French Open Tennis Day 10 Picks 2026 (Tuesday 2nd June)

This has been quite a remarkable Grand Slam when you factor in all of the upsets in both the Men's and Women's events, but also adding the amount of long, competitive, brutal battles that the players have had to fight through.

There are times when it has felt like it is going to be a case of 'last man standing' for the players as the accumulated fatigue has built up, but there are a couple of players who have made their way through the draw without being overly taxed.

At least those getting through on Tuesday will be given at least one day of rest between matches if they are able to push into the Semi Final and that could be key in any recovery bid- however, both Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka have looked to be building towards a successful trip to Paris as favourites in the Men's and Women's events respectively.

It was easily the most frustrating day of the tournament for the Tennis Picks once Day 9 was finally completed.

A 2-3 record for the day is one thing, but it is the manner of those three defeats that will sting.

Anastasia Potapova had to chances to serve out the win in her match that would have secured the cover, but the failure of two Men's players stung so much more.

Flavio Cobolli led 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 5-1... But he somehow failed to serve out twice and missed the 7.5 game cover having won the fourth set on a Tie-Breaker.

Just when the feeling was that the day could not have a worse defeat, Frances Tiafoe was leading 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 4-1 and 40-15... Once again a double break lead was thrown away and this time he lost the Tie-Breaker and was eventually beaten 6-4 in the final set to miss the cover by, you guessed it, one game!

Perhaps these results are just a fitting part of what has been a remarkable French Open for gruelling matches and what has been a really tough tournament to predict.

Day 10, we go again.

Alexander Zverev - 1.5 sets v Rafael Jodar: He will go down in history as the answer to the quiz question 'who was the last player to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open' but Alexander Zverev wants to be remembered as a Grand Slam Champion. The most consistent successes he has had at a Major have been right here in Paris and the World Number 3 is the very strong favourite to finally win a Grand Slam after Alexander Zverev saw his main rivals dumped out of the tournament.

Last year the run ended in the Quarter Final Round, and some would have pause for thought when noting that Alexander Zverev is facing someone called Rafael in the last eight of the 2026 French Open.

This time it is not Nadal, but Jodar, and Alexander Zverev has been set as the favourite to earn a spot in the Semi Final.

Alexander Zverev has been in very strong form through the first four Rounds at the French Open, but he will be playing under different conditions in this Quarter Final. Overall the entire City is feeling much cooler than it was in the first week of this Grand Slam, but rain is forecasted for Tuesday and that could mean this Quarter Final is played under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof.

Experience of such conditions should mean Alexander Zverev is comfortable enough, although the pressure will be ramping up in each Round with the expectation building on his shoulders to finally bring home a Slam title.

It certainly feels like the window will be closing for Alexander Zverev who has just turned 29 years old, but that is far from the case for Rafael Jodar as the 19 year old has officially announced himself on the Tour by reaching a Grand Slam Quarter Final for the first time. The Spaniard is playing at a career best World Ranking mark, which is set to improve again at the end of the French Open, and one more win would push Rafael Jodar into the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time.

He enjoyed a strong build up to the French Open and Rafael Jodar has produced some solid numbers through the first four Rounds to earn this spot in the last eight.

However, Rafael Jodar has spent a lot more time on the court compared with Alexander Zverev and back to back five setters is far from ideal once you reach this stage of a Grand Slam event.

Plenty of grit and character has been shown as Jodar fought back from 2-1 behind in sets in the Third Round and then 2-0 behind in the Fourth Round, but that does mean perhaps exerting more energy than hoped before taking on the favourite for the title on Sunday.

A 19-3 record on the clay courts in 2026 deserves a lot of respect and Rafael Jodar has the potential to be challenging for Grand Slam titles in the years to come, but the experience of Alexander Zverev has to be an important factor.

Both players have been returning very well in the tournament, but there have been one or two signs that the accumulated fatigue could be building up for the teenager and that would leave Rafael Jodar vulnerable. His service numbers have been down in the last couple of Rounds and now having to face someone like Alexander Zverev who has been aggressive on the return could be a decisive factor in the outcome of this Quarter Final.

Alexander Zverev will know that he will have to serve well to just make sure he is not offering up too much encouragement for Rafael Jodar and that may be the key to moving into yet another French Open Semi Final without needing a deciding set to get through.

Jakub Mensik-Joao Fonseca over 37.5 games: In the bottom half of the Men's tournament draw, Alexander Zverev is the favourite and will be a new face holding a Grand Slam title if he does go on and win the French Open as favourite.

It is Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have been leading a new generation forward and made things very tough for the likes of Zverev after the 'Big Three' era, but fans have been hoping a third or fourth name will end up coming through to challenge the current top two in the World Rankings.

With that in mind, the fact that three of the four players making up the bottom half of the draw are 20 years old or younger is clearly exciting for fans of the sport and one of Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca are on the cusp of another big breakthrough in their careers. Both are moving closer to the top ten of the World Rankings thanks to the run they have produced at the French Open and this Quarter Final has rightly been selected for the Night Session on Day 10 of the tournament.

Throughout this Grand Slam, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca have shown real character and determination to battle through adversity- after his Second Round win, Jakub Mensik had to be helped off the court after competing in brutal conditions, but he has managed to beat Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev since then and the World Number 27 will have taken a lot of confidence in the manner he put those wins together against two players who have been comfortable top ten Ranked players on the Tour.

At the same time, Joao Fonseca has beaten Novak Djokovic from two sets behind and he knocked off Casper Ruud in four sets in the Fourth Round, a player who has reached multiple Grand Slam Finals. The win over Djokovic is the second time Joao Fonseca has come back from 2-0 down in sets to win during this tournament and the 19 year old Brazilian has picked up plenty of confidence from his own performances.

The edge here has to be with Joao Fonseca on the numbers being produced in the run here in Paris as well as the overall clay court performances in 2026.

It feels like there is more pressure on Jakub Mensik to serve well, although the 20 year old is going to believe he has shown a bit more consistency on the return, which will give him every chance of earning another upset.

With both players being young and still building up experience of the Tour and handling the schedule, it is no surprise that Mensik and Fonseca have suffered a couple of disappointing defeats in the build up to the French Open. Those are not likely to be on the mind in this Quarter Final and there is every chance that this is going to be another match that goes pretty deep involving these two this year.

They have met once before on the Tour, but that was at the Next Gen Finals, which are played in a first to four games format to win a set- that match was played in November 2024 and both Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca served really well, although it should be noted that it was a match played on a hard court.

On a clay court Joao Fonseca deserves the edge, but Jakub Mensik has shown he can give as good as he gets and there should be plenty of big winners produced by both youngsters.

As long as the match goes at least four sets, there is every chance that this total games line is going to be surpassed and that is the approach to take with the expectation being Joao Fonseca will be the one to just about come out on top.

Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 games v Sorana Cirstea: There has been plenty to like from Mirra Andreeva regardless of the surface she plays on, but it is the clay courts where she has had her most consistent success at Grand Slam level. The hard court performances have been disappointing in the main, especially when you think of the kind of tennis that Mirra Andreeva can produce at her best, but she did reach the Quarter Final at Wimbledon last year.

At the French Open, Mirra Andreeva has now reached the Quarter Final in each of the last three seasons, but the World Number 8 has yet to reach the Final and there are tough opponents to see off if she is going to change that fact in 2026.

Twelve months ago, Mirra Andreeva was upset as a significant favourite when losing to Lois Boisson at the same stage and she is going to be favoured in this Quarter Final.

However, the layers are affording plenty of respect for Sorana Cirstea and the year the 36 year old has been putting together.

At the start of the season, Sorana Cirstea announced she will retire at the end of the 2026 season and there was no reason to doubt that having had a successful career, but one that had produced a couple of Quarter Final runs at Grand Slam events.

One of those was at the French Open all the way back in 2009 when Sorana Cirstea was a 19 year old, but she matched that run in 2026 and once again is being asked if she will think about reversing her decision to retire. Performances have been consistent throughout the clay court season, which has pushed Cirstea into the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time, while the Romanian could potentially be a top ten player if she can somehow win the title in Paris.

Sorana Cirstea has yet to drop a set at the French Open, but she was given her sternest examination in the Fourth Round, while it should not be ignored that she has not beaten anyone Ranked higher than World Number 68. A win over Aryna Sabalenka in Rome shows what Sorana Cirstea can do, but her three clay court losses this season have been against Coco Gauff (twice) and Mirra Andreeva.

That came in a Quarter Final in Linz and Mirra Andreeva has reached the Final in Madrid, the Semi Final in Stuttgart and the Quarter Final in Rome to underline how well and how consistently she has been performing on the clay courts. The match between these players was very competitive, but Andreeva had been the stronger player on the day and that eventually showed up on the scoreboard.

Her own run at the French Open has been impressive in terms of results, but Mirra Andreeva has benefited from facing three players Ranked outside of the top 100, although she is the only one of the two Quarter Finalists to have beaten a Seed to reach the last eight.

Both have produced solid numbers, but it is the Mirra Andreeva serve that feels like the best shot on the court- if she can serve up to her usual level, Andreeva is likely going to produce more Break Points than Sorana Cirstea and that may lead to the higher Ranked player fighting through.

Another battle like in Linz would not be a surprise, but the edge here is with the younger player to find a way, even if the storyline of Sorana Cirstea's season is one that will pull on the heartstrings a little more and no one would begrudge seeing her reach the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 games v Elina Svitolina: This is going to be a proud moment for Ukrainian tennis when two players from the nation step out onto the court for this French Open Quarter Final and both Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk have made note of that already. Both have reminded the press about the issues affecting people back at home and there will be plenty of admiration for one another across the net.

Once the match gets underway, all of that has to be put to the side and both are going to be incredibly motivated to try and reach the Semi Final at this Grand Slam.

Marta Kostyuk has upset Iga Swiatek during her run to the French Open Quarter Final and remains unbeaten on the clay in 2026, which includes picking up a big title at the WTA 1000 event held in Madrid. She has improved to 15-0 in clay court matches and Marta Kostyuk looks to be playing with a huge amount of confidence in her tennis.

The way she was able to get the better of Iga Swiatek can only have impressed, although this is relatively new ground for Marta Kostyuk and we need to see how she can handle the occasion.

The 23 year old has only played in one Grand Slam Quarter Final, while she has reached the second week one just another two occasions so this is going to feel like a pretty new experience. Marta Kostyuk had been an opening Round loser at three of the previous four Grand Slam events before the French Open got underway, while four of the six previous appearances at Roland Garros had also ended in First Round defeats, but there is no doubt that Kostyuk is feeling pretty good about her tennis right now.

She is 5-0 against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay this season, while four of those wins have been against players Ranked inside the top 13- Marta Kostyuk's numbers in those matches are very, very impressive as she has crushed those who have stepped in front of her and that will give her a whole lot of confidence to take into this Quarter Final.

The experience edge is with the older Ukrainian, but Elina Svitolina has to show she can hold herself together at the business end of these Grand Slam events.

It was Elina Svitolina who won the other WTA 1000 event in the build up to the French Open when taking the title in Rome, while this is going to be the fifteenth time she has played a Quarter Final in a Grand Slam event. Seven of those have been since returning to the Tour in 2023, while ths is the sixth Quarter Final Elina Svitolina will compete in at the French Open, including the third time in four editions of this Slam.

However, Elina Svitolina has a 4-10 record in Grand Slam Quarter Final matches and she is 0-5 here at the French Open.

Things have gotten away from the World Number 7 in those Quarter Final matches at the French Open and Elina Svitolina has managed to win a single set across those five previous occasons when she has reached the last eight of the tournament. She has been in consistent form through the first four Rounds here in Paris in 2026, but Elina Svitolina has not had the most taxing draw.

A 6-1 record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay courts will give her a lot of confidence, which includes beating Belinda Bencic in the Fourth Round, but Elina Svitolina's numbers are not as impressive as those produced by Marta Kostyuk in the same kind of situation. A battling character has come through some tough moments to keep winning, which has to be respected, but Elina Svitolina may need a bit more if she is going to reach the Semi Final here for the first time.

The home crowd are likely to rally behind Elina Svitolina, but she did lose the most recent meeting against Marta Kostyuk, albeit on a hard court, and the feeling here is that the younger Ukrainian player is in the stronger overall form.

As long as Marta Kostyuk can deal with the occasion, the expectation is that she can find a way past Elina Svitolina into the Semi Final on Thursday.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 William Hill (2 Units)

Jakub Mensik-Joao Fonseca Over 37.5 Total Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 22-18, + 0.14 Units (76 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 9 Picks 2026 (Monday 1st June)

The upsets have continued to spring up over the last couple of days at the French Open and that left both Men's and Women's tournaments with a clear favourite, but with every other player likely to believe they can win the second Grand Slam of the 2026 season.

New Champions in both events will be crowned after Iga Swiatek was beaten on Sunday.

Pressure will begin to play its part, while the conditions in Paris are changing with cooler weather and rainy conditions likely replacing the heatwave that covered the first week of the tournament.

After a couple of difficult days for the Tennis Picks, there was something of a fightback on Sunday and the Day 9 Picks can be read below.

Flavio Cobolli - 7.5 games v Zachary Svajda: Ever since Jannik Sinner has been knocked out of the French Open, the Men's tournament has had a lopsided feel to the bracket and the top half is wide open.

Six of the eight players who reached the Fourth Round of the bottom half of the draw were Seeded players, but only three of the eight in the top half. That does build up some pressure with many players perhaps feeling they will not have a better chance to reach a Grand Slam Final and Flavio Cobolli should be credited for his performance in the Third Round.

Seeing his compatriot dumped out of the draw means Flavio Cobolli has to believe he is the favourite to reach the French Open Final from this half of the draw. That could have made him tense when facing Learner Tien in the Third Round, but Flavio Cobolli rolled past the American and now faces another opponent from that nation.

Learner Tien had shown some positive form prior to the French Open, which means the run from the Seeded player was not that surprising.

That is far from the case for Zachary Svajda, who had previously been beaten in Qualifiers in each of the last two seaosns at the French Open. The World Number 85 also had a 1-5 record on the red dirt in the build up to the second Grand Slam of the season, but Zachary Svajda has enjoyed his time in the main draw and earned a huge upset in the Third Round against Francisco Cerundolo.

After blowing a two set lead, all credit has to be given to Zachary Svajda for rallying in the fifth set decider and it is comfortably the best clay court win he has produced in Paris at this tournament. The previous two wins had been against players that prefer faster surfaces, but Cerundolo is a very effective clay courter and beating him will have given Zachary Svajda a huge amount of confidence.

The 23 year old American is going to be taking a big leap in the World Rankings and setting a new career high, no matter when the tournament ends, and so it is been a productive event for Zachary Svajda.

He will want that to continue, but this is a tough looking match up and Flavio Cobolli should be much fresher of the two players having moved through the opening three Rounds in straight sets.

The first serve is going to be key for Svajda, but you have to believe that Flavio Cobolli is going to have too much knowledge of clay court tennis for the underdog in this Fourth Round clash.

Flavio Cobolli is not the most convincing of return players on the clay courts, which is a potential issue when it comes to this spread, but Zachary Svajda was only holding 65% of service games prior to the unexpected successes he has had in Paris.

He may continue defying his previous form on the clay, but Flavio Cobolli feels the right player to end that run after the crushing win over Learner Tien, while the Italian has a win over Svajda on the hard courts and so should have enough experience to know what to expect from the underdog in this Fourth Round contest.

Frances Tiafoe - 0.5 games v Matteo Arnaldi: The top half of the Men's tournament has offered up big opportunities for every player involved and both Frances Tiafoe and Matteo Arnaldi came through tough five setters to earn their place in the Fourth Round.

That time spent on the court can be very difficult to overcome at the business end of any Grand Slam tournament, while both players also have to deal with much different conditions compared to what has been seen in the first week of the tournament. Heat makes it easier to hit through the clay, but the dampening conditions makes it tougher and that should favour Matteo Arnaldi.

The Italian beat Frances Tiafoe on a clay court in Madrid in April 2025, but that was a very competitive match and it is Tiafoe who had been producing a bit more consistency on the surface prior to the French Open beginning.

Back to back five setters cannot be a good thing for Frances Tiafoe, but he was able to largely cruise through the last two sets in the Third Round, unlike Matteo Arnaldi who had to win a final set Tie-Breaker to earn his place in the second week.

Out of the two players, Matteo Arnaldi can take some confidence from having won a Challenger title on the clay courts in the lead up to the French Open, while he earned a couple of solid wins at the Rome Masters before losing to Rafael Jodar. The three wins at the French Open will show a player in good form and one who is operating with plenty of belief in his own tennis, but the same can be said for Frances Tiafoe who had a 4-3 record on the clay prior to the French Open getting underway.

The two styles are quite different- Frances Tiafoe will be relying on the serve, while Matteo Arnaldi will believe he is the stronger return player. On a clay court, returning may be a big factor in the outcome, especially if the cooler and potentially wetter conditions make the court play slower than we have seen throughout the French Open.

In the two previous matches on the Tour, Frances Tiafoe has been winning more return points of the two players and that may give him the edge in this competitive Fourth Round match.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Naomi Osaka: For the first time in three years, the French Open organisers have scheduled a Women's match for the Night Session on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Plenty have criticised the organisers for failing to use a Women's match in a primetime spot, but the reason that has been given is that there is every chance that those matches will not provide value for money and so a best of five set Men's match has been preferred.

It will put some pressure on the shoulders of Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka to provide the right amount of entertainment for fans who are paying a premium to attend the Night Session.

However, you have to believe that two multiple time Grand Slam Champions are able to cope with that expectation and this feels like a big Fourth Round match after the Women's tournament saw the likes of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek join Elena Rybakina in being eliminated before the Quarter Final.

This has hardened Aryna Sabalenka into being favourite to win the title in Paris over the next few days after finishing 2025 as Runner Up at this event.

She has not played a lot of clay court tennis in preparation for the French Open, while an early defeat in Rome will have meant there were some questions for Aryna Sabalenka to answer when she arrived in the French capital. Three straight wins and all in straight sets will have been a good response to any doubters, but Aryna Sabalenka will be aware that this is the toughest test she will have faced at the French Open to this stage of the tournament.

Naomi Osaka has won four Grand Slam titles, but all on the hard courts and the last of those was at the Australian Open in 2021- she has struggled to return to the consistent level she once produced and the Fourth Round run here in Paris is only the second time Naomi Osaka has reached the second week of a Grand Slam tournament since her last Major in January 2021.

Last September, Naomi Osaka reached the US Open Semi Final, but the French Open and Wimbledon have been her poorest Grand Slam events and this is the first time she has reached the business end of either of those tournaments.

The win over Iva Jovic and the manner in which it was produced will have given Naomi Osaka confidence, but this is a tough test for the World Number 16 who has struggled for consistency on the clay courts.

Serving well will give Naomi Osaka a chance, although she will have to get plenty of first serves in play to put Aryna Sabalenka under pressure in what are expected to be warm conditions, but nothing like what has been seen in Paris over the last few days.

Improving the return against the elite players on the Tour is another challenge for Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka will be confident having beaten her pretty convincingly twice already this season.

One of those wins was on the clay courts of Madrid as Aryna Sabalenka recovered from losing an opening set Tie-Breaker to roll through the next couple of sets.

In the two matches played against one another this season, Aryna Sabalenka has been the much superior server and she is the better clay court player. There will be moments where Naomi Osaka will be able to get on top of the rallies, but the World Number 1 may not have many better chances to win a Grand Slam title in Paris and she can record a confident victory in this big Fourth Round match.

MY PICKS: Flavio Cobolli - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Frances Tiafoe - 0.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Maja Chwalinska - 3.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Anastasia Potapova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 20-15, + 2.74 Units (66 Units Staked, + 4.15% Yield)

European Tour 8- Baltic Sea Darts Open Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 31st May)

The tournament is going to be completed on Sunday, but there have not been a lot of good angles to play over the last two Rounds.

The Baltic Sea Darts Open completed the Third Round earlier in the day and the Quarter Final matches have been set, which begin at the earlier time of 5pm in the United Kingdom.

MY PICKS: Luke Woodhouse/Kevin Doets/Wessel Nijman Treble @ 2.54 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ryan Joyce @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

French Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2026 (Sunday 31st May)

It has been a tough couple of days for the Tennis Picks, but the second week is underway at the French Open and the selections from Day 8 can be read below.

Alexander Zverev - 7.5 games v Jesper de Jong: Most of the ambitions that Alexander Zverev would have had when entering professional tennis have been met, but the big miss on his resume is a Grand Slam title. He has reached Finals before and Alexander Zverev should have beaten Dominic Thiem in the US Open Final, but the World Number 3 has come up short and the elusive Major has remained out of his grasp.

Before the French Open began, Alexander Zverev was one of the top three favourites to win the tournament in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz.

The draw placed him in the tougher half of the bracket, but Alexander Zverev remained the favourite to find his way into the Final and the first week of this French Open tournament could not have gone much better for him. As mentioned, Alcaraz already announced he was missing this Grand Slam and later included Wimbledon as he looks to recover from a wrist injury, but the Grand Slam door looks wide open for Alexander Zverev to walk through after both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were beaten before the Fourth Round.

Alexander Zverev must focus and not think too far ahead, but this Fourth Round match should be one that he is very comfortable with.

The highest Ranked player that Alexander Zverev has beaten in Paris is Tomas Machac, the World Number 43, and the favourite for the title now faces the World Number 106 in the Fourth Round.

The live Ranking has Jesper de Jong moving into the top 80 and he is playing with 'house money' having entered the main draw of the French Open as a Lucky Loser when Arthur Fils had to withdraw. That meant facing former French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka in the First Round, but Jesper de Jong took advantage of his fortune to still be playing in Paris and won that match in four sets, while also upsetting Karen Khachanov in five sets in the Third Round.

Wins like that will give Jesper de Jong a lot of confidence to take into the Fourth Round match, but he will also know that Alexander Zverev represents another raise in level of opponent.

Before the run here, Jesper de Jong had been just 9-8 on the clay courts in the build up to the French Open, while he had a 1-4 record against top 100 Ranked opponents ahead of the upset of Khachanov in the last Round.

His numbers in the previous five matches against top 100 Ranked opponents have seen Jesper de Jong hold 71% of service games played and break in 18%- he outperformed those in the Third Round win, but spending almost four and a half hours on the court is not ideal.

Alexander Zverev dropped a set at the French Open for the first time in the Third Round, but he has been cruising through the draw and this is a player who is 14-0 on the clay courts against players Ranked outside the top 20. He has held 87% of service games and broken in 32% of return games against that competition and so Zverev should be pretty confident he can make progress.

It will certainly help that the highest Ranked player left in the Men's tournament has played Jesper de Jong twice before on the clay courts, once in Hamburg in 2024 and here at the French Open in the Second Round twelve months ago. In that match, Alexander Zverev dropped the first set before cruising past the Dutchman, while holding 91% of service games played across those two matches compared with Jesper de Jong's 56% mark.

Pressure will be building on Alexander Zverev who may feel this is his time to finally win a Grand Slam title, but he should be comfortable in this match up and can cover this spread.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Marta Kostyuk: At the time of writing, the majority of the top WTA players have made it through to the draw with the exception being Elena Rybakina and this Fourth Round match at the beginning of the second week could give the winner a huge boost in confidence.

In fact, some may even believe that the winner of this Fourth Round contest is the favourite to come out of the bottom half of the French Open draw to reach the Final next Saturday.

Marta Kostyuk is the lower Seed and the underdog,  but the World Number 15 has reached this career high mark earlier this month after winning eleven straight clay court matches, which meant picking up a couple of titles, including the big WTA 1000 event in Madrid. A decision was made to skip Rome, which began days after Madrid, but that has not curtailed the growing confidence and Marta Kostyuk has won three more matches here to reach the Fourth Round of the French Open for just the second time, and just the fourth time she has managed to do that at Grand Slam level.

The best run remains reaching the Quarter Final at the Australian Open in 2024, but Marta Kostyuk's run to the US Open Fourth Round last year was the first time she had reached the second week of a Slam since that run in Melbourne.

It should be noted that in fourteen clay court wins in 2026, Marta Kostyuk has dropped a ser just four times, while the four wins over top 50 Ranked opponents have come in very impressive manner.

Martak Kostyuk has not had to beat anyone Ranked higher than World Number 82 in her three wins at the French Open, but this time she takes on Iga Swiatek who is a four time former Champion here and someone who has not been beaten before the Quarter Final in any of the last six French Open runs.

The World Number 3 has won all three matches in Paris without dropping a set, but Iga Swiatek's build up for the French Open was far from convincing- a Quarter Final defeat in Stuttgart and a Semi Final defeat in Rome was about as good as it got, but that is a surprise for Swiatek fans when you think of her history on the red dirt.

Much like her opponent, Iga Swiatek has still produced some eye-catching numbers on the clay this season and she has a winning record against top 50 Ranked opponents, although not nearly as impressive as the perfect record held by Marta Kostyuk.

However, it is Iga Swiatek who may hold he mental edge having beaten Marta Kostyuk in all three previous matches on the Tour, even if the last of those was in 2024. It has been the Iga Swiatek serve that has proven to be the difference, although in 2026 Marta Kostyuk will feel she has grown with experience to offer a much tougher test than the routine defeats suffered before.

The closest of the three defeats came back in 2021 at the French Open when Iga Swiatek eventually prevailed 6-3, 6-4, but it was the match where Marta Kostyuk was able to have her most consistent success on the return of serve.

Five years on, the Ukrainian will feel she can do even better with a fourteen match winning run on the clay behind her, but the expectation is that Iga Swiatek will still have a little too much knowhow on this surface and can narrowly cover this spread after a battle.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 7.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.61 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 17-14, + 0.48 Units (58 Units Staked, + 1% Yield)

European Tour 8- Baltic Sea Darts Open Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 30th May)

There are some really good looking matches to be played at the European Tour event in Kiel as the Seeded players join the Baltic Sea Darts Open.

However, it feels like the margins are pretty tight and only two selections will be made from the two Sessions to be played.

Both Picks are from the Day Session, but there will hopefully be stronger options to get behind on Day 3 when the tournament is completed.

Luke Woodhouse to win & over 1.5 180s v Andrew Gilding: In the space of three Players Championship tournaments played earlier this month, both Andrew Gilding and Luke Woodhouse won titles for the first time on the floor.

The latter of those saw Luke Woodhouse beat Andrew Gilding 8-4 in the Final, but both disappointed days later at the European Tour event last weekend.

Luke Woodhouse is one of the Seeded players here and so joins the Baltic Sea Darts Open in the Second Round, but Andrew Gilding does have a win under his belt from the Day Session on Friday. That will at least make himself feel better after the very early loss at the International Darts Open against a struggling opponent, whereas Luke Woodhouse came up short against Kevin Doets having rallied to force a decider.

Both players are capable of heavy scoring, but Luke Woodhouse has perhaps found that treble 20 bed with a bit more regularity and that should see him edge past Goldfinger.

He will have to score well and Luke Woodhouse can add a couple of maximums on his way through to the Third Round.

Joe Cullen to win & over 1.5 180s v Dave Chisnall: Three years ago, Dave Chisnall won the title here, but it has been a tough season for the World Number 26.

Dave Chisnall has lost five of the last six matches played and looked completely out of sorts when being beaten 6-0 by James Wade last week.

His head to head with Joe Cullen will give Dave Chisnall some confidence, but the former has won a match in the tournament and was very unfortunate to loss to Ross Smith last week at European Tour 7. The fact that Ross Smith went on to win the title last time out will at least mean Joe Cullen can believe he is playing well having come up short against the eventual Champion.

As stated before, Joe Cullen can be very difficult to trust with his inconsistencies, but he has produced more positive recent form compared with Dave Chisnall and that could show up in this Second Round match.

MY PICKS: Luke Woodhouse to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Joe Cullen to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Baltic Sea Darts Open: 3-1, + 2.29 Units (4 Units Staked, + 57.25% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 7 Picks 2026 (Saturday 30th May)

Jannik Sinner was beaten and Carlos Alcaraz never made it to Paris and so many Novak Djokovic fans would have been hoping the quest to win a 25th Grand Slam title would end in Paris over the next several days.

At 2-0 ahead in the Third Round, all seemed to be going to plan.

However, Jose Fonseca was able to fight back and outlast the 39 year old and become just the second player to ever beat Novak Djokovic from that position.

Over the next few days and then weeks into Wimbledon, fans will question whether Novak Djokovic will ever have a better chance to win another Grand Slam- even Djokovic has to be wondering if there is enough left in the tank to put together a seven match winning run to do that.

Despite the loss of some big names, the French Open will continue moving forward and the first week of the tournament officially comes to a conclusion on Saturday when the Third Round is completed.

There are some quality players looking to cement their own berths into the second week of this Grand Slam, but they will have to manage what is forecasted to be the one last day of challenging hot conditions. Rain is expected in Paris on Saturday evening and that is going to cool things down, although the roof on the main show court at Roland Garros could be getting significant use over the next several days.

Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 games v Daria Kasatkina: After seeing the likes of Elena Rybakina and Jannik Sinner dumped out of the French Open before the end of the first week, Aryna Sabalenka and her fans will be happy with the relatively comfortable progress being made.

The wins have not stood out, but they have seen Aryna Sabalenka work herself into the matches and then go through the gears in the second set and the World Number 1 should not have been overly taxed through two Rounds. The match up in this Third Round contest is one that should appeal to Aryna Sabalenka and she has been set as a big favourite, which is not going to be a surprise to anyone.

It has been just shy of two years since Aryna Sabalenka last faced Daria Kasatkina on the Tour, but the former has won seven of the previous seven matches, including the last four in a row. Those have been one-sided wins, although Daria Kasatkina may feel her best chances of upsetting the top Seed will be on a clay court.

She represents Australia these days and at 29 years old, it does feel like Daria Kasatkina's best days are behind her- the World Ranking reflects that with Kasatkina outside of the top 32 having been a top 20 Ranked player twelves month ago.

Over the last twelve months on all surfaces, Daria Kasatkina holds a 20-18 record and that is down to the two wins she has produced at the French Open. Beating opponents Ranked 66 and 218 is not going to prepare Kasatkina for the challenge of facing the very best player on the Tour, while she holds a 6-4 record on the hard courts when facing top 100 Ranked players this season.

Only one of those players has been Ranked inside the top 20 and Daria Kasatkina will be well aware that she is going to have to play some of her best tennis in recent times to offer up a challenge to Aryna Sabalenka.

It should be noted that Aryna Sabalenka had limited clay court preparation ahead of the French Open this season, but that match up against Daria Kasatkina should give the top Seed the confidence to roll through this Third Round match.

Aryna Sabalenka has broken the Daria Kasatkina serve at least four times in each of the last eight matches played against one another and there is a vulnerability to that part of the latter's tennis.

Both previous clay court matches have been won by Aryna Sabalenka too, including once here at Roland Garros, while the heat of Paris should make the Belarusian's serve a key difference between the players.

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Diane Parry: There is no telling how things may have changed within a match if Julia Grabher was fully healthy, but that is not Amanda Anisimova's issue and she has made it through to the Third Round at the French Open having needed to win just three sets.

After missing the entirety of the clay court season, there will be a concern that Amanda Anisimova will be undercooked the longer this tournament goes on. That is especially the concern if the American is not having to win full matches to progress, although Amanda Anisimova has previously enjoyed enough positive runs at the French Open to feel very confident in her ability.

It probably helps that Amanda Anisimova is moving through a pretty comfortable portion of the draw.

Next up there will be the challenge of facing a home player on what can be rowdy French Open courts, but Amanda Anisimova is rightly set as the favourite she goes up against Diane Parry in the Third Round at Roland Garros.

Diane Parry had shown little form on the clay courts with four straight defeats on the red dirt, but things turned around in Paris, albeit at a 125 level event played earlier in the month. She won the title there and looks to have found some confidence, despite a Second Round exit in Strasbourg last week.

The tournament could have been over for Diane Parry in the First Round when she failed to win a game in the first set against Anhelina Kalinina, but the confidence earned over the last three weeks perhaps turn that match back around. A much more routine win was produced in the Second Round against a Seeded American, but Diane Parry will know that Amanda Anisimova brings a different level of test.

The key for the World Number 92 is going to be serving well and seeing if she can put some pressure on Amanda Anisimova.

However, that would also need Diane Parry to pick up her level on the return and this Third Round match could be one in which Amanda Anisimova is able to turn up the heat to eventually overwhelm the home player.

Covering will be a test, but Amanda Anisimova can find the Breaks needed to edge past this number.

Flavio Cobolli - 1.5 sets v Learner Tien: The upset of the tournament in the Second Round saw Jannik Sinner leaving the French Open draw and that has opened up the top half of the Men's draw at this Grand Slam.

Italians will be very disappointed that the World Number 1 has exited before the start of the second week, but Jannik Sinner's pain could be his compatriot's gain- Flavio Cobolli is the second highest Seed left in the top half of the draw and he has made comfortable progress through the first couple of Rounds.

Flavio Cobolli has not dropped a set in two wins in Paris, but neither player he has beaten have been Ranked higher than Number 92 and that means this is a significant step upwards in the Third Round.

Pressure will have intensified on all in the top half knowing that a huge opportunity has opened up to reach a Grand Slam Final and that is something that Flavio Cobolli will have to deal with. Last year he reached the Quarter Final at Wimbledon, but the clay courts should be a more comfortable surface, although Cobolli has to respect the talent of the player standing on the other side of the net.

In the sole previous match between these players, it was Learner Tien who came through very comfortably, but that was a match played on the clay courts.

Learner Tien did win the title in Geneva in the week leading up to the French Open, and he has now won six clay court matches in succession having previously been just 3-3 on the surface in 2026. Winning the title in Geneva really came out of left field and before this run of wins, Learner Tien had been just 8-14 in clay court matches in his career and that suggests Flavio Cobolli should have perhaps been set as a harder favourite.

In the Second Round, Learner Tien needed five sets and over four hours on the court and that is a potential factor for a player who did not take the week away from action directly before this Grand Slam tournament began. In matches played against top 50 Ranked opponents, Tien had been 1-6 before the run in Geneva when he won three such matches, but he is going to have to dig pretty deep to beat Flavio Cobolli on this surface.

There is so much to like about the way Learner Tien approaches his tennis, but it is Flavio Cobolli who has the edge when it comes to the serving numbers and that could be key.

The lower Ranked player has shown a bit more resiliency in the return, but Flavio Cobolli should be the fresher player on the court and that can see him find a way to win this one, most likely in four sets.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Flavio Cobolli - 1.5 Sets @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

Raphael Collignon - 1.5 Sets @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 14-10, + 2.88 Units (46 Units Staked, + 6.26% Yield)

European Tour 8- Baltic Sea Darts Open Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 29th May)

The long Premier League Darts season which covers the majority of the opening five months of the season has come to a conclusion with Luke Littler regaining the title he lost last year.

Once again it was a Final featuring Littler and Luke Humphries and that has led to new calls for the Premier League format to be changed.

The criticism is that we are seeing the top players face one another far too often in the current format and that is something that will lose the uniqueness of those battles- we all want to see the best face off, but they become special battles when they are not occurring every other week and that is something the PDC should be noting.

The Premier League is over, but the next several weeks are pretty busy on the PDC Tour.

Another European Tour event begins on Friday with the First Round played over two Sessions and this tournament will be competed on Sunday.

Before the next big Ranking event- the World Matchplay in July- there are a number of events taking place that will feature some big names.

The World Cup of Darts is played on the opening weekend of the 2026 Football World Cup, but there are also three European Tour events, two Masters tournaments, and six Players Championship events scheduled to be played.

The cutoff point for entry into the World Matchplay tournament is early July and that means there are plenty of players competing at events to build up their Ranking Points so they can compete.

And that means we are in for another important weekend for those competing, especially as the Baltic Sea Darts Open is missing big names that were involved in Premier League action on Thursday.

Ross Smith took advantage of that last weekend with his first European Tour title and there will be plenty of players involved this weekend who will certainly believe they can pick up the trophy when all is said and done.

Ryan Joyce & Krzysztof Ratajski double: For the second week in a row, Ryan Joyce and Christian Kist meet in a European Tour event, although this time it is a First Round match.

Last week Kist was a late entry into the International Darts Open as he took the place of a Seeded player withdrawing, but he was well beaten by Ryan Joyce.

Relentless is expected to have enough to get the better of Christian Kist again, especially if he can build on last weekend when reaching the Quarter Final.

In the Afternoon Session, Joyce can be doubled up with Krzysztof Ratajski who has plenty of European Tour experience and can edge out Daniel Klose.

The World Number 143 has been playing pretty well, but Ratajski should have a couple of gears to go through and he should be able to reach the Second Round after a bit of a battle.

Niels Zonneveld to win & most 180s v Richard Veenstra: An all-Dutch First Round match should be a decent watch, but the edge has to be with Niels Zonneveld, even if he has not been at his best over the last few weeks.

He is still playing well enough to beat Richard Veenstra, who has lost four matches in a row, and Niels Zonneveld should have the edge in the maximum hitting.

Kevin Doets to win & most 180s v Lukas Wenig: The recent form produced by Lukas Wenig is going to have to be improved significantly if he is going to win this First Round match at the latest European Tour event.

He is a capable player when putting his best foot forward, but the consistency has been lacking and that leaves Wenig vulnerable when coming up against Kevin Doets.

This may be one of the last few occasions when Kevin Doets is asked to play on the opening day of an European Tour event and he is definitely going to be targeting a place at the World Matchplay.

Kevin Doets will be disappointed to have been beaten in the Third Round last week at the International Darts Open, but he has the scoring power to make sure he begins another positive run at the Baltic Sea Darts Open.

Dirk van Duijvenbode to win & most 180s v Paul Krohne: Doubling is always going to be the key to winning any Darts match and it was the finishing that let Dirk van Duijvenbode down last week in his defeat to Rob Cross.

His scoring remains an important part of his game and the Dutchman should have enough of that to create more chances to win Legs and then Matches.

Paul Krohne has flashed his ability on European Tour events in 2026, but this is another level compared with his usual competition.

That has meant losing three in a row and Dirk van Duijvenbode can complete the Match Double within this First Round contest. 

MY PICKS: Ryan Joyce & Krzysztof Ratajski Double @ 2.09 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Niels Zonneveld to Win & Most 180s @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Kevin Doets to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Dirk van Duijvenbode to Win & Most 180s @ 2.20 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 74-102, - 14.85 Units (173 Units Staked, - 8.58% Yield)