played earlier this week, but that may leave Gary Anderson a little short against an extremely confident player.

Wessel Nijman was far from at his best in the First Round win here in Poland, but he has been putting together plenty of wins on the floor.

The numbers are impressive and it is Nijman who can be backed just ahead of Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney as the strongest looking underdog to be able to make it through to the next day.

Jonny Clayton to win & over 2.5 180s v Adam Gawlas: The underdog came through the First Round with a solid win, but this is a step up in level if Jonny Clayton gets near to the form he has been producing in the Premier League.

The Night 3 Winner has admitted how much he enjoys playing in that Premier League tournament, but he is also keen to impress on the European Tour.

Jonny Clayton is finishing well enough and has been producing some very high scoring and that may give him the edge in this one.

The World Number 5 has not played Adam Gawlas in a few years, but he will have noted the maximum hitting that the latter produced on Friday. Jonny Clayton will have to match that in any winning effort, but he has been pounding the treble 20 bed with real regularity and can hit at least three on his way through to the Third Round.

Joe Cullen v Michael Smith: The withdrawal of Gerwyn Price allowed Michael Smith to not only travel to Krakow, but to take the Welshman's place in the Second Round.

Bully Boy lost a Qualifier to Micky Mansell that really upset him earlier this month, but he has earned six wins this week that has earned Smith places in European Tour 3 and 4 events to be played.

Those will have given him confidence, but Michael Smith has to be aware that Joe Cullen looks to be rounding into real form after some underwhelming months on the Tour.

A strong First Round win has to have given Cullen a boost, while he has also gotten the better of Michael Smith in a Players Championship meeting.

Both played well on that day, but the money has been coming in on Joe Cullen who has now become the favourite, which looks about right.

Luke Humphries to win & over 2.5 180s v Krzysztof Ratajski: The fans are going to be loud and boisterous for this Second Round match as the home favourite takes on the World Number 2.

However, Krzysztof Ratajski is going to need Luke Humphries to have an off day if he is going to earn the upset.

The Polish Number 1 has lost the last seven matches against Luke Humphries and has struggled to match the scoring power that the latter can produce. That has led to some one-sided wins for Humphries, including two last year on the Tour, and the challenge is all the greater for Ratajski when you consider how well Luke Humphries has been playing of late.

His results have not reflected that in the Premier League, but only three dates have been played, while Luke Humphries won a Players Championship earlier this week.

The scoring has been there and Luke Humphries should have too much for Krzysztof Ratajski even if the home crowd can inspire the underdog to push this one closer than some of the recent matches against the World Number 2 have played out.

MY PICKS: Nathan Aspinall to Win & Most 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Wessel Nijman @ 2.10 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Joe Cullen @ 1.80 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Luke Humphries to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Poland Open: 3-2, + 0.77 Units (5 Units Staked, + 15.40% Yield)

European Tour 1- Poland Darts Open Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 20th February)

The PDC Tour continues to expand into new territories and strong crowds at recent World Series of Darts events in Poland have seen the country rewarded with a full European Tour event.

In 2026, the Poland Darts Open act as the European Tour 1 tournament and the majority of the top names are amongst the forty-eight player field.

Qualification for the first four European Tour events have been completed and this is the start of a busy period for players across all levels of the PDC Tour.

You would imagine that some of the Premier League participants will decide to limit the schedule around those nights, as well as the European Tour, UK Open and Players Championship events- we have already heard that Gerwyn Price will not be playing this weekend, while Michael van Gerwen's participation remains uncertain having missed Night 3 of the Premier League with an illness.

In saying that, there are plenty of top names heading to Krakow and those higher Ranked players will be receiving a Bye through to the Second Round, which is played across two sessions on Day 2.

On Friday, Day 1 begins with the entire First Round to be played across the two sessions and there are some quality players heading out trying to take their place alongside the elite of the Tour.

Ritchie Edhouse v Cameron Menzies: You don't want to dismiss some of the issues Cameron Menzies has been having away from the oche, but there is no doubt that they are affecting his performances right now.

One match has been won when playing at Players Championship 1, but Menzies has lost all four other matches he has played in those floor events. That makes it nine losses in the last ten played and Cameron Menzies has been struggling in his game, which is not an ideal place to be when facing Ritchie Edhouse.

Two years ago Ritchie Edhouse won the European Championship as a massive outsider and he has worked his way through Qualifying for a couple of the upcoming European Tour events.

Much more solid form has been produced at the Players Championship floor events and Edhouse can win this one as the slight favourite.

Luke Woodhouse to win & most 180s v Carl Sneyd: If he continues to develop as he has been, Luke Woodhouse is going to fancy winning a big title some time over the next ten months.

He had a strong 2025 and Luke Woodhouse has been producing plenty of wins on the floor.

The higher Ranked player is also a big maximum hitter, although he will have to have some respect for Carl Sneyd who has Qualified for the Poland Darts Open.

Carl Sneyd won his Tour card at Q-School, which is a tough field to negotiate, and he has shown his capabilities with a decent showing at Players Championship 2.

Early losses in Players Championship 3 and 4 this week and in European Tour 4 Qualifying will have dented some confidence and Luke Woodhouse may need around three maximums in any winning effort to get this double over the line.

Niels Zonneveld & Dave Chisnell double: Both of the favourites have been showing decent form on the floor and they may be able to work their way through to the Second Round at the Poland Darts Open.

Niels Zonneveld is facing a host Qualifier and should have a considerable edge in scoring.

It was a difficult 2025 for Dave Chisnell, but he has won seven matches across the last three Players Championships on the floor and that has to have given him some confidence. He has also had plenty of experience in these European Tour events and Chisnell is well liked in the tournaments played, which can aid him.

He is facing Darryl Pilgrim who had a really good Players Championship 3, but who has just suffered with some inconsistency around that.

Failing to Qualify for European Tour 3 and 4 this past week will also have been a potential dent in confidence for Darryl Pilgrim and he will need to find another level to beat Dave Chisnell, even if the latter is not at his peak level.

Wessel Nijman to win & most 180s v Thomas Lovely: The most consistent player on the floor early in the 2026 season is Wessel Nijman and the Dutchman will be hoping he can take that form onto the bigger events being played.

It did not quite happen for him at the World Masters, but Nijman should be able to get off to a strong start against Thomas Lovely in the Poland Darts Open.

Wessel Nijman beat him twice on the floor last year and Thomas Lovely has been struggling for some consistency, while unlikely to match the scoring power that the favourite can bring into this First Round match.

Krzysztof Ratajski & Joe Cullen double: Two relatively strong favourites should be able to get past a couple of Qualifiers in this First Round match.

Joe Cullen is facing a home Qualifier and has been playing well enough on the floor to believe he should have too much for Krzysztof Kciuk who did enough, but did not overly impress in his three wins.

We have seen Cullen struggle for consistency, but he has a 7-4 record in Players Championship games and there is a level he can find that should be too much for the home player.

Earlier in the Evening Session, Krzysztof Ratajski should be able to overcome Mickey Mansell for the second time this week.

With the home crowd behind the top Polish player on the Tour, Ratajski should be able to back up the victory in Players Championship 3 when he beat Mansell 6-2 and had a huge advantage in the three dart average.

MY PICKS: Ritchie Edhouse @ 1.95 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Luke Woodhouse & Most 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Niels Zonneveld & Dave Chisnell @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Wessel Nijman & Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Krzysztof Ratajski & Joe Cullen @ 2.02 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 8-14, - 4.05 Units (21 Units Staked, - 19.29% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 20th February)

The week has been a difficult one and the fine margins have just leaned the wrong way on one too many selections.

Some of the matches barely missed entering the criteria, which was a shame, but there are still a couple of days to round out the week before we put this one into the books.

Next week is going to be a quieter week all round with the WTA Tour moving into a couple of 250 events as attention turns to Indian Wells, which begins the following week.

Of course the WTA 1000 title in Dubai has to be handed out before that, while the ATP Tour will have big events in Dubai and Acapulco at the 500 level.

Once again the attention has to remain on the present and any selections from the ATP tournaments in Rio and Delray Beach will be added to this thread when the weekly totals will also be updated.

Jessica Pegula - 2.5 games v Amanda Anisimova: The WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai is down to the final four and there will be at least one American in the Final on Saturday.

Both of these players came through testing Quarter Final matches, but you do have to believe that Amanda Anisimove invested a lot more emotional energy in her battling win over Mirra Andreeva.

Not only did she come from a set behind, but it looked like Anisimova's run in the Middle East was drawing to a close when she fell 6-5 behind in the final set, but a break of serve and then coming through the Tie-Breaker has kept the dream alive of winning another title in this part of the world. Last year Amanda Anisimova won the title in Doha, and beating the defending Champion in Dubai has to have filled her with confidence.

Spending over two and a half hours on the court and putting herself through the mental and physical wringer could be a factor in this Semi Final, while Amanda Anisimova is also going to be trying to get the better of compatriot Jessica Pagula for the first time.

These players met at the Australian Open and Jessica Pegula was the better player on the day and she did get to play earlier in the day on Thursday when coming through in three sets against Clara Tauson.

It was a very tough match in the Quarter Final and Jessica Pegula has to be given credit for holding herself together at key times during that match. Getting through has maintained a strong start to the season and Jessica Pegula should be well rested having decided to skip Doha last week.

The serve is going to be a big weapon for both players, but it is Jessica Pegula who has just been producing at a slightly higher level compared with Amanda Anisimova. There isn't much between them, but Pegula is the player that is likely going to have the majority of the Break Points and having a bit more energy without a day break between matches should be in her favour.

At some point you would imagine Amanda Anisimova will begin to turn the tables on her older compatriot, but that may not be ready to begin on Friday in this big Semi Final.

Arthur Fils-Jakub Mensik over 0.5 tie-breakers: The ATP Doha Semi Finals do feature Carlos Alcaraz, but Jannik Sinner was beaten in the Quarter Final by Jakub Mensik who will now be under some pressure to back that up.

Last year Mensik was able to do that when winning the Miami Masters having beaten five players Ranked Number 21 or higher.

One of those wins was against Arthur Fils, who is the Semi Final opponent on Friday.

The Frenchman missed the opening month of the season, but has looked in solid form so far in Doha where the conditions make his serve dangerous.

The same can be said for the Jakub Mensik serve and that was an important weapon for him in the upset over Jannik Sinner.

You have to believe both are capable of putting the other under pressure behind the serve and both Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik have needed at least one Tie-Breaker to be played in two of the three wins put together in Doha.

Arthur Fils has held 88% of service games played and has won 66% of service points played, which makes it tough for opponents.

Jakub Mensik has 89% and 69% marks in both of those categories and the sole match on the main Tour last year in Miami needed a first set Breaker to separate the two players.

MY PICKS: Jessica Pegula - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Arthur Fils-Jakub Mensik Over 0.5 Tie Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Premier League Darts Night 3 Picks 2026 (Thursday 19th February)

Rumours had been building ahead of Night 3 of the Premier League Darts that Michael van Gerwen was not going to be healthy enough to take part in Glasgow and those were confirmed early on Thursday.

He had made a really good start to the tournament having reached two Finals and winning one of the Nights played so it is perhaps not a massive blow to miss out if he has not been feeling well. At the time of writing, Michael van Gerwen is set to play in the Poland Masters this week in the first of the European Tour events that take place across the year, but his withdrawal on Thursday means Luke Littler is straight through to the Semi Final.

Fans have been critical of the Premier League current format, but there will be some excitement around the tournament even at this early stage after neither of the Lukes made it through to the Final. Both are sitting outside of the top four right now, although it would take a brave person to predict that either will miss out on the Play Offs with another fourteen nights to complete.

However, in saying that, they will both be very keen to get the Premier League up and running on Night 3 in what has proven to be a hostile environment in Glasgow where neither Littler nor Humphries are expected to get a lot of support.

Early pressure is already building on Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock to get off the mark, but the likes of van Gerwn and Gerwyn Price will be very happy with the points they have already accrued.

It was a little disappointing in failing to back Price to win Night 2 having identified him with Luke Littler as the most likely winners.

After the Bye into the Semi Final, Luke Littler is odds on to win this week, but it was Luke Humphries who won a Players Championship event and who looks in strong form right now. He is going to have to move through the tougher top half of the draw, but Humphries can make the Final and he will not be 11/2 to beat anyone in that showdown.

Stephen Bunting v Gian van Veen: After having a nightmare in the Premier League in 2025 and then having his inclusion questioned massively ahead of the tournament in 2026, the last thing Stephen Bunting needed was to have played two and lost two.

He, along with Josh Rock, is still searching for the first points in 2026, but Stephen Bunting continues to produce some solid performances in the floor event.

In Players Championship 3 he was beaten in the Final, albeit very convincingly, but Bunting averaged above 96 for the day.

The following day it needed a three dart average from eventual Winner Luke Humphries to beat Stephen Bunting in Players Championship 4 and the latter averaged over 100 in that defeat too.

Last week another three dart average was needed to beat him in the Quarter Final on Night 2, but Stephen Bunting may feel he can work more chances against Gian van Veen.

The Dutchman is still figuring out the now increasingly busy schedule in his debut season in the Premier League and Gian van Veen has not opened 2026 in great form. Early losses at all four Players Championship events and a Quarter Final defeat in Antwerp last week will have just dented some of the confidence, even if van Veen remains very dangerous with his impressive finishing.

Stephen Bunting edged him out twice in three matches last year and he looks a big price on current form to get the better of Gian van Veen in the opening match in Glasgow.

Luke Humphries to win & over 2.5 180s: Winning the Players Championship on Tuesday will have just given Luke Humphries another boost having lost in the Quarter Final to Luke Littler last week on Night 2 of the Premier League.

Like the Masters, Humphries had his chances to beat the World Number 1 and his change in stem length on the darts looks to have worked for him.

The maximum hitting is still a huge part of his game and Luke Humphries is rightly favoured in this Quarter Final.

You do have to expect a lot more from Josh Rock who was in awful form in Antwerp and later blamed the soap at the event for making it impossible to grip his darts. Credit has to be given to the Northern Irishman for stronger numbers at the two Players Championship events played earlier in the week, but relatively early losses will have stung and the pressure is building to get off the mark in the Premier League having suffered two defeats in two matches played.

He has lost his last three against Luke Humphries, but should play a part in an entertaining Quarter Final.

Josh Rock hits big enough scores to keep the World Number 2 focused and it is the Englishman who may outlast this opponent in a 6-3 kind of win.

Jonny Clayton over 2.5 180s & over 8.5 total Legs: Another tight loss to his good mate Gerwyn Price will have hurt Jonny Clayton who has not beaten his compatriot ten tries.

The last win was back in 2023 when both were competing in the Premier League, but Clayton may feel he has played well enough to beat Gezzy in both the Masters and on Night 2 of the 2026 Premier League.

He is still hitting plenty of big scores and that will give Jonny Clayton a chance as he takes aim at Gerwyn Price again.

Last week Jonny Clayton had three maximums in the loss to Price in Antwerp and he was in good form when it comes to those maximums at Players Championship 3 earlier this week.

On that day Jonny Clayton reached the Quarter Final, but Gerwyn Price went one better in Players Championship 4 as he reached the Semi Final to continue what has been a fine start to 2026.

It does feel like the layers have got this right with Price a favourite, but Jonny Clayton can give his mate something to think about and win at least three Legs in any losing effort thanks to some big maximum hitting.

MY PICKS: Stephen Bunting @ 2.75 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Luke Humphries to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton Over 2.5 180s & Over 8.5 Total Legs @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 7-12, - 3.05 Units (18 Units Staked, - 16.94% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 19th February)

We are moving into the business end of the tournaments that have been scheduled for this week and more retirements in Dubai will lead to more questions.

The final eight names in the WTA 1000 event are surprising in the main, and the Quarter Final matches look tough to call.

You can say the same for the Quarter Finals in Doha with one selection made from that tournament and one from the remaining Second Round matches scheduled in Delray Beach.

Any selections from the ATP Rio tournament will be added to this thread and the weekly totals will also be updated once the full results from Wednesday are in.

Carlos Alcaraz - 5.5 games v Karen Khachanov: The World Number 1 has not been at his very best in the ATP Doha tournament, but Carlos Alcaraz will be comfortable with the level he has been producing to move through to the Quarter Final.

He arrived after completing the career Grand Slam with the title at the Australian Open, but credit has to be given to Alcaraz for stating there is still more development to improve his tennis.

It is a desire that could see Carlos Alcaraz competing for Grand Slam titles for many years to come and he will be seen as the player to beat at the remaining Slams to be played in 2026.

Strong numbers have been produced on the hard courts since the start of the 2024 season and Carlos Alcaraz is developing the serve, which is going to make it even easier for him to put opponents under pressure. It has been a strong weapon for him over the last couple of years, but the early signs are that Alcaraz is going to have an even better serve in 2026 and that will allow him to play with some real aggression on the return.

He will be challenged in this Quarter Final by a big hitting, aggressive player in Karen Khachanov who gave Carlos Alcaraz all he could handle in a tight defeat at the Rome Masters on the clay last season.

The World Number 17 has needed to go the full three sets in both opening wins in Doha, but he will be glad the conditions will offer his first serve some support. That is going to be vital for Karen Khachanov to see if he can keep Carlos Alcaraz under considerable pressure and look for that to dictate how the Spaniard responds.

However, Karen Khachanov will also be aware that he cannot afford to allow too many looks at his second serve against a return player like Carlos Alcaraz who will be looking to control rallies from the opening shot played.

Karen Khachanov is not having nearly as much success as Carlos Alcaraz when it comes to the return game and that will put more pressure on his serve. He has held almost 90% of service games played on the hard courts this season, which will give Khachanov real belief, but the highest Ranked opponent faced in 2026 is the World Number 25 and this is a considerably tougher test against the Australian Open Champion.

In the previous five matches on the Tour, Carlos Alcaraz has a huge edge in terms of Breaks of serve put together and the Spaniard may be able to push through and find the Breaks needed to cover this relatively big line.

Taylor Fritz - 3.5 games v Rafael Jodar: The 19 year old Spaniard is going to be improving his World Ranking again at the end of the tournament in Delray Beach, but he will be looking to crack the top 100 for the first time.

Rafael Jodar will need an upset over the top Seed in the tournament and that may be asking too much of him at this stage of the career.

The numbers produced over the last twelve months on the hard courts are impressive- Jodar has won 77% of the matches played with over fifty wins produced, while he has held 81% of service games played and broken in 32% of return games.

However, those numbers have largely been built on dominating lower Ranked opponents and Rafael Jodar is 2-2 over the last twelve months against top 100 Ranked players on the hard courts. His serve has been attacked relentlessly by the better players on the Tour and Taylor Fritz can certainly put the youngster under pressure, even with a limited return game.

Taylor Fritz is very comfortable on the hard courts and he reached the Final last week in Dallas.

In the limited amount of matches played on the hard courts in 2026, Taylor Fritz has not been nearly as strong on the return of serve as he has been in previous years. He will want to seen that improved ahead of the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, while Taylor Fritz will not have faced too many players as inexperienced as the one in front of him in this Second Round match.

There is every reason to believe that Taylor Fritz will be helped by the opponent he is facing on Thursday and the American may do enough to find the Breaks needed to cover this spread. 

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Taylor Fritz - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 6-8, - 3.03 Units (14 Units Staked, - 21.64% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 18th February)

A tough day in the office has to be set aside in what has been a difficult week with two poor days out of three.

That is a disappointment and it did feel like some meat was left on the table with a couple of selections not quite making the grade, but ultimately coming in as winners.

However, the last thirteen months have produced a positive return and that means 'trusting the process' rather than worrying about what may have been.

The opening Picks on Wednesday are concentrating on the Third Round matches in Dubai- the Second Round matches in Doha look awkward with some big spreads set, but not big enough to want to trust the underdog either.

Any selections from the ATP tournaments in Delray Beach or Rio will be added to this thread.

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 games v Janice Tjen: There are going to be questions about the WTA Tour calendar when scheduling consecutive 1000 events on back to back weeks in the Middle East. While the tournament in Doha largely went as planned, there have been a huge number of withdrawals and mid-match retirements here in Dubai as we only get into the Third Round.

Something will have to change, although neither Doha nor Dubai are going to want to hear that the tournaments they run are being downgraded- both are ATP 500 events rather WTA 1000, but even that may not be enough to appease them and a new Council will come together and see how they can help.

Amanda Anisimova has been one of the beneficiaries of a walkover in the Second Round, which means she has only played one match since the Australian Open. Even that match ended with a mid-match retirement when Anisimova had to pull out with an illness, but she has stated she is feeling better and a couple more days of recovery can only help.

This is an important week for Amanda Anisimova who won the title in Doha last year, but who was not able to defend those World Ranking Points last week.

There is some room for improvement in the early season form, but Anisimova is very comfortable on the hard courts and she can get the better of Janice Tjen.

The 23 year old enters the tournament in Dubai under a new career-high World Ranking of Number 46 and this season offers Janice Tjen a big opportunity to really build on that mark. Improving the World Ranking means being able to enter bigger tournaments and Janice Tjen showed how comfortable she is on the hard courts with a huge amount of wins on the surface in 2025.

Of course it should be noted that those were against players of a lower level than what she will be facing at the tournaments she will now be entering and a 5-4 record over the last six weeks suggests this is something of a learning curve. Janice Tjen has won two matches here, which will help the confidence, but she has yet to really get to grips with the return of serve at this level.

The Indonesian player has struggled against the very best players on the Tour and that has led to two straight-forward losses to top 20 Ranked opponents. In those two losses, Janice Tjen has not only struggled to protect the second serve, but she has won just 23% of return points played and someone like Amanda Anisimova can put her under enough pressure to pick up the Breaks of serve needed to cover this spread.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Jaqueline Cristian: Another player who earned a walkover in the Second Round in Dubai is the defending Champion Mirra Andreeva.

She had a dominant run here in 2025 and Mirra Andreeva just reached the Doha Third Round, but there will be some pressure to get as close as possible to defend the title and the Ranking Points. That may not be a big issue for older players, but Mirra Andreeva is still developing and will not want to slip out of the top eight of the World Rankings ahead of the Grand Slams to be played.

The lack of competitive tennis this week may be a potential problem, but Andreeva should be happy enough with the conditions having had so much success at the tournament already.

There has been a lot to like about the level being produced early in 2026 and Mirra Andreeva has a 20-6 record on the hard courts when facing players Ranked outside of the top 20 over the last twelve months. She has won over 49% of the return points played in those matches and the World Number 7 will certainly feel she can put this opponent under some extreme pressure.

Jaqueline Cristian won the first set of her Second Round match without dropping a game before her opponent decided to call it a day.

That means the World Number 39 has played three completed sets in Dubai on her way to the Third Round and Cristian has only dropped two games. However, both of those matches have been against opponents Ranked Number 69 or lower and this is a considerable step upwards for a player who had a 5-5 record on the hard courts before the tournament in Dubai begun.

The year started with a run to the Quarter Final in Adelaide, but it has been tough for Jaqueline Cristian since then with early losses becoming the norm before this event.

Over the last twelve months Jaqueline Cristian has played well on the hard courts, but she is just 1-8 when facing top 20 Ranked players on the surface. In those matches, Cristian has been put under significant pressure when serving, and she has struggled to really make a big impact on the return, which is going to be something that Mirra Andreeva looks to exploit in this Third Round match.

It should be noted that in those eight losses against top 20 Ranked opponents, Jaqueline Cristian would have won enough games to stay within this spread four times.

However that also means she has failed to cover in the other half of those defeats and Mirra Andreeva has covered this spread in seventeen of the twenty hard courts wins produced against players Ranked outside the top 20.

Coco Gauff - 3.5 games v Elise Mertens: A really disappointing performance in the Australian Open Quarter Final loss to Elina Svitolina saw Coco Gauff's anger on display when cameras caught her backstage smashing her racquet. She stated in her press conference that she did not want her frustration to be shown to those who look up to her and that was the reason she waited until she had left the court, while other players have not been happy with what they feel was too much intrusion at that opening Grand Slam.

An early defeat in Doha has just kept Coco Gauff out of the headlines, but she showed some character to come through some sticky moments in beating Anna Kalinskaya in the Second Round here.

Despite her own early exit in Doha, Coco Gauff was restored to the American Number 1 spot on the WTA Tour and she will certainly be looking to build on the solid win over Kalinskaya.

Next up is a match against a reinvigorated Elise Mertens who has won all four sets in Dubai by the same 6-2 scoreline as she has cruised through the draw.

Three wins at the United Cup and a run to the Fourth Round at the Australian Open have given the Belgian some real confidence and there is no denying that the overall numbers have been impressive.

It is the first serve in particular that has been a big weapon for Elise Mertens and she will need plenty of those to try and keep the American opponent under some pressure.

Elise Mertens has also won a couple of matches against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts this season, which is a big improvement on the 0-5 record against those players in 2025. The second serve has been a weakness in those matches, although Mertens may have more success against the Coco Gauff serve than she has had in the main against those higher Ranked players.

Double Faults have been the big problem for Coco Gauff for some time and that was the case in the Second Round win.

She cannot afford to give away too many points to Elise Mertens, but Coco Gauff will take confidence from the perfect 4-0 record that she has against the World Number 22 on the Tour.

Two of those wins have been on the hard courts, although Coco Gauff and Elise Mertens have not met for a couple of years and that may help the underdog from a mental point of view.

Even with that in mind, Coco Gauff may still find herself coming out on top at key moments and she can do enough to get through to the Quarter Final with a cover of the handicap set for the match.

MY PICKS: Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 1.61 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alejandro Tabilo - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-6, - 2.49 Units (10 Units Staked, - 24.90% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 17th February)

After the disappointing opening to the week, Monday proved to be a bounce back day, although there is more work to do in order to get the totals back into a position that we want to see.

There is some momentum from the Monday performance, but it is early in the week and we will need some fortune, which has perhaps been missing in the last couple of weeks.

Any selections from the ATP 500 tournament in Rio and the ATP 250 tournament in Delray Beach will be added to this thread with both of those events really getting going after the usual quiet opening day.

Marton Fucsovics - 4.5 games v Hady Habib: The swing through the Middle East is an opportunity for one or two players to pick up Wild Cards and try and use those to build up Ranking Points that can see them earn direct entry into other events on the Tour. In most cases those Wild Cards will be handed out to bigger names who may need them, but there are a couple of beneficiaries in Doha who perhaps are fortunate to be given this opportunity.

One of those is World Number 334 Hady Habib who at 27 years old reached his career best World Ranking mark of 159 last May.

Twelve months ago he received Wild Cards into both the tournaments in Doha and Dubai, but Hady Habib was beaten in opening matches each time.

Credit has to be given to the player for trying to bust his way through on the Tour, but Qualifying has proven too difficult at the bigger tournaments and Hady Habib has lost all three matches played on the hard courts in 2026 without winning a set. The real concern is that in five of the six sets he has dropped, Habib has failed to win more than three games and he has not faced anyone Ranked higher than World Number 143 in that time either.

The serve has been vulnerable in those early matches and Hady Habib has struggled to have any kind of real impact on the return.

Over the last twelve months on the Tour, the Lebanese player has put together a 3-14 record on the hard courts and he is 0-5 in matches against top 100 Ranked opponents. In those matches against the stronger players on the Tour, Hady Habib has struggled to make an impact with his serve, which has only increased the pressure on the return and it may be tough for him to compete with a veteran in the First Round here in Doha.

Marton Fucsovics suffered a really disappointing defeat in Rotterdam, but he was guilty of playing the Break Points poorly in that match.

The 34 year old has not served as well as he would have liked through the opening six weeks of the season, but Fucsovics continues to cause problems with his return. He is a comfortable player on the ground and over the last twelve months Marton Fucsovics has a winning record when facing opponents Ranked outside the top 50 of the World Rankings, while putting some strong numbers on the board.

This is not a player who is adverse to an upset, but Marton Fucsovics has won six of the ten matches played on the hard courts over the last twelve months when he has been the higher Ranked player going into the match.

He has held 88% of his service games played in the Tour matches, which do not include the two Davis Cup matches that were played under those conditions, while Marton Fucsovics has broken in 38% of return games.

As long as he is focused, you have to imagine the quality of tennis will find a way to shine through and Fucsovics can get the better of this awkward line in this best of three set First Round match in Doha.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 4.5 games v Moez Echargui: The first thing that has to be stated is that Stefanos Tsitsipas is not an easy player to trust when it comes to a spread that could need as many as three Breaks of serve to have any chance of earning a cover.

However, he is facing a Wild Card in the First Round and an opponent who has not had a lot of experience facing players at the very top of the Tour.

Moez Echargui is the World Number 139 and the 33 year old was a few places higher in December, which is the career best mark.

Suffice to say, Echargui has to find some considerable levels to get the better of Stefanos Tsitisipas.

Over the last twelve months, Moez Echargui has put up plenty of wins on the hard courts, but those have been below the main Tour and against players of similar Ranking or lower. That is far from the case when playing in the ATP 500 event in Doha and Moez Echargui lost both matches against top 100 Ranked opponents pretty comfortably in that time period.

Even throughout his career, Echargui is 0-4 against top 100 Ranked opponents on the surface and his serve has been a huge issue for him, which is something that even a limited return player like Stefanos Tsitsipas should be able to exploit against a player who is considerably below the level he is normally used to facing.

However, one of the big disappointments for Stefanos Tsitsipas is that he is only 7-7 when facing players Ranked outside the top 50 on the hard courts over the last twelve months. That record becomes much better when only noting the matches against players Ranked outside the top 100, where Tsitsipas is 5-0, although the hope for the underdog in this one is that those wins have not always been as convincing as they perhaps should have been.

Even then, the World Number 33 is expected to be a little too good as long as he remains focused.

He should be afforded enough Break Points to get into a position to cover this mark and Stefanos Tsitsipas is not expected to have slipped so much that Moez Echargui can make this competitive for more than a set.

Ugo Humbert - 1.5 games v Fabian Marozsan: While it should be noted that the travel time from Rotterdam to Doha is not exactly excessive, it is tough for players to back up big weeks as we have seen time and time again on the Tennis Tour.

That is what Ugo Humbert will be attempting to do having reached the Semi Final in Rotterdam on Saturday before being very unfortunate in losing to Alex De Minaur. His performances have to offer some encouragement and Humbert has a game that is well suited to the hard courts, while the Frenchman will feel very unlucky to have faced a top ten Ranked opponent in the First Round at the Australian Open, despite only being four places out from being Seeded himself.

Ugo Humbert is the World Number 36 and will be looking for a couple of strong runs over the next month, which could push him into a Seeding position for his home Grand Slam in Paris.

There is very little to defend in terms of Ranking Points, but this is not an easy First Round match and Ugo Humbert is going to have to serve well.

He is going in against Fabian Marozsan who is just finding it tough to build up the consistency to really take a leap in the World Rankings.

The Hungarian almost beat Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open, but capitulated in the five set defeat, while Fabian Marozsan has not played a hard court match since the tournament in Melbourne. He has been in action in the Davis Cup, albeit on a clay court, but Fabian Marozsan will not be lacking confidence considering how he performed through the opening month of the season.

In recent years, Fabian Marozsan has been an inconsistent player on the hard court, which is underlined by the fact he has a 0.500 record on the surface between 2023 and 2025. This year he has begun with a 5-3 record thanks to a strong run in Auckland, but Marozsan is not as effective a server as someone like Ugo Humbert and that could make the difference in what have been quick conditions in the Middle East.

Both have some limitations on the return and that is where the superior serving that Ugo Humbert can produce should make the difference in the outcome.

Fabian Marozsan did win the most recent match up between the players on a clay court in 2025, but Ugo Humbert has won the sole previous hard court match and can get the better of this opponent again.

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 games v Paula Badosa: Injury has been one of the biggest issues for Paula Badosa after cracking through on the Tour and reaching World Number 2 in 2022.

She has entered the WTA 1000 event in Dubai as the World Number 70 and that is because Paula Badosa has not been able to get herself healthy to defend the Ranking Points she had been producing.

Much of the second half of the season was missed, which meant Badosa lost the Ranking Points she had produced by winning titles and reaching the business end at a number of the North American hard court events leading into the US Open and then into the Asian Swing. Paula Badosa reached the Australian Open Semi Final thirteen months ago, but was beaten in the Second Round at the 2026 tournament, while she has to reach the Fourth Round in Dubai to match the run put together here in 2025.

At full health there is no doubting how good Paula Badosa can be on the hard courts- she has a solid first serve and the heavy, aggressive groundstrokes had propelled her up the World Rankings.

However, it has been very difficult finding her rhythm on the return from injury and the numbers over the last six weeks have been disappointing, which leaves Paula Badosa vulnerable in this Second Round match.

A solid First Round win has to give Badosa confidence, but she may need to find another level to compete with Elina Svitolina, even after the latter had a poor showing in Doha last week.

That was the first tournament played since Elina Svitolina reached the Australian Open Semi Final and Elina Svitolina will be looking for a much more impactful run before heading to the United States for the big events coming up.

Out of the two players, Paula Badosa will still feel her first serve is the big weapon, although Svitolina will look at her second serve and return numbers as being a key for herself. If she gets enough looks at the second serve, the World Number 9 has to be given the edge, while the mental advantage is with Elina Svitolina having won both previous matches against Badosa.

When they met on the hard courts in a Billie Jean King Cup match on the hard courts in September, Elina Svitolina created more than double the number of Break Points compared with Paula Badosa.

She also won 10% more points behind serve, and you have to believe the veteran can find a way to cover this spread set as the Second Round is played in Dubai.

Emma Navarro v Elise Mertens: There are a lot of games scheduled to be completed in Dubai as the Third Round is set for Wednesday.

That does not mean there are lot of great options and the second selection from the order of play on Tuesday is once again getting behind Emma Navarro.

The American produced a winner for the pages on Monday and it was stated at that time that it felt like Emma Navarro was turning a corner after what has been a difficult six months. The dip in confidence has meant losing tight matches rather than coming out on top, but the couple of wins in Doha will have sparked something and Emma Navarro was solid, if unspectacular, in her First Round win.

She will need to be a little better if she is going to beat Elise Mertens, but two previous wins on the Tour should give Navarro some further belief.

Those matches were both on the hard courts, but they were played early in the 2024 season, including one win in Doha.

It turned out to be something of a down season for Elise Mertens on the hard courts, but the now 30 year old Belgian player has opened 2026 in decent form.

The numbers have been solid, although Elise Mertens has taken advantage of the draw at times and that is underlined by the big dip in those numbers when only considering matches against top 100 Ranked opponents. In those matches, Mertens has not been nearly as dominant behind the serve, while her return game has not been quite as effective either and that is something that Emma Navarro can exploit.

Despite her record against top 100 Ranked opponents so far in 2026, Emma Navarro has produced numbers that will turn the results around.

With her head to head with Elise Mertens and the slightly stronger consistency around the serve, Emma Navarro may be worthy of backing as a slight underdog on Tuesday.

MY PICKS: Marton Fucsovics - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Ugo Humbert - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Emma Navarro @ 2.20 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-3, - 0.40 Units (6 Units Staked, - 6.67% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 16th February)

That was not the start to the new week that I would have wanted, but it is frustrating that it was a point or two that saw both Picks slip into the losing side of the ledger.

Linda Noskova and Liudmila Samsonova both had opportunities to break serve which would have put them in command of the opportunity to cover the spread.

Instead those Break Points were won by the opponents and that leaves work to do in order to get this week back on track.

On Monday the rest of the First Round at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai will be completed and there are a couple of Second Round matches also scheduled.

The ATP 500 events in Doha and Rio will also get into main draw action, as will the 250 tournament being played on the hard courts of Delray Beach. Selections from the two tournaments played on the North and South American continents will be added to the threads on most days over the coming week and that is simply because those markets will come out much later than for the two events being played in the Middle East.

Ultimately it is all about getting back on track and trying to put the best week together since the end of the Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 games v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro: After stating her excitement about being back in Abu Dhabi where she had won titles in the previous two appearances, Belinda Bencic would have been extremely disappointed to have had to withdrawn before her first match with an illness. She did not take part in Doha last week either, which has meant slipping back outside the top ten in the World Rankings, but Belinda Bencic has begun 2026 in solid form and will be looking to pick up some important Ranking Points this week in Dubai.

This has not been a tournament in which Belinda Bencic has had nearly as much success as Abu Dhabi, but that does mean she has little in terms of Ranking Points to defend. In 2025 she was beaten in the Second Round and Belinda Bencic will certainly be targeting a longer stay before heading over to the United States to take part at Indian Wells and Miami.

A Second Round defeat in Melbourne would have hurt, but Belinda Bencic had a really strong run at the United Cup and she will know she should have won that match at the Australian Open.

Every player on the Tour will feel there is room for improvement and Belinda Bencic may want to protect the second serve a little more efficiently, but the overall performances on the hard courts over the last twelve months makes her a contender to win titles on the surface.

As much as you have to respect Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for working her way into the top 50 of the World Rankings, it cannot be ignored that she has had a difficult start to 2026.

The 23 year old has lost three of the four matches played since the beginning of the new season, while Bouzas Maneiro also finished with a losing record on the hard courts last year.

It would be something that could be excused if Jessica Bouzas Maneiro had been given some really tough draws, but she crushed Coco Gauff at the United Cup and has since lost to the then World Number 66 and World Number 367. The manner of those defeats would be a real concern, while Bouzas Maneiro was beaten by Anna Kalinskaya in very routine fashion last week in Doha.

As long as Belinda Bencic is still not feeling a lingering effects from the illness that forced her out of Abu Dhabi, the Swiss player should have too much on this surface and she can win with a break or two more in each set.

Emma Navarro - 2.5 games v Elena-Gabriela Ruse: You are never going to get over a difficult period where you have lost form and confidence very easily, but Emma Navarro did put at least one win on the board in Doha last week. That was not something she could extend to consecutive matches for the first time since Adelaide, but the American has an opportunity to at least the Second Round here in Dubai.

She will be opening up against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who was beaten very comfortably in Cluj in front of the home fans.

The World Number 72 came through Qualifying wins in Brisbane and Adelaide, but was not able to win main draw matches, before Elena-Gabriela Ruse reached the Third Round at the Australian Open. Winning two Qualifying matches here in Dubai has to have given Ruse a boost in confidence, while the familiarity with the conditions is a factor that goes in her favour too.

Like many on the Tour, Elena-Gabriela Ruse knows the importance of backing up the first serve on the faster surfaces and that has led to a winning record on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

However, the numbers have taken a significant dip when only considering matches played against top 50 Ranked opponents on this surface in that time period. In those Elena-Gabriela Ruse has a 3-8 record, while she has not been able to serve nearly as effectively as she would like and that has placed additional pressure on the return game.

Of course she is facing an opponent who is not in confident mood and that will help, but Emma Navarro is still getting enough of her own serve to believe she will begin to turn things around.

Having little in terms of World Ranking Point to defend in the Middle East run is a help, but Navarro will also suggest she is still playing at a high enough level to beat this opponent in front of her.

Two previous matches, both on the hard courts, have gone in Emma Navarro's favour with the most recent being played around six months ago in Beijing.

It was far from a win as comfortable as the scoreboard may suggest with both players giving the other plenty to think about on the return of serve.

That is likely to be the case again on Monday in the First Round in Dubai, even in the quicker conditions we tend to see at this tournament.

Those conditions could help Emma Navarro a little more though and that is where the World Number 18 may find a way to battle past the opponent and the line set for this match.

Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 games v Jelena Ostapenko: A spread like this one does look a little disrespectful to a former Grand Slam Winner in Jelena Ostapenko, but these days her most consistent tennis tends to be played on a Doubles court.

With that being said, respect has to be given to the World Number 24 for reaching the Doha Semi Final at a WTA 1000 event.

The run was unexpected considering Jelena Ostapenko had been 2-4 on the hard courts in 2026, but she took advantage of a number of upsets around her in Doha. While beating one top 20 Ranked opponent, the other three wins in the tournament were against players Ranked Number 57 or lower and Jelena Ostapenko found herself well beaten by Victoria Mboko in the Semi Final.

Over the last two and a bit years on the hard courts, Jelena Ostapenko's numbers have been declining and she finished with an 8-14 record on the surface last year.

Reaching the Semi Final in Doha will help the confidence, but Ostapenko played a lot of tennis at that tournament having also reached the Doubles Final. The Latvian, and her partner, blew a massive lead in that Final before being beaten and this is a match up that has given Jelena Ostapenko problems in the past.

Anna Kalinskaya has made a much stronger start to 2026, although she was beaten in the Quarter Final in Doha to eventual Champion Karolina Muchova.

All four of the defeats suffered in 2026 have been against top 20 Ranked opponents, which also deserves a lot of respect, and the Anna Kalinskaya numbers being put together on the hard courts have been much better than those produced by Jelena Ostapenko.

The World Number 28 will certainly feel she can be more effective behind the second serve compared with Jelena Ostapenko, while the latter is much more likely to throw in too many Unforced Errors.

In the three previous matches on the Tour, Anna Kalinskaya has not only won all three, but she has not dropped a set and the service numbers have been much stronger on her side of the net.

Having had a little more time to prepare for this tournament in Doha, most factors seem to be in favour of the lower Ranked player and Anna Kalinskaya can lay the foundation for another strong Middle East run by producing a strong win in this First Round match in Dubai.

MY PICKS: Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Emma Navarro - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)