Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 28th February)

The latest week on the Tour is coming to a close this weekend before both Tours come together in Indian Wells next week.

It has been a really good week for the Tennis Picks with the ATP Dubai and Acapulco Finals set to be played on Saturday.

All of the selections have been from the tournament in Dubai where some of the bigger names have been in action, while the other events being played have seen the top Seeds falling pretty early.

After Saturday, the next selections will be from the Indian Wells Masters, although I am still not sure whether there will be any before the Second Round gets underway, at least on the WTA Tour which is going to be starting on the schedule.

The draw will dictate that, but there is one more selection to come from the ATP Dubai Final, which can be read below.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Tallon Griekspoor: These two players have only met once on the Tour and that was right here in Dubai twelve months ago in a Quarter Final match.

On that occasion it was Tallon Griekspoor who somehow stayed in the match having been the inferior player for a couple of sets, but who then went on to win the match and move through to the Semi Final.

In the first two sets, Griekspoor faced 14 Break Points compared with the 5 Break Points he created and he was gracious enough to admit that he had a bit of fortune on his side.

The World Number 25 stated the same thing after the Semi Final over Andrey Rublev on Friday having overcome significant issues with his hamstring- Tallon Griekspoor admitted that he may have pulled out of the match if he had not won the First Set and then rallied deep into the Second Set Tie-Breaker to come through in straight sets.

Throughout his press conference, Tallon Griekspoor made it clear that the next twenty-four hours were all about recovery as he prepares to play in his second ATP 500 Final and just the sixth on the Tour.

It was the serve that proved to be the big weapon for Griekspoor in his Semi Final win and he will need to be as close as possible to full health to make sure that remains the case.

Daniil Medvedev has been in very good form all week in Dubai and his dominant win over Felix Auger Aliassime underlines his danger.

The return of serve continues to be a big part of the Medvedev success and he has also been using the conditions very well in the tournament when it comes to his own delivery. He had Felix Auger Aliassime under pressure throughout the Semi Final and Daniil Medvedev should be able to do the same against this opponent.

His focus will have to be on the tennis he wants to play and not just expecting a wounded opponent to just crumble in front of him- one of the mistakes made by Andrey Rublev was allowing Tallon Griekspoor to get himself into a rhythm, but Medvedev will extend rallies and wear down the underdog.

The form shown this week gives Daniil Medvedev a big edge, even if Tallon Griekspoor was at full health, and he can win yet another match with a strong look on the scoreboard.

MY PICK: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 8-2, + 5.29 Units (10 Units Staked, + 52.90% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 27th February)

The tournaments since the Australian Open have been a little up and down for the Tennis Picks, but this one has been a strong bounce back ahead of the back to back hard court Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami.

The focus has been on the ATP Dubai event and the two Semi Final selections can be read below.

Full markets for the tournaments that are taking place in the United States, Mexico and Chile will not be out until Friday morning (United Kingdom time) so any selections from those events will be added to this thread.

Felix Auger Aliassime-Daniil Medvedev over 0.5 Tie-Breakers: All four Semi Finalists in Dubai have been playing some exceptional tennis this week and there may be very little between them.

The first Semi Final looks a really competitive one when Felix Auger Aliassime, the Number 1 Seed, takes on Daniil Medvedev, the Number 3 Seed.

In three wins each, the two players have combined to lose serve just three times and the numbers have been very solid. Felix Auger Aliassime has held 97% of service games played and has been winning 75% of service points played, while Daniil Medvedev has 91% and 69% marks in both categories.

No one will be very surprised to hear that Medvedev has had the superior return numbers, but he has also faced much weaker opposition compared with Felix Auger Aliassime.

The initial meetings on the Tour had been dominated by Daniil Medvedev, but Felix Auger Aliassime won the last completed match at the Paris Olympics a little over eighteen months ago. Last year he beat Medvedev when the Russian retired at the end of the first set in Doha, but the previous seven hard court matches have all been won by Daniil Medvedev.

Felix Auger Aliassime has really struggled to impose his serve in those previous hard court matches, while also having difficulty dealing with the Daniil Medvedev serve. That is perhaps the main reason he is set as the narrow underdog, but this should be close considering what we have seen from both players, not only here in Dubai, but in general over the last month.

The high level performances of both players should mean they are both operating with a lot of confidence and that could make this a really competitive Semi Final.

It may be one that features at least one Tie-Breaker with the expectation that there may be very little between these high Ranked rivals.

My narrow edge is with Daniil Medvedev and the superior return game, but Felix Auger Aliassime has served well enough to deserve a lot of respect.

Andrey Rublev-Tallon Griekspoor over 0.5 Tie-Breakers: There was very little form put together by Tallon Griekspoor prior to the tournament beginning in Dubai and so his appearance in the Semi Final is something of a surprise.

However, the Dutchman will point to some strong numbers in the three wins this week, which have included a couple of wins over opponents Ranked Number 10 and Number 13.

Tallon Griekspoor has held 97% of his service games played at the tournament and he has only allowed four Break Points in three matches- he will need to continue producing at that level if he is going to earn an upset and reach the Final.

The World Number 25 has long been someone who has struggled on the return, but he can build scoreboard pressure behind strong serving. At the tournament, Tallon Griekspoor has only broken in 19% of return games played and has won 36% of return points played and now has to face Andrey Rublev, who has opened 2026 in really strong form on the hard courts.

A 10-3 start to the year will have given Andrey Rublev a lot of confidence ahead of the back to back Masters events which are going to be played over the next month, but he will want to reach a Final.

Last week a close loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Semi Final in Doha would have hurt, but Andrey Rublev has continued operating at a high level.

Much like his opponent, Andrey Rublev has held 97% of his service games played, although he has been challenged a little bit more with eight Break Points faced.

There is a clear edge in favour of Rublev when it comes to the return of serve, while he has beaten Tallon Griekspoor in all three previous matches on the Tour.

It has been almost two years since they faced one another and Andrey Rublev was a top ten Ranked player in all three previous matches, while the closest contest was on the Doha hard courts in 2023.

In that match, Andrey Rublev was the slightly stronger server and that may be the case in this Semi Final, although like the first, it could be competitive at least for a while. This may be another match in which at least one Tie-Breaker is needed to separate two players who have been using the conditions very effectively and you have to believe the serving power is going to put both in a position to roll through some games without feeling much pressure.

This may end up focusing the two to get to at least one Tie-Breaker and that could be pivotal to the outcome of the contest.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger Aliassime-Daniil Medvedev Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev-Tallon Griekspoor Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 7-1, + 5.29 Units (8 Units Staked, + 66.13% Yield)

Premier League Darts Night 4 Picks 2026 (Thursday 26th February)

The motivational factor is going to be a key to the scheduling that Luke Littler puts together for the 2026 season and it says plenty that he has skipped all of the floor events.

That may have been a reason that Littler has not really begun his Premier League campaign nearly as strongly as the last two, but he may feel he has time over the sixteen nights to rack up enough points to avoid missing the Playoffs.

And to further the motivational angle, Luke Littler has already won titles at the World Masters and the first European Tour event of the season last week in Krakow.

Five wins took him to the title and Luke Littler averaged in triple figures four times, while also overcoming a nine darter from Gian van Veen in the Final.

The latter has continued what has been a find start to the 2026 season to follow from reaching the World Championship Final and he will be happy with how the opening three nights in his Premier League debut have developed.

Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price have continued strong starts to the season, while Michael van Gerwen will be hoping that his illness that forced a withdrawal in Glasgow will not have a long-term impact on his own ability to make the Play Offs again.

Both Lukes- Littler and Humphries- have made slower starts than expected, but both are playing well enough to believe they will begin to have the results to back up the performances.

The big pressure going into Night 4 will be on Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock who have lost all three Premier League matches played- the former had an awful 2025 and needs something to change quickly, while Rock is going to be playing in front of his home supporters in Belfast as he looks to get his debut season up and running.

The return from the opening European Tour event was a solid one and has pushed the season totals back towards a positive direction.

Some of the early Premier League picks have been really close to coming through, but a bit of fortune has been missing, which also made a welcome return in Poland over last weekend.

Hopefully that pushes through into Night 4 on Thursday and Night 5 next week before the big Ranking event of the UK Open takes place.

Luke Littler over 3.5 180s & Jonny Clayton over 2.5 180s: It was Jonny Clayton who went on and won Night 3 to continue his fantastic return to the Premier League.

He will head over to Belfast as the Premier League standings leader and Clayton will be keen to back up the strong win over Luke Littler.

Beating Littler is always going to be a result to be admired, but Jonny Clayton beat him 6-1 in the Semi Final in Glasgow and he has averaged 99 or higher in each of the three Quarter Final wins. The Welshman has made no secret of his enjoyment in being back in the Premier League and Clayton continues to hit plenty of big maximums to build pressure.

He had four in the win over Luke Littler last week, but that total was matched by the World Number 1 who continues to pound the red bit.

Backing the World Champion to hit four in this one is always going to go close, while Clayton should at least have enough chances to try and reach a minimum of three even in Legs where he is outscored.

Luke Humphries to win & most 180s: There is a massive mental hurdle for Stephen Bunting to overcome after making another miserable start to a Premier League campaign.

Both of these players decided to skip the Players Championship events earlier this week, but Luke Humphries did not have to play particularly well to beat Stephen Bunting last weekend in Krakow.

He did have more maximums in the straightforward 6-1 win in the Polish Open and Luke Humphries has been playing well, without necessarily having the results to back that up.

You do have to say that Stephen Bunting has put together some decent averages in his opening three losses in the Premier League, but those have piled up and Luke Humphries may power past him again.

With his new darts in hand, Luke Humphries has been hitting the maximums more effectively early in 2026 and can use that big scoring to help him into another Semi Final on a Premier League night.

Gerwyn Price to win & most 180s: He did not take part in the Polish Open and an opening defeat in Players Championship 5 followed the Quarter Final loss to Jonny Clayton last week in Glasgow.

However, Gerwyn Price has continued to play at a high level and won the title at Players Championship 5 behind some big scoring.

The Welshman has won his last two matches against Michael van Gerwen and there has to be some questions about how the Dutchman is feeling after illness forced him to miss Night 3, as well as the Polish Open and both Players Championship events earlier this week.

No one can deny that van Gerwen has begun this season looking much more like his old self, but he will need to be at full health to beat Gerwyn Price on current form.

Michael van Gerwen has been scoring well, but he may need a few more days to really feel like he is over the illness he was dealing with last week and Price can do enough to win this Quarter Final.

Both have been pretty good at hitting the maximums, but again this is perhaps targeting the fact that van Gerwen may not be operating at full tilt and that could see the World Number 10 hit a couple more 180s to bring in the double.

Josh Rock v Gian van Veen: These two players are both debutants in the Premier League, but they have had very different early experiences.

Gian van Veen has reached the Final on two of the three nights played, while Josh Rock has lost every match in the tournament by the same 6-2 scoreline.

So why back Rock to end that here?

For starters he is playing in front of a home crowd that are going to be completely behind him and that could be something that potentially rattles his opponent.

He looked in decent nick in Poland last weekend, and there has not been a great deal in the early averages with Gian van Veen perhaps showing a bit more composure at key times.

Josh Rock was not very good in Antwerp and later blamed that on product he used to wash his hands, but he had not played badly last week and was perhaps a little unfortunate to run into Luke Humphries in the Quarter Final.

And for all his success so far this season, Gian van Veen has perhaps still not been quite operating at his best and will need to deal with the hostile crowd that is expected to be firmly behind the home player.

Finally you cannot ignore the fact that Josh Rock has won the last four between the plaeyrs, which will certainly help him clear the mind and focus here. A couple of European Tour wins and a victory at the Grand Slam means Rock has found those wins in big settings and he may use the crowd to fire him up for long enough to edge past the Dutchman and secure his first points in the Premier League.

MY PICKS: Luke Littler Over 3.5 180s & Jonny Clayton Over 2.5 180s @ 2.37 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Humphries to Win & Most 180s @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gerwyn Price to Win & Most 180s @ 3.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock @ 2.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 16-20, - 1.78 Units (35 Units Staked, - 5.09% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 26th February)

The selections this week have been focusing on the ATP Dubai tournament, but the events in Acapulco and Santiago are moving into the business end too.

Of course the Final in the Middle East events are scheduled for Saturday so Dubai is a little further along compared with the other tournaments.

Any selections from the other two events will be added to this thread on Thursday, but there are three picks from the ATP Dubai Quarter Final matches that are set to be played through the day.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Jenson Brooksby: This has been a solid couple of days for Daniil Medvedev, but he will not want to lose any momentum in Dubai with solid Ranking Points on offer.

It is also an opportunity for Daniil Medvedev to regain a bit of lost confidence and perhaps win a second title of the season before the Tour moves to North America for two big Masters events. He is not going to be able to crack the top ten again in the World Rankings, but Medvedev has some important Ranking Points to protect at the Indian Wells Masters and would love to head to California with another trophy to add to his collection.

Two strong wins have shown the Daniil Medvedev strength.

The first serve has been a big weapon, and it has allowed the World Number 11 to have a real aggressive approach to the return, which has resulted in at least four Breaks in each match won. Daniil Medvedev has been keeping opponents under constant pressure with his return of serve and that is going to be the ambition he will be looking to show once again in this Quarter Final.

Credit has to be given to Jenson Brooksby for winning a couple of matches here this week having shown little form prior to the tournament beginning in Dubai.

He may not have impressed as much as Medvedev, but Jenson Brooksby has not dropped serve this week and that will give him some confidence to take into the match.

The level has been higher than what has been seen in the 2026 season and so Brooksby may be playing with a bit more belief in what he is trying to do.

Even then, it may be asking too much for the World Number 49 to find the right tennis to earn an upset and it could also be tough for Jenson Brooksby to keep the scoreboard competitive if things start poorly.

When these two players met previously on the Tour, it was Daniil Medvedev who ended up pulling away after a competitive first set, but this one could potentially be a bit more routine.

Felix Auger Aliassime-Jiri Lehecka over 0.5 Tie Breakers: A poor run Down Under that culminated in a First Round exit at the Australian Open in a match that Felix Auger Aliassime was unable to finish will have been a cause for concern for his fans.

Those have been eased after the Canadian returned to the Tour to win the title in Montpellier and follow up by reaching the Rotterdam Final before coming up short against Alex De Minaur.

Two wins in the tournament in Dubai has maintained the strong form and Felix Auger Aliassime will move into the top six of the World Rankings by winning the title in Dubai. The serve has been a huge weapon in 2026 with 92% of games ending in holds and Auger Aliassime has impressed by finding a Break in 20% of return games played.

Throughout his career, Felix Auger Aliassime has struggled for consistency on the return and so his form this year will offer a huge amount of encouragement.

The Quarter Final will not be easy against Jiri Lehecka who also struggled through the opening weeks of the season before finding some form last week. He reached the Quarter Final in Doha and has backed that up in Dubai, although Jiri Lehecka has benefited by beating two opponents Ranked outside of the top 100.

Felix Auger Aliassime deserves to be favourite, but the two hard court matches between the players have both been dominated by the server.

In those, Auger Aliassime has held 97% of service games played and Lehecka is at 92% and you have to feel that this is going to be a match where both should be able to roll through service games.

These two players have had to play seven sets on the hard courts against one another and four of those have needed a Tie-Breaker to determine the outcome.

It certainly looks overpriced to have at least one Breaker in this Quarter Final with the serving prowess that both possess and that looks the right play.

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 games v Arthur Rinderknech: He has always been a comfortable performer on the hard courts, but Andrey Rublev had a dip in form in 2025. With that in mind, Andrey Rublev will be much happier with the way things have begun in 2026 and he will make a big move back towards the top ten in the World Rankings if he can win the title in Dubai.

He has twice reached the Semi Final in hard court events this season and Andrey Rublev is looking to at least match that run by coming through this Quarter Final and backing up the run in Doha.

Holding serve in 89% of service games and backing that up with Breaks in 25% of return games will make Andrey Rublev tough to beat and he gave Carlos Alcaraz something to think about in coming up short last week.

In two wins this week, Andrey Rublev has yet to drop serve, but he has perhaps not been as composed when the Break Points have come his way. Five Breaks have been secured in two wins, but Andrey Rublev has needed 25 Break Points to do that and he will need to be a little more efficient against a server like Arthur Rinderknech.

The World Number 31 did win a match at the United Cup, but he had lost early in Melbourne, Rotterdam and Doha and wins over two players who were Ranked 200 or lower in the Davis Cup would not have given Arthur Rinderknech much confidence. That makes the two wins here in Dubai will have been a boost, especially the victory over Jack Draper who is Ranked considerably higher than the Frenchman.

Arthur Rinderknech has dropped a set in both wins this week, but his serve is still a big weapon with 89% of games ending in holds.

He has offered little in the returning department, but has made use of the moments when Rinderknech has found a way into those returning games here in Dubai.

It may be more difficult to do that against Andrey Rublev who has won all three previous matches against Arthur Rinderknech and all of those have been on the hard courts.

The lower Ranked player has not only struggled for consistency on the return, but Arthur Rinderknech has allowed Andrey Rublev to Break in 30% of return games played against him.

In the 2024 US Open, Arthur Rinderknech will have felt he should have beaten Andrey Rublev having moved two sets ahead, but the current form suggests this one should be a match that the World Number 18 can eventually control and cover the handicap set.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Felix Auger Aliassime-Jiri Lehecka Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-1, + 2.53 Units (5 Units Staked, + 50.60% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 25th February)

Last week was a tough one for the Tennis Picks and that has dented some of the early numbers, which have been updated below.

At least Tuesday proved to be a decent start to the next set of tournaments to be completed before the entire Tour moves to Indian Wells.

The opening selections on Wednesday are from the ATP Dubai event, but any additions from the other ATP 500 event in Acapulco will be added to this thread.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Stan Wawrinka: A crushing win in the First Round has moved Daniil Medvedev into a match with a veteran having one last hurrah on the Tour.

As far as we know, Stan Wawrinka is going to be retiring at the end of the 2026 season, even if some are speculating that he may choose to play on if he can maintain the current levels being produced. He has been able to rejoin the top 100 of the World Rankings and Wawrinka had little issue in coming through his own First Round match, although the level of opponent picks up considerably on Wednesday.

The older player has been relying very much on the strong serving to put himself in a position to win matches, but Stan Wawrinka has found it very difficult on the return. That has led to plenty of defeats in 2026, but he is outperforming expectation levels and Stan Wawrinka has a 2-3 record on the hard courts when only considering matches played against top 100 Ranked opponents.

Daniil Medvedev has been struggling to back up his own serve as effectively as he will need if he is going to win big titles, but there has been little wrong with the return.

In the First Round, Medvedev broken the Juncheng Shang serve four times and ended up producing a comfortable win over Stan Wawrinka when these two last faced one another on the Tour in Rotterdam in February 2025.

The line is a dangerous one if Stan Wawrinka continues to serve as well as he has been in the opening weeks of the season.

However, you do have to feel that Daniil Medvedev can force his way into enough rallies to eventually create the Break Points needed to have a chance of covering and he can wear down the veteran over the course of a couple of hours on the court in Dubai.

Karen Khachanov - 2.5 games v Jenson Brooksby: It has been a difficult start to 2026 for Jenson Brooksby who had suffered opening Round defeats in Melbourne, Dallas and Doha. Prior to the arrival in Dubai, Brooksby had only earned a single win on the Tour in 2026 and that was against an opponent Ranked way outside the top 500.

It makes his First Round win in this tournament feel really important and especially as it came against an in-form Zizou Bergs.

Now the American has to face another player who is producing some confident tennis when taking on Karen Khachanov- last week Khachanov reached the Doha Quarter Final before losing in a tough battle against Carlos Alcaraz. Karen Khachanov has to be really happy about his run in Doha and the World Number 16 has been playing with more confidence compared with his opponent.

Holding onto 89% of his service games will always give Karen Khachanov a chance to win matches.

You may not always see Karen Khachanov as a really strong return player, but his numbers on the hard courts have tended to be solid enough. We have not seen him find the consistency on the return in 2026 compared with the numbers he has produced in recent years, but Khachanov may feel he can put plenty of pressure on Jenson Brooksby and his 78% service games held mark.

Two previous matches on the hard courts have ended with each of these players winning once- the most recent of those have been won by Karen Khachanov in Cincinnati last summer as the Tour continued building up towards the final Grand Slam of the season.

Prior to that, Jenson Brooksby beat Khachanov in Indian Wells, but that was back in 2022 and it is the higher Ranked player who looks to be putting together enough quality tennis to frank the victory earned on the hard courts several months ago.

Tallon Griekspoor-Alexander Bublik over 0.5 Tie-Breakers: This is going to be the fifth time that these two opponents are meeting on the Tour and it is Alexander Bublik who has won all of the previous four.

All of those wins have been on the hard courts with the most recent being right here in Dubai two years ago and Alexander Bublik looks to be playing with a lot more joy and confidence on the hard courts.

That has seen him open 2026 with a 12-3 record on a surface that Bublik has openly disparaged, and he has been really dominant behind serve with 88% of service games ending holds. This has been the important part of the wins that have been produced, but Bublik still needs to find some improvement on the return of serve with just 18% of return games ending with a Break.

He will know what to expect from Tallon Griekspoor, although Bublik will have to respect the fact that the World Number 25 looks to have fully come out of a slump in form to open the season.

Tallon Griekspoor lost his first four matches this year, including his opening match at the Australian Open, but he has reached a couple of Quarter Finals on the hard courts of Montpellier and Rotterdam. Those are indoor hard court events, but Griekspoor is going to hope he can continue to find some rhythm on the serve with the full knowledge that his return has not been good enough or consistent enough on the hard courts.

In 2026, Griekspoor has only broken in 10% of return games played and you have to believe that the serve is going to be extremely important for both players.

In the previous four matches, Tallon Griekspoor and Alexander Bublik have competed in nine sets- six of those have needed Tie-Breakers, including both played here in Dubai a couple of years ago and they may need at least one in this Second Round match.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Karen Khachanov - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Tallon Griekspoor-Alexander Bublik Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 2-0, + 1.63 Units (2 Units Staked, + 81.50% Yield)

Season 2026: 54-44, + 9.96 Units (164 Units Staked, + 6.07% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 24th February)

The Tennis Tour continues this week with the ATP 500 events being the big tournaments to be played, while the WTA Tour turns its attentions to the upcoming Indian Wells Masters.

The majority of the top names will be finally earning some rest after the controversial swing through the Middle East, and the same will apply in the main for the top names on the ATP Tour. None of these events are mandatory for the latter, while that is not the case for those on the WTA Tour and that is something that will need to be addressed.

On Tuesday, any selections from the ATP Acapulco event will be added to this thread and the season total will also be updated.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Juncheng Shang: This is the second time during the Middle East swing that these two players are facing off and Daniil Medvedev is expected to frank his win over Juncheng Shang.

The Australian Open run ended very disappointingly and Medvedev has struggled for some consistency since then.

He has now lost three of the last four matches played, but the exception is the win over Juncheng Shang in Doha and Daniil Medvedev is still playing at a level that should be too good for the World Number 262.

Injuries have contributed to that World Ranking mark for a 21 year old who was as high as World Number 47 less than eighteen months ago. Juncheng Shang has a 3-3 record on the hard courts at the start of the 2026 season, but the losses have all been pretty comfortable and that means the numbers being produced are not very impressive.

Juncheng Shang does have a serve that can cause problems, but he has only been breaking in 14% of return games played, which has put pressure to serve well. He was not able to impose that shot on Daniil Medvedev in Doha with the second serve in particular being a shot that was attacked by the higher Ranked player and that saw Shang broken three times.

The Daniil Medvedev serve is not as potent a weapon as you would expect for a former Grand Slam Champion, but the World Number 11 has long been someone who can rattle opponents with his return of serve. This year Medvedev has been breaking in 31% of return games played and he will have learned plenty about the opponent when beating him pretty convincingly in Doha.

It may not be quite as wide as that win last week, but Daniil Medvedev can be backed to cover the same line that was presented to him in the other tournament taking place on this Middle East swing.

Jakub Mensik-Hubert Hurkacz over 0.5 Tie-Breakers: When they met at the Australian Open in January 2024, Jakub Mensik was an 18 year old trying to make an impact on the Tour, while Hubert Hurkacz was a top ten Ranked player.

The match lasted five sets before Hurkacz was able to pull through and the big Pole earned another win over Jakub Mensik last year on the clay courts of Rome.

That time it was Jakub Mensik who was Ranked higher than Hubert Hurkacz, but a bigger gap has developed between the players ahead of this latest match up in Dubai.

Only ten places separated them in May 2025, but now Mensik is on the edge of cracking the top ten of the World Rankings, while Hubert Hurkacz has slipped out of the top 50 as injuries and a loss of form have become contributing factors.

Hubert Hurkacz won four matches at the United Cup in the build up to the Australian Open, but has lost every match played since winning a First Round contest in Melbourne. The serve continues to be a huge weapon, but Hurkacz has been struggling on the return and that has led to a number of disappointing results at tournaments that have been played.

Jakub Mensik had been playing well in Melbourne, but was forced to give Novak Djokovic a walkover as he was not fit enough to take his place on the court. That has been one of the disappointing aspects of his career so far with injuries needing to be overcome, but Mensik has shown plenty of mental resolve and he bounced back to reach the Semi Final in Doha last week.

He has already won a title on the hard courts and Jakub Mensik will be confident enough in his serve, even if the numbers are a little below expectations- he has won 65% of service points played, but that has only led to 81% of service holds as he has perhaps struggled to win the big points.

However, the likelihood is that Mensik is not going to be facing a lot of Break Points in this one as long as he serves as he has been, while his own return is not expected to have the same impact against a server as effective as his opponent.

The younger player should eventually prevail, but it could be similar to the Doha Semi Final where you have to believe the servers can do just enough to force at least one Tie-Breaker.

In the two previous matches which have had eight sets played, three have needed Tie-Breakers and Jakub Mensik was not broken in the match on a clay court last year. In that one he took one Break Point, but a faster surface should suit both when it comes to the serving power and it would be a surprise if at least one of the sets is not decided by a first to seven point situation.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik-Hubert Hurkacz Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.53 Bet365 (1 Unit)

European Tour 1- Poland Open Darts Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 22nd February)

There were upsets on Day 2 as the top players on the Tour competed at the Polish Open Darts for the first time and the first European Tour event of the 2026 season will come to a close on Sunday.

Despite one or two players being dumped out unexpectedly, most of the leading contenders have fought through and the Third Round is set to be played in the Day Session.

Any selections from the Quarter Final matches, or any Outright Picks, will be added after the Round is completed around 4pm.

UPDATE: The Quarter Final lineup has been put together, but it has been a strong tournament for the Darts Picks from the first European Tour of the season.

Selections have been added for the Evening Session with the World Number 1 the feature.

Luke Littler to win & over 3.5 180s v Ross Smith: He won the World Masters, but Luke Littler has perhaps been lacking some motivation over the last couple of weeks having withdrawn from the opening Players Championship events.

The early form in the Premier League has been underwhelming, but Luke Littler is keen on becoming the first Champion of this European Tour event.

The performance in the win over Mike De Dekker was really impressive and Littler will know that he will need to keep that level up if he is going to get past Ross Smith and other players in the draw to take home the title at the end of the evening.

Matching the Smith scoring power is always key and Luke Littler can do that, although he will be aware that Ross Smith has had a solid week on the circuit.

Ross Smith was a comfortable winner in the Second Round, but he may struggle to deal with the overall strength of the Littler game and both should produce plenty of maximum hitting.

Jonny Clayton & Michael Smith over 2.5 180s: These two veteran players of the Tour met four times in 2025 and Jonny Clayton won three of those.

With that said and factoring in recent form, you can understand why Jonny Clayton is favoured to beat Michael Smith.

Both were playing well in the Second Round on Saturday and dishing out plenty of maximum hitting, although it can be tough to replicate that kind of level.

There is less to be concerned about when it comes to Clayton considering the overall form he has been producing throughout 2026, but Michael Smith is a lot more inconsistent these days.

His maximum power helped him past Joe Cullen, and Michael Smith did win six matches in European Tour 3 and European Tour 4 Qualifying before heading over to Krakow. That will have given Bully Boy confidence and this is a Third Round match that is expected to need at least nine Legs played, which will give both players a chance to hit at least three maximums.

Luke Littler to win & most 180s v Josh Rock: You have to like the way Josh Rock has been playing this weekend, but he has struggled at the Premier League level.

This is the kind of match up he has been struggling with and Luke Littler looks to be in very motivated form after crushing Ross Smith in the Third Round.

He had far too much for Rock at the World Masters and Littler's power scoring did for Ross Smith earlier in the day.

Luke Humphries to win & over 2.5 180s: He may not have been very happy with the crowd on Saturday, but Luke Humphries managed to get past the home favourite and has comfortably made his way into the Poland Open Quarter Final.

He faces Premier League rival Stephen Bunting in this Round and Luke Humphries has already gotten the better of him on the floor this season.

Last year Luke Humphries won three of the four Premier League games against Bunting and he managed three maximums in the win over Boris Krcmar.

He can match that in another winning effort to make it through to the Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Luke Littler to Win & Over 3.5 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton & Michael Smith Both Over 2.5 180s @ 2.60 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Littler to Win & Most 180s @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

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

Poland Open: 6-4, + 1.87 Units (10 Units Staked, + 18.70% Yield)