Wimbledon Tennis Day 5 Picks 2026 (Friday 3rd July)

The opening three days of the 2026 Wimbledon tournament were difficult for the Picks, but the Day 4 selections provided something of a bounce back, although with plenty of work still to do.

Two Rounds have been completed and the test for the players is going to increase significantly over the coming days as the heat begins to pick up in London and that means those who have been involved in tough opening matches could be lacking some energy.

Focus is going to be key as the tournament concludes the first week of the tournament over the next two days- Middle Sunday is no longer a tradition here so the Fourth Round will begin on that day rather than the Manic Monday that used to be arguably the best day in the sport.

Most of the top names have managed to work their way through the opening couple of matches, but the level of competition will ramp up from the Third Round.

There are some good matches scheduled on Friday when the Third Round begins, but we are now down to using four courts as the number of Singles matches are reduced across both Men's and Women's tournaments.

Hopefully that also means the momentum from Day 4 can kick the Tennis Picks forward on Day 5 when it all goes again.

Joao Fonseca - 1.5 sets v Roman Safiullon: The first big breakthrough at Grand Slam level was made at the last Major when Joao Fonseca reached the French Open Quarter Final and he is one win away from reaching the second week at Wimbledon for the first time. The teenager has a big reputation, but it should be remembered he is relatively inexperienced, despite being high enough in the World Rankings to earn a Seed, and Joao Fonseca is continuing to learn a little more with each tournament played.

He does not have an extensive resume on the grass courts, but Joao Fonseca has made casual work of the first two opponents in the draw and has yet to drop a set. The wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Jesper de Jong both deserve respect for the manner in which they were put together, while Joao Fonseca has already matched the run to the Third Round here that was achieved last year.

Taking advantage of the draw was key for Joao Fonseca was beaten in the Third Round by a Qualifier Ranked outside of the top 100, but one who had been much higher in the Rankings previously before injuries saw Nicolas Jarry drop down.

A similar challenge has cropped up for Joao Fonseca in 2026 as he takes on a Qualifier in Roman Safiullon who is the World Number 132, but who had been inside the top 40 in January 2024.

Five sets had been needed for Roman Safiullon to come through the Third Qualifying Round and he has needed four hours in each of the opening two wins in the main draw, which have both ended in final set tie-breakers. One of those was an upset over Andrey Rublev, but it should be noted the amount of work that Roman Safiullon has had to put into the tournament already and you do have to wonder if he will have the energy required to see off a talent like Fonseca.

Roman Safiullon has always served pretty well on the grass, but the return game has held him back and that is going to be an issue in a match like this one.

The heat is picking up in London, which brings another challenge for the lower Ranked player to face having invested so much to reach the Third Round of this Grand Slam.

Joao Fonseca should have plenty of respect for the upset that Roman Safiullon has already had in the draw to knock out one Seed, but the former should be much fitter when this Third Round match gets underway and that should see the teenager find a way to get through without the need for Roman Safiullon to be involved in another final set decider.

Hubert Hurkacz-Tommy Paul over 40.5 games: Barring a change in mind regarding his retirement, the answer to who beat Roger Federer in his final Grand Slam match will be Hubert Hurkacz, who upset the dominant Wimbledon Champion in a match right here in SW19 in 2021.

Hubert Hurkacz reached the Semi Final that year where he was beaten by Matteo Berrettini, but he was surprisingly beaten early in 2022 and 2024 and the best run the Pole has had at Wimbledon since 2021 is a single appearance in the Fourth Round. For a player with the serve that he possesses, Hubert Hurkacz will feel he should have had more success at Wimbledon and he remains dangerous.

Injuries have meant Hubert Hurkacz entered the main draw as the World Number 96 and so the two wins on the board feel important to just reverse a trend that saw him slipping out of the top 100. That would have meant having to go through Qualifiers for the biggest events on the Tour and it may have been a challenge for a 29 year old to want to dig in and go again.

Hubert Hurkacz has beaten both Casper Ruud and Sebastian Ofner without dropping a set, but he will be the first to admit that this Third Round match represents a significant step up in class.

In warm up events, Hubert Hurkacz was beaten in the First Round in Hertogenbosch and Second Round in Halle and now has to take on the Queen's Club Runner Up in Tommy Paul.

The American comes into the Wimbledon tournament as the Number 21 Seed, but Tommy Paul has not really ripped things up in SW19 as you may have thought. He does have one Quarter Final under his belt, but Paul won Queen's Club last year and was beaten in the Second Round at Wimbledon a couple of weeks later and so there will be a feeling that he has not achieved as much as he perhaps should have in this Grand Slam.

Tommy Paul is another player who has yet to drop a set in the tournament and he is a win or two away from cracking back into the top 20 of the World Rankings and having a real lift ahead of the US Open, which begins in late August. Much like Hubert Hurkacz, the Tommy Paul numbers show a player who has long been comfortable on the grass courts and so this has the makings of a competitive match.

Whoever serves closest to their best will win and conditions in London should see both rolling through those service games against largely limited returners.

Out of the two, the clear edge is with Tommy Paul as far as the returning goes, but Hubert Hurkacz will feel he can get into tie-breakers and then it just takes one or two good returns to win a set.

In the previous matches on the Tour against one another, Tommy Paul has shown that superior returning to hold a 3-1 advantage, although the two hard court matches have been split (the other two have been on clay). They are meeting for the first time on the grass, but the feeling is that Tommy Paul is playing at a higher level and should eventually come through.

However, Hubert Hurkacz can use the hotter conditions to make sure he is serving with effectiveness to at least win a set and there is every chance the players can combine for enough service games to eventually surpass this total line set.

Daniil Medvedev - 5.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: Playing back to back five setters with the last of those carrying into another day is far from ideal for 36 year old Jan-Lennard Struff and he is going to have to find some serious energy ahead of this Third Round match. The only positive is that he will not have been taxed in many long rallies in a Second Round match that featured well over 80 Aces between himself and Brandon Nakashima, but that does mean having to battle through some tough moments that can both tax a player mentally and physically.

Jan-Lennard Struff will use all of his experience to try and prepare for this Third Round match as well as he can, while he is well aware of the qualities of Daniil Medvedev, which should mean plenty of clarity as to what he must do to make this competitive.

Serving well is the absolute key and it has been the Struff serve that has helped him move through the opening two Rounds in the main draw. It is a weapon that can make things that much easier for the German, but Jan-Lennard Struff has twice tried to take down Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon before and lost in very similar fashions both times.

In 2021, Jan-Lennard Struff had beaten Daniil Medvedev on the grass courts of Halle, but lost in the First Round at Wimbledon to the same opponent after being outplayed in the first two sets, rallied to win the third set 6-4 and then losing in a fourth set tie-breaker.

That players met at Wimbledon again in 2024, but this time in the Third Round, and Daniil Medvedev outplayed Jan-Lennard Struff in the opening two sets, dropped the third 6-4, and then came through in a fourth set tie-breaker.

Daniil Medvedev recorded two wins over Jan-Lennard Struff on the hard courts in 2025 and in the career meetings, it has been the former who has tended to get a much better read on the return of serve and that has ultimately led to a lot more wins than defeats.

In this tournament, Daniil Medvedev has played one sloppy set, but largely been in control of both matches and he is quietly going about his business. A couple of decent, if unspectacular, runs in warm up events will have just reminded Daniil Medvedev of his ability to compete on the grass courts and he should have much more energy for much longer compared with the World Number 74.

Serving well will just keep the pressure on Jan-Lennard Struff and Daniil Medvedev may do enough to cover this handicap mark as he would have done with the scoreline produced in the two wins over this opponent at this Grand Slam event. It may take a bit of time to really take control if Jan-Lennard Struff is able to come out with some energy, but Daniil Medvedev looks to be playing at a level that can continue his dominance of this opponent.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 5.5 games v Marton Fucsovics: Winning the Boys Title at Wimbledon does not always mean that those names will go onto the senior Tour and have the same success at this Grand Slam in the Men's event.

For every Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer, there are a host of names who have won the Boys Title without having a big impact at the main Wimbledon tournament.

Two of those former Boys Champions are facing one another in the Third Round in 2026 and it is a big match for both Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Marton Fucsovics- between these players, there has only been one previous appearance in the second week at Wimbledon and that was in 2021 when Marton Fucsovics went on to reach the Quarter Final.

The record here will disappointment both players, but it does feel like Fucsovics has missed his opportunities to better that Quarter Final run, while Alejandro Davidovich Fokina arrived at Wimbledon as a grass court title winner in Mallorca. It is a reminder of his ability on the surface and the Spaniard has made easy work of the first two matches as he has pushed through without dropping a set.

Marton Fucsovics had little success in warm up tournaments for Wimbledon, but he has benefited form injury issues for his previous two opponents to reach the Third Round again. His First Round match only made it through four games of the second set, while Learner Tien was having a host of issues in the Second Round as he fell in four sets and that does mean there is a bit more uncertainty surrounding the current level being produced by Marton Fucsovics.

He is going to need to find another level to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who will feel that the Marton Fucsovics serve is vulnerable having allowed 18 Break Point chances in the win over Learner Tien. A healthier Tien might have won that match and Davidovich Fokina is unlikely to let Marton Fucsovics off the hook in this Third Round match.

Pressure can do a funny thing to players and there is pressure on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who has only reached the Quarter Final at Grand Slam level once before and who has not made the second week in 17 of the last 19 Majors he has competed in. The World Number 23 will expect to win this match and so will have to deal with the emotions around it, but Davidovich Fokina can do what is required to eventually pull through and cover this potentially awkward looking line on the way into the Fourth Round.

MY PICKS: Joao Fonseca - 1.5 Sets @ 1.70 William Hill (2 Units)

Hubert Hurkacz-Tommy Paul Over 40.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 5.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 21-19, - 5.92 Units (78 Units Staked, - 7.59% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 4 Picks 2026 (Thursday 2nd July)

The tournament continues at Wimbledon with the conclusion of the Second Round at this Grand Slam event on Thursday.

With other big sporting events scheduled to be played over this coming month, Wimbledon is perhaps struggling to earn the early headlines that they would usually expect. Unfortunately it is a year when a major international football tournament is also being played, which makes things tougher for this event to pick up the headlines, while this weekend we have the British Grand Prix and soon fans will be thinking about the latest edition of The Open.

Things should change as we get deeper into the third Slam of the season.

Most of the big names are ticking through the draw, which is going to set up headline-grabbing contests later in the tournament and the Third Round has already begun to take shape.

Heat is going to be the biggest challenge for the players from Friday through to the end of the 2026 Wimbledon tournament, and it may need the roof for assistance, but for now that is an issue that will have to be dealt with over the weekend and Thursday should still be comfortable enough for players involved.

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 games v Adrian Mannarino: There has always been a huge amount of comfort for Adrian Mannarino when he has played on the grass courts and the recently turned 38 year old has used the experience to help him get the better of younger opponents.

These days Adrian Mannarino is the World Number 40, but that is also a testament to the kind of tennis that the Frenchman can still produce. He was a very comfortable First Round winner when forcing his opponent to not create a single Break Point and Adrian Mannarino will certainly be playing with 'nothing to lose'.

At the same time, Mannarino will recognise the challenge in front of him against an opponent who has beaten him in four matches in a row.

Two of those wins have been on the grass courts, although Alex De Minaur had not faced Adrian Mannarino since the 2023 Queen's Club tournament before getting the better of the veteran in Hertogenbosch last month. It was a victory earned in the Semi Final, but that run will be a reminder to Alex De Minaur that he cannot afford too many slow starts.

It was a slow start in the First Round, but the scheduling to head out onto court just minutes after fiancee Katie Boulter suffered a defeat was not ideal for the Australian. Battling through the first set did give Alex De Minaur the confidence to roll through the next two sets and the feeling is that the World Number 6 can do something similar in this match.

When they met last month in the Hertogenbosch Semi Final, Alex De Minaur had a considerable edge on the return of serve.

The key is that the Australian has seen this lefty serve very recently and Alex De Minaur should be able to wear down Adrian Mannarino over three or four sets.

Taylor Fritz - 6.5 games v Patrick Kypson: This is a big spread for a player to cover when they have struggled on the return side of their tennis and especially on the grass courts.

However, World Number 7 Taylor Fritz is a pretty comfortable player on the surface and he should be able to get the better of compatriot Patrick Kypson who has limited grass court experience and who did not play a competitive tournament prior to Wimbledon getting underway. Patrick Kypson beat Mackenzie McDonald in the First Round, but this is a huge step up in terms of level with McDonald out at World Number 145 and Taylor Fritz in the top ten.

Earlier this year, Patrick Kypson reached the top 100 of the World Rankings, but he has dropped back out of those positions and it will be a challenge to put together the kind of results to see him earn a direct spot in the US Open in August. The First Round win is a big boost, but Kypson is going to be under pressure to serve well in this match against Taylor Fritz who reached the Final in Stuttgart and Halle, albeit coming up short in both.

Taylor Fritz has also reached the Quarter Final in three of the last four years at Wimbledon and broke through to reach the Semi Final in 2025.

Skipping out of the clay court season may have given Taylor Fritz time to get up to full health and he was pretty happy with his First Round performance. Reaching the Final has to be the aim in the half of the draw opposite both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner and especially with Ben Shelton also eliminated, but Fritz is going to be keen to just show how much he is focused on the task at hand.

The Patrick Kypson serve can be dangerous and it will make for a competitive set or two, but Taylor Fritz may eventually use his own serve to keep the pressure on the younger American and that could see things just run away from Patrick Kypson when all is said and done.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 6.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Kamil Majchrzak - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Flavio Cobolli - 1.5 Sets @ 1.70 William Hill (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Madison Keys - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Sorana Cirstea - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Linda Noskova - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 15-15, - 7.60 Units (58 Units Staked, - 13.10% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 3 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 1st July)

Day 2 completed the First Round at Wimbledon, bar a couple of the Men's matches that to had to carried over due to the fading light, but it was a day that I attended the tournament and that means a limited thread for the start of the Second Round.

A more normal looking thread will be out for Day 4, but for now, these are the selections from the matches to be played on Wednesday as we move into July.

MY PICKS: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 8.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Ethan Quinn - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Brandon Nakashima - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Felix Auger Aliassime - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Rafael Jodar - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Novak Djokovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 9-10, - 6.78 Units (36 Units Staked, - 18.83% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 2 Picks 2026 (Tuesday 30th June)

There are always going to be days of frustration when making picks from a Tour as long as the Tennis one, but the key is to flush those and look to bounce back.

Jan-Lennard Struff blew a 2-0 lead to eventually come through 3-2 against Sebastian Baez, but that was followed by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina failing to cover the handicap, despite leading 6/4, 6/4, 3/0 and with a double break of serve in that third set.

Blowing that lead is one thing, but he later led that set with another break at 6/5, but ultimately settled for a tie-breaker success and missing the cover by a single game- if both had landed the other way, Day 1 of the 2026 Wimbledon would have been a decent one.

There were one or two players that just fell short of the criteria and seeing both win comfortably only doubled down the irritation of Day 1, but the First Round has yet to be completed and there is an opportunity to get things turned around.

Day 2 looks like another busy one for the selections, but it is a day where backing a number of players to get through matches without the stress of a deciding set is catching the eye.

Some of the prices are not going to be rushing people out with excitement, but it remains the time of the tournament where trying to lay a positive foundation is the key for what is to come.

Alex De Minaur - 8.5 games v Roman Andres Burruchaga: The connection with Katie Boulter will mean Alex De Minaur should be receiving plenty of support from the London crowd much like Boulter gets when the opening Grand Slam of the Tennis Tour is played in Melbourne. The World Number 6 is pretty comfortable on the grass courts too and Alex De Minaur has been set as a strong favourite to get through this First Round match at SW19.

Two warm up events have been played in Hertogenbosch and Queen's Club and Alex De Minaur reached the Final of the former and the Quarter Final in the latter.

Alex De Minaur should be pretty happy with the numbers produced as he has held 83% of service games played and broken in 32% of return games across those two warm up tournaments, while the opening match here at Wimbledon pits him against someone who is perhaps not so comfortable on the grass.

Roman Andres Burruchaga is the World Number 66 and reached his best career World Ranking just last month when pushing up to World Number 56, but the 24 year old is someone who will almost exclusively play in clay court events. Over the last twelve months, Burruchaga has a 45-20 record in clay court matches, but is 4-6 on hard courts and he is making his debut in the main draw at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

In 2024, Roman Andres Burruchaga won a couple of Qualifying matches before missing out on the main draw in a Third Qualifying Round defeat, while last year he was beaten in the Second Qualifying Round. In one warm up event ahead of Wimbledon 2026, Roman Andres Burruchaga was beaten in three sets by Arthur Fery at Eastbourne and the Argentine has struggled with his return on the lower bouncing grass courts compared with the clay courts.

After winning just 60% of service points played against Arthur Fery, Roman Andres Burruchaga has a lot of room for improvement if he is going to find a way to challenge Alex De Minaur.

It also should be noted that since the start of Wimbledon 2022, Alex De Minaur has a 16-1 record against players Ranked outside of the top 50 in grass court matches and had won fifteen in a row before losing to Kamil Majchrzak in the Hertogenbosch Final earlier this month. He got back on track in that situation when beating Gabriel Diallo at Queen's Club and the 27 year old has held 87% of service games and broken in 32% of return games in that seventeen match run.

This is a very big number and opening matches at Wimbledon can take a bit of time for the top players to really find their rhythm, but Alex De Minaur should have far too much knowledge of playing on this surface for Roman Andres Burruchaga. That should eventually show up on the scoreboard as Alex De Minaur moves through the gears and he should be able to find the breaks that will be needed to cover this mark.

Otto Virtanen-Ben Shelton over 10.5 games first set: Any Qualifier that had to play through the London heatwave last week will have left something on the court, but those players may also have plenty of confidence of at least rattling opponents now we move into main draw action.

One of those making it through the Qualifiers is Otto Virtanen and the 25 year old is someone who has shown a confidence in playing on the grass courts. Three Qualifying wins has pushed the grass court record to 10-3 this year, while Otto Virtanen won all six grass court matches last year before picking up an injury that meant he missed competing at Wimbledon.

The World Number 140 could make a significant move in the World Rankings if he can find an upset or two at this tournament, but Otto Virtanen has been paired with Ben Shelton in the opening Round and it may be a big ask to remain in the draw at the end of Tuesday.

Ben Shelton has a very big game and it should be well suited to the grass courts- he reached the Quarter Final at Wimbledon last year and that means the American has done that at three of the four Grand Slams played with the exception being at the French Open, which is really not a big surprise.

He is the World Number 5 and Ben Shelton is one of the leading contenders at this Grand Slam, especially being placed in the other half of the draw compared with the likes of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. Ben Shelton warmed up for Wimbledon by winning the title in Stuttgart and followed up with a run to the Quarter Final in Halle and this is a big time server who has held in 93% of service games played on the grass in 2025 and 2026.

Breaking Ben Shelton is going to be a big ask for Otto Virtanen, but he will take confidence in his own service numbers against an opponent who has broken in just 11% of return games played on the surface this year.

The career number is at 12% for breaks of serve on the grass and it is expected to take Ben Shelton a bit of time to perhaps earn a read on the Otto Virtanen serve.

An opening set tie-breaker would surprise no one, but the layers are offering up odds against for the first set to get to 5-5 and that looks the play.

A consideration was given to backing this match to finish above the line set for total games, but that will need both players to win a set and it would not surprise me if Ben Shelton gets stronger as this match goes on, while Otto Virtanen may weaken. However, that could come after a very competitive first set and backing that one to move past this total number of games is the selection.

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v Alexander Blockx: After finally getting over the line and winning a Grand Slam title when picking up the trophy in Paris at the French Open, Alexander Zverev will be hoping for a late surge in Major title victories.

He now knows he can win the biggest titles on the Tour having come so close previously, but Alexander Zverev has yet to have that kind of impact at Wimbledon.

The World Number 3 is the Number 2 Seed at this Grand Slam tournament due to the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, but it is a surprise that Alexander Zverev has reached at least the Semi Final at the other three Grand Slam events, but failed to make the Quarter Final at Wimbledon. The best runs have been reaching the Fourth Round on three occasions, but this is a player who has reached the Final in Halle a couple of times and also reached the Final in Stuttgart to suggest he is more than capable of having a big run at Wimbledon too.

Winning the French Open may inspire better from Alexander Zverev who will be facing Alexander Blockx for the third time in two months when they meet in the First Round here.

A match that was originally scheduled for Court One has been moved onto Centre Court after Jack Draper's withdrawal from the tournament and Alexander Zverev will be happy enough with his run to the Semi Final in Halle in his sole competitive preparation for this Grand Slam.

It is more than can be said for Alexander Blockx who has never played in the main draw at Wimbledon and who did not take in any warm up events ahead of this tournament in 2026.

Last year he was beaten in the Third Qualifying Round and Alexander Blockx finished with a 4-4 record on the surface, but seven of those matches were against players Ranked outside the top 100 and this match up has already proven to be a tough one for the young Belgian.

There is a concern with an ankle issue that has meant Alexander Blockx had to withdraw from the French Open before the Second Round match against Alex De Minaur and which has forced him to miss the warm up events for Wimbledon. He has already struggled to be competitive against Alexander Zverev in two clay court matches, which is where Blockx may have felt most comfortable, and it is going to be very tough to stop the French Open Champion in this opening match at Wimbledon with little competitive tennis under the belt.

In those previous two matches, Alexander Zverev has dominated behind serve, but also done enough to put together pressure for breaks in 33% of return games played.

Returning on the grass courts has proven to be much more challenging for Alexander Zverev, but he should be able to work his way into this First Round match and the comfort with what is expected from the other side of the net is also a factor in this one. As the match wears on, Alexander Zverev should be able to take more and more control and it should mean he eventually is able to push through to the Second Round behind a pretty routine win.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 8.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Otto Virtanen-Ben Shelton Over 10.5 First Set Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 2.20 William Hill (2 Units)

Karen Khachanov - 1.5 Sets @ 1.70 William Hill (2 Units)

Jakub Mensik - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)
Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 Sets @ 1.57 William Hill (2 Units)

Grigor Dimitrov - 1.5 Sets @ 1.53 William Hill (2 Units)

Jiri Lehecka - 1.5 Sets @ 1.57 William Hill (2 Units)

Kamil Majchrzak - 1.5 Sets @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)
Francisco Cerundolo - 1.5 Sets @ 1.60 William Hill (2 Units)

Flavio Cobolli - 1.5 Sets @ 1.57 William Hill (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 William Hill (2 Units)

Serena Williams @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 3-4, - 3.68 Units (14 Units Staked, - 26.29% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 1 Picks 2026 (Monday 29th June)

The grass court season still feels too short, even though an extra week has been placed in between the French Open and the start of Wimbledon.

The third Grand Slam of the 2026 season gets underway in SW19 on Monday, the only Slam that still begins on a Monday, although the tradition of Middle Sunday being left vacant has been consigned to the history books.

One tradition that remains is that the Mens Champion from the previous year will be given the honour of opening Centre Court on Monday and then the Ladies Champion will have the same honour on Tuesday. That is something that is unique to Wimbledon and should be the case in the years ahead and it is also looking like the weather will play ball over the next fortnight.

Better news is that the heatwave from last week in London has moved on for a few days, but it is going to be warm and that should mean decent conditions for all looking to have a big two weeks and pick up a Major title.

There are plenty of big storylines to play out over the next two weeks, but one of the biggest is the return of Serena Williams as she enters the First Round as a Singles Wild Card.

The American is scheduled to be out last on Tuesday on Centre Court and there are going to be plenty of eyes on how Williams performs having left the Tour after a Third Round defeat at the 2022 US Open.

Now, at 44 years old and soon to turn 45, Serena Williams is back and this is certainly the story to follow as long as she is in the draw- there is a chance that Saturday will be Serena Williams vs Iga Swiatek in the Third Round if both can win a couple of matches and having the seven time former Champion at Wimbledon taking on the defending Champion would even take some of the headlines away from the Football World Cup being played in North America.

Serena Williams is an 80-1 shot to win an eighth Wimbledon title in two weeks time, but eight years have passed since she last lifted the trophy here and that is unlikely to be snapped.

There are four single digit priced players in the draw and this does feel like another very open Grand Slam tournament where the top names and surprising contenders will all believe they can win the title.

It is no surprise at all that Jannik Sinner is a short priced favourite to defend his title, but this would become a wide open draw if he was to be upset early as he was at the French Open.

Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton follow in the market, but it does feel like a tournament that Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite- however, unlike the French Open which was dominated by Zverev once the World Number 1 was eliminated, this Wimbledon draw would represent a real opportunity for so many names if Sinner was to fall again.

Day 1 looks like it will be a very busy start for the Tennis Picks and those can be read below.

The French Open began really well, but it turned into a Slam that produced a little profit rather than really building on the first half of the 2026 season.

The overall numbers remain in a decent position, but there are still two Grand Slam tournaments and other big Masters events to get through before all is said and done and the hope if that we have a strong start to the 2026 Wimbledon and give us something to build upon.

Jannik Sinner - 8.5 games v Miomir Kecmanovic: The last time anyone saw Jannik Sinner on a tennis court, he was wilting in the Paris heat and being unexpectedly dumped out of the French Open in the Second Round.

The World Number will return to Wimbledon in 2026 and has the honour of opening up Centre Court as the defending Men's Champion, but Jannik Sinner will want to erase the memory of his last Grand Slam appearance. He is surely going to be happy to hear that the London heatwave is expected to have moved on by the time Day 1 begins at the third Grand Slam of the 2026 season and Jannik Sinner will be confident in his chances of having a deep run here.

Mentally he will have to show that the upset loss at the French Open has not derailed him, while Jannik Sinner may feel under some pressure having failed to win the first two Grand Slams of the season. The absence of Carlos Alcaraz meant he was the clear favourite to win in Paris and there is a similar amount of expectation being burdened by the Italian over the next fortnight.

However, the one difference is that Jannik Sinner has won the title at Wimbledon, whereas he is still waiting for the first French Open title, and that should help.

Over the last couple of years, Sinner has developed into one of the top players on grass, which is also important considering how many players dislike the month on this surface between the French Open and European clay court/North American hard court tournaments.

One of those players that may be looking forward to the end of the grass court season is World Number 57 Miomir Kecmanovic, although he did reach the Quarter Final in Mallorca in the lead up to this Grand Slam.

He has also reached the Third Round at SW19 in the last two years, but Miomir Kecmanovic has perhaps enjoyed the draws and that is not going to be the case in the First Round in 2026. It should also be noted that his last four defeats here have been against Novak Djokovic twice, Diego Schwartzman and Jannik Sinner and those losses have all been in one-sided fashion.

The serve is key on the grass courts and Miomir Kecmanovic is holding 81% of his service games played on this surface in the lead up to Wimbledon- that number dips to 63% when only considering matches against top ten Ranked opponents, while Kecmanovic was broken at least five times in each of those defeats to Novak Djokovic (twice) and Jannik Sinner at this Grand Slam.

Jannik Sinner may just need to settle into this match, but there is every chance he can begin to roll through the gears and exorcise any demons remaining from the French Open with a relatively straightforward win to earn a spot in the Second Round.

He has won all four previous Tour matches against Miomir Kecmanovic and Jannik Sinner has been able to hold 91% of his service games compared with 67% for the underdog and that could be the case on Centre Court when Day 1 of Wimbledon is played.

Brandon Nakashima - 5.5 games v Jack Pinnington Jones: Down the years, those who had success at Queen's Club in West London would usually have a lot of momentum to take on their short journey to Wimbledon.

That is still the case to some extent, although the quality of the field that is attracted by one of the big grass court tournaments ahead of the third Grand Slam of the season has perhaps weakened. There was a time when the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal would play at Queen's ahead of Wimbledon, but most of the top names skipped the warm up events in 2026 and that has allowed others to gain that momentum and confidence in their absence.

One of those will be Seeded Brandon Nakashima who reached the Semi Final at Queen's before losing to eventual Champion Francisco Cerundolo.

The American is at his best on the faster surfaces and he has really taken a liking to the grass courts in recent years, while a win over someone like Alex De Minaur will do Brandon Nakashima the world of good. Plenty of wins have been produced on this surface since 2024, but most encouraging for Brandon Nakashima is the manner in which he was returning serve in that Semi Final run in West London earlier this month.

The Nakashima serve has always stood him well on the grass, but backing that up with the same level of returning produced at Queen's will make the World Number 31 very dangerous.

He opens up with a match that will be played against a home player and one who earned an opening Round upset at Wimbledon last year- this means Brandon Nakashima will likely have to play against a vocal crowd too, although his only focus will be on Jack Pinnington Jones standing on the other side of the net.

Jack Pinnington Jones is one of six British men who have received a Wild Card into the main draw, but he has not been able to take advantage of similar opportunities handed to him at Queen's and in Eastbourne. Losses to Denis Shapovalov and Jack Draper underline the level that still has to be found by the 23 year old if he is going to become a regular on the Tour, especially at this level, and there could be plenty of pressure on him to serve very well to remain competitive.

You would expect Pinnington Jones to be able to do that for a while, but Brandon Nakashima should keep the pressure on him with his own serve, as well as that improving return play.

The higher Ranked player has a 26-7 record on the grass courts when facing a lower Ranked opponent and Brandon Nakashima has broken in 22% of those return games played.

The handicap could be in an awkward number if Brandon Nakashima was to drop a set, but he should still have the quality and the experience to eventually wear down Jack Pinnington Jones in this best of five set format and that should be evident on the final scoreboard.

Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 sets v Marin Cilic: This is the second meeting between these players during this grass court season and Daniil Medvedev is expected to back up the victory over Marin Cilic at Hertogenbosch by getting the better of him at Wimbledon.

They have met at Wimbledon before back in 2021 when Marin Cilic was Ranked Number 37 and Daniil Medvedev was the World Number 2 and the latter needed to fight back from 2-0 behind in sets to battle through in five sets in what was then a Third Round match.

Suffice to say, Daniil Medvedev may have hoped for an easier First Round match than this one, although Marin Cilic is now 37 years old and the World Number 60, while a 2-2 record on the grass in the lead up to Wimbledon will not be inspiring a lot of confidence. His game has always been well tailored for the grass courts and Marin Cilic has enjoyed considerable success at Wimbledon, although reaching the Quarter Final in three straight years before finishing Runner Up came between 2014 and 2017.

Last year Marin Cilic surprisingly reached the Fourth Round here, which included upsetting home favourite Jack Draper in the Second Round, but the veteran is going to have to find a significant improvement in the serving.

When Marin Cilic faced Daniil Medvedev in Hertogenbosch, the former 53% of points behind serve and was broken five times, although Cilic will take some confidence from the fact that such a poor performance still saw him win a set.

Much like he has on the clay, Daniil Medvedev has struggled to really find his consistency on the grass courts and that can make him vulnerable, although he did reach the Semi Final here at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024. However, last year Medvedev was beaten in the First Round and that makes this match a bit more awkward, even after putting together a 4-2 record on the grass over the last couple of weeks.

You have to feel that Daniil Medvedev has to start with some intensity and that means serving well to try and keep the pressure on Marin Cilic, who will have some early pop on his own delivery.

Attacking the Cilic second serve is important, but just keeping the scoreboard pressure on the veteran could be enough to extract a loose game or two and Daniil Medvedev's recent experience of facing Marin Cilic should help.

A Semi Final run in Hertogenbosch and a Quarter Final run in Halle will certainly have Daniil Medvedev well prepared for this match and the expectation is that he will have a little too much energy for the older player.

There is no doubting that Marin Cilic is very dangerous, but that should be something that focuses the World Number 8 and Daniil Medvedev should be able to beat the Croatian at Wimbledon for a second time in his career, albeit this time without the need for a fifth set.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 5.5 games v Juan Manuel Cerundolo: This will not make nearly the same impact as the upset that Juan Manuel Cerundolo produced at the French Open when beating Jannik Sinner from 0-2 behind in sets.

However, it would be an upset considering the lack of grass court pedigree that Juan Manuel Cerundolo has had on the surface throughout his career.

In fact the first two grass court wins were secured last week in Eastbourne against the World Number 43 and then World Number 118, but Cerundolo was beaten in the Quarter Final in straight sets by Toby Samuel, the World Number 142. That leaves Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a career 2-6 mark on the grass courts and his sole appearance in the main draw ended in a routine 6/2, 6/2, 6/2 defeat to the aforementioned Jannik Sinner.

That is not to say that the World Number 45 should not be happier on the grass courts considering his brother, Francisco, just picked up the title at Queen's. It is an achievement that should inspire Juan Manuel Cerundolo, although he is in for a tough test against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The Spaniard is moving back up the World Rankings and just won the title in Mallorca on the grass courts in the lead up to Wimbledon, although you do have to wonder if that is ideal preparation for a Day 1 start on Monday. It means Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is going to have little time to get ready for the different conditions in Mallorca compared with London, but this is a player who has reached the Third Round at Wimbledon in each of the last two appearances here.

It should help him settle, even with a day of rest between matches, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be a threat if he can continue to serve as he has in warm up tournaments. That will be more of a challenge against some of the better players on the Tour, but Davidovich Fokina should be able to impose that shot on Juan Manuel Cerendolo.

The underdog has struggled with his return on the grass and his own serve has not been nearly as effective, which does give Alejandro Davidovich Fokina an edge in this First Round match.

In one previous match on the Tour, the higher Ranked player moved past Juan Manuel Cerendolo in straight sets at the US Open and the grass should give Alejandro Davidovich Fokina a stronger advantage.

Covering this handicap mark will not be easy, but Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has what it takes to do that in this opening contest.

Novak Djokovic - 7.5 games v Yibing Wu: With the main ambition to secure a 25th Grand Slam title keeping him on the Tour, the other events around the Grand Slams are beginning to see less and less of the legendary Novak Djokovic.

After a relatively early exit at the French Open, Novak Djokovic will begin his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title, which would see him match the total Roger Federer secured at this event.

There is still something left in the tank as Novak Djokovic showed when reaching the Australian Open Final in January, while he has long suggested he still believes he can win a Grand Slam as long as he is not in a position of having to beat both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the space of a few days. There is no Alcaraz at this tournament, but the World Number 1 is a potential Semi Final opponent, although Novak Djokovic will not be thinking of anything other than making sure he reaches that stage in his own right.

At 39 years old, every tournament becomes that much more challenging, but Novak Djokovic remains one of the top grass court players on the Tour.

He got through the opening three Rounds without breaking too much of a sweat twelve months ago and it feels key for Novak Djokovic to get through the early matches without exerting too much energy and effort.

First up for the former World Number 1 is a match against Yibing Wu who is the World Number 99 and with much less grass court experience compared with the player standing across the net.

This is going to be the tenth grass court match in Wu's career, while Novak Djokovic has won seven in a row seven times to pick up Wimbledon titles, and that edge in experience could show up on Centre Court.

Yibing Wu has a 1-3 record on the grass in 2026, but the concern is that all of those matches have been against players Ranked outside of the top 100.

He has only been able to hold 76% of service games in those matches and Novak Djokovic is still capable of breezing past opponents that have to deal with the legendary status around the Serb, as well as the quality he can still produce on the court.

Injuries have perhaps played a part in the Novak Djokovic performances since the Australian Open Final, and he is just 4-3 on the Tour since that defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. However, two of those wins were at the French Open and Novak Djokovic can make a strong start to his latest bid for another Grand Slam title and that includes covering this potentially awkward handicap line.

Novak Djokovic may start a little slowly, but he should have enough Break Point chances to find the breaks needed to cover the line and he can be backed to do that.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 8.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Brandon Nakashima - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Novak Djokovic - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Denis Shapovalov - 1.5 Sets @ 1.70 William Hill (2 Units)

Jan-Lennard Struff - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Martin Damm - 1.5 Sets @ 1.57 William Hill (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Season 2026: 131-109, + 11.90 Units (351 Units Staked, + 3.39% Yield)

2026 World Cup- Last 32 Knock Out Round Picks (Sunday 28th June-Friday 3rd July)

The 2026 World Cup has felt like it has made a relatively low key start- there have been some strong stories with the likes of Cape Verde and South Africa pushing into the Knock Out Rounds, while some of the leading names in the sport have made a big impact in the Group Stage.

However, it has also felt like there has been a lack of jeopardy in the Group Stage, although don't mention that to the very disappointing Marcelo Bielsa and his Uruguay squad, and that has perhaps meant there is not nearly the same sense of drama as in previous tournaments when only two out of the four teams in each Group would be progressing to the latter stages of the competition.

The hope is that the Last 32 Knock Out ties will begin to raise the temperature around the matches, although those in London and the UK may have had just about enough of the heat in recent days, and that intensity increase should make the games a little more appealing all around.

Before the tournament began, there would have been some criticism of this extra Round in the Knock Out Bracket, but there are some good looking matches to be played with the most notable being the Netherlands facing Morocco and Portugal taking on Croatia.

Once this Round is in the books, the Last 16 has the potential to put together some very high quality teams and that should really get this World Cup Finals moving in a very positive direction for fans in the Stadium and those watching on from back home.

In three weeks time, the team holding the World Cup crown for the next four years will be confirmed and all involved in the Knock Out Bracket will give themselves a moment to dream.

2026 World Cup Last 32 Picks

Sunday 28th June

South Africa vs Canada Pick: Two of the three co-hosts finished top of their World Cup Groups and that has meant having home advantage for the next two Knock Out Round ties if they can keep winning.

The exception is Canada after they were beaten 2-1 by Switzerland in the final Group game and that means having to move out of Vancouver and head into the United States.

First up is a match against surprising South Africa who were beaten in the opener by Mexico and then needed a very late equaliser to avoid virtual elimination against Czechia. An upset over South Korea helped South Africa reach the Knock Out Rounds of the World Cup for the first time, but they will need to be more composed in the final third if they are going to keep those upsets going.

South Africa have taken plenty of shots in the last couple of games, but they are not always making the best decisions in the final third and that is likely going to let them down.

This Canada team have come through what looks a weak Group and there is still a concern that they do not score enough goals having managed eight in the Group Stage, but six against Qatar. Scoring once in each game against European opponents Bosnia-Herzegovina and Switzerland is an issue, even if Canada created the better chances in both games and perhaps were a little unfortunate to only earn a single point.

The hope, and expectation, is that this South Africa team is one of the more manageable Last 32 opponents that Canada could have asked for and they should have the superior firepower in the final third to make the difference.

Credit has to be given to South Africa for finding a way out of the Group Stage, but it was a weak section that only provided two teams in the Last 32 and Canada can win this one in normal time.

Monday 29th June

Brazil vs Japan Pick: Topping the Group ahead of Morocco has given Brazil the opportunity to face a Runner Up, but this fixture against Japan has every chance of becoming very awkward for the five time former World Champions.

Twenty-four years have passed since Brazil last won the World Cup and this squad and manager is under pressure to deliver.

A Last 32 exit would be a huge blow and Brazil are very reliant on the superstar forwards to make up for what has been a vulnerable midfield and a defence that can be attacked out wide. There are other elements to the Brazil team that are to be admired with a solid goalkeeper and two centre halves who played in the Champions League Final, but Scotland and Morocco showed in the Group that there is still a vulnerability about this team and Japan will offer a stern test.

Despite the absence of a couple of key attackers, Japan have scored in all of their Group games and have produced some very good football to create solid openings.

One clean sheet is a concern though and these two nations shared out five goals when they met in an international friendly last October- Brazil were leading 0-2 in Tokyo before Japan's epic fightback to win 3-2 and there is a feeling that this Last 32 tie could be a pretty entertaining affair.

Knock Out Football can sometimes lead to tension, but both Brazil and Japan will believe they are best on the front foot and backing at least three goals to be shared out in normal time is the play.

The lean is with Brazil to find a way through, but Japan should offer plenty of resistance and threat and 2-1 to the favourites feels the most likely conclusion to this fixture.

Germany vs Paraguay Pick: Julian Nagelsmann has been far from happy with the schedule faced by his Germany team ahead of the Last 32- as one of the Group Winners that were facing a third placed team, Nagelsmann was upset that his team may have to wait until Saturday night to know the opponent for a Last 32 tie scheduled for Monday.

However, it has been looking like Paraguay would be the opponent for a while and so there will be no excuses if Germany fail to beat the South American nation and move through to the Last 16.

The last two World Cup tournaments since winning it all in 2014 having ended in embarrassing Group Stage exits and so Germany have achieved the first aim of getting out of their section. The defeat to Ecuador was disappointing, but Germany have played pretty well and will certainly feel they hold the edge over a Paraguay team that were thumped by the United States and somehow managed to hang on for a 1-0 win over Turkiye despite being outplayed.

A wasteful display from Turkiye helped after Paraguay had scored with the first real shot of the game, but the attacking numbers have to improve if there is going to be an upset in this one.

Paraguay have created a total of 1.04 XG across the first three matches at the World Cup and they have had a total of five shots on target.

It is hard to imagine that being good enough against arguably the best team they will have faced in the tournament and one that has scored ten goals already.

Germany did score seven of those against Curacao, but two against Ivory Coast and one against Ecuador suggests they will have the quality needed to break down a Paraguay team that have kept two consecutive clean sheets. However, Turkiye created so many good chances against them that they could have matched the four goals the United States managed against Paraguay and the best approach to this Last 32 tie may be backing the Germans to win with a clean sheet at an appealing price.

Netherlands vs Morocco Pick: This looks to be one of the best ties in the Last 32 and there is going to be a lot of interest in this fixture, although the timing of the game could not be much worse for those back home in Netherlands and Morocco.

Both teams earned seven points in the Group Stage and impressed in different ways, but Netherlands topped their section and Morocco finished behind Brazil in their own.

There is going to be a real familiarity with one another, even if they have not played each other very recently, and it has been a tie that has opened up a discussion about identity- Morocco are the first nation to ever field a full starting eleven that have been born outside of the country when they lined up to play Brazil.

A number of the Morocco squad have come through the Dutch footballing system and it feels like this is going to develop into a tense, competitive fixture between two nations Ranked at Number 7 and Number 8 in the FIFA World Rankings (Morocco are just ahead of Netherlands).

With that in mind, would it really be a big surprise if this was the first of the 2026 World Cup matches that needed to go into Extra Time and perhaps Penalties?

Morocco have not been the most creative going forward, but they are very solid defensively and the approach is likely going to be one that looks to contain the Netherlands and hit them on the counter.

Ronald Koeman's team have scored at least twice in each World Cup match, but the fixture against Japan was notable for the lack of clear chances created- both teams produced strong finishing in the 2-2 draw, but Netherlands may struggle to create a lot against this Morocco defence that largely had Brazil at arm's distance in the Group Stage.

There is so much beyond the football field that will be motivating both sets of players and it may end up being a tense game with little between them- one goal could be enough to separate the teams either way, but it would not be a surprise if we end up with a 1-1 scoreline and the need for at least Extra Time and perhaps Penalties to be used to find out which of the teams is playing in the Last 16 on Saturday afternoon.

Tuesday 30th June

Ivory Coast vs Norway Pick: The format for the 2026 World Cup does mean there are a couple of ties in the Last 32 which involve teams that have finished Runners Up in the Group Stage.

One of those is Ivory Coast facing Norway after the teams finished behind Germany and Brazil respectively.

Both teams have impressed during the Group Stage with only defeats against the top teams in each section, but wins over the other two teams faced.

Norway should take particular encouragement from beating Senegal 3-2, but Ivory Coast's win and performance against Ecuador is one that should be given ample amount of respect too.

There is very little between these teams, but Norway do have the extra firepower in the final third that could make the difference. You would consider Ivory Coast the stronger defensive team considering some of the chances that Norway have allowed in this tournament, but the latter have Erling Haaland putting the finishing touches to some smart attacking play and that may give them the narrow edge when all is said and done.

However, Ivory Coast are more than dangerous enough to play their part and it could end up being a fixture that finishes up 2-1 either way, and backing goals certainly feels more comfortable than trying to pick a winner. The feeling is that Norway will do enough, but if they defend as they have in the Group Stage, this Ivory Coast team is more than good enough to hurt them the other way and the expectation is for a relatively attacking contest to develop, even in a Knock Out environment that can breed tension.

France vs Sweden Pick: They came into the tournament as one of the favourites and France finished top of their Group with maximum points and ten goals scored having put at least three past each of Senegal, Iraq and Norway.

However, despite that, you could argue that France have yet to put in a full ninety minute display and that is very worrying for those that look to stop them winning a second World Cup in three runnings of the tournament.

The attacking options available to the French looked impressive on paper and those players all look to be playing with the confidence that will make them very dangerous.

It is going to take some effort from Graham Potter's Sweden to prevent France from working their way through to the Last 16 and the 5-1 loss to Netherlands is hard to ignore. They were also struggling against Japan before Anthony Elanga's cross-shot provided an equaliser for Sweden, but this is a team that will have to defend so much better to contain the France attack.

Getting the ball into the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak will be difficult for Sweden and it looks like the European nation that got into the World Cup via the Play Offs are going to have the run ended and ended emphatically.

Sweden will feel they can cause some problems if they are able to counter with clear execution, while they will be looking to exploit any tension in the French camp with the burden of pressure on their shoulders, but it feels like the Swedes will need plenty of fortune to help them past this opponent.

Ultimately France are too good in that final third to believe Sweden can contain the threat for long enough and another comfortable win for one of the favourites is expected.

Mexico vs Ecuador Pick: Goals will change games and especially in the Knock Out Rounds of any tournament, but this one between Mexico and Ecuador looks like it will be very competitive and another that may need to move through Extra Time and Penalties to determine a winner.

Ecuador needed a late goal to turn things around against Germany and win the final Group match to move through as one of the best third place teams. They had arrived in North America as a 'dark horse', but the challenge for them now is building on finding a way to get through the Group having been beaten by Ivory Coast and then failing to score against Curacao in the opening two games in that section.

This is a team that have looked pretty composed defensively, but the long-term concern is that Ecuador have perhaps not found the right system in the attacking third.

Nothing has been wrong with the chances created at this tournament, but Ecuador have perhaps lacked some quality in those areas and now they have the challenge of playing an away game in the Knock Out Stages as they are forced to travel to Mexico City for the Last 32 tie.

It is where co-hosts and Group A Winners Mexico will be waiting for Ecuador and the challenge for the home team is proving that they are better than merely a team that took advantage of a weak Group.

Mexico beat South Africa, South Korea and Czechia without conceding a goal, but all of those teams are already on the way home.

The fans will certainly give Mexico a push, but the fixture against South Korea was pretty closely contested and these two nations played out a goalless draw when they met in the Copa America two years ago.

It is hard to imagine there will be much between them in this Last 32 tie and there is a real belief that one goal could be all it takes to provide the Last 16 nation.

Picking a winner looks very tough, but it would be a surprise if this is a goal-filled contest and backing the defences to be on top for the majority of the game is the pick.

Wednesday 1st July

England vs DR Congo Pick: Functional football has helped England through to the Knock Out Rounds of the World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel is under pressure to deliver more.

Injuries to the right back position has frustrated the media and the fans, who all felt this was an issue waiting to come up, but Tuchel will only be concentrating on trying to find a way to help England into what looks a massive test when facing Mexico in the Azteca in the Last 16.

It will be a fixture that is not going to be needed to be played if England are upset on Wednesday, but that looks unlikely.

DR Congo deserve credit for getting here, but they have not defended with a lot of authority against Colombia and Portugal and England should have far too much in the final third. The defenders will be well used to facing Yoane Wissa, who has impressed, while the attacking players will see this DR Congo defence as one that can be broken down.

Of course the same could have been said about Ghana, but DR Congo have not shown the same organisation as their fellow African nation and England should have the difference makers in the final third to eventually do enough to move through with another clean sheet.

Belgium vs Senegal Pick: Both of these teams need to improve significantly if they are going to have a deep run at the World Cup, but Belgium and Senegal have shown enough attacking football to believe they could play one of the more high-scoring fixtures of the Round.

Neither defence can expect to contain the other and both Belgium and Senegal have created some big chances in the Group Stage.

The key to the outcome in this one is the composure that the attackers are able to show, but Belgium might have turned a corner in the last fixture and Senegal also produced plenty in the attacking third to believe they can win this one.

Another European vs African nation ending a 2-1 scoreline would not surprise, although the lean is that Senegal may be ready for the upset.

United States vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Pick: This is not going to be an easy game for the United States, but the Bosnia-Herzegovina team have lacked a bit of quality at the World Cup.

That has been the case at both ends of the pitch and the co-hosts should have all of the qualities needed to make sure they move through to the Last 16 without too many issues.

It should be said that United States came through a weak Group, but Bosnia-Herzegovina were clearly second best against Canada and Switzerland in their own section and can be grateful that Qatar made up the section.

Bosnia-Herzegovina did earn a draw with one of the co-hosts, Canada, but they were second best on the day and the United States have looked a different level to the northern neighbours.

It also should be said that Bosnia-Herzegovina looked a little tired at times in the Group Stage, but they will be asked to work hard from the very outset of this one and USA can move through to the Last 16 behind another good looking win.

Thursday 2nd July

Spain vs Austria Pick: The two Finalists from the 2022 World Cup have both been making the big headlines in the 2026 tournament and that may actually suit Spain a little bit.

Luis de la Fuente guided Spain to the Euro 2024 success and this has been one of the top teams on the European continent over the last three years, but the World Cup has proven to be an unhappy hunting ground more often than not. They won in 2010 in South Africa, but performances in 2014, 2018 and 2022 have been disappointing and so it is perhaps a good thing that Spain have not peaked in the Group Stage, but are warming up to the task at hand.

The level quickly increases in the Knock Out Rounds and Spain are without Nico Williams, but they should still have too much for Austria in this Last 32 tie.

Austria only just made it through after scoring with seconds remaining against Algeria, and they were pretty well beaten by Argentina in the Group Stage. Ralf Rangnick likes his team to press from the front, but that may play into Spain's hands and the absence of Christoph Baumgartner has hurt Austria in the final third.

Breaking down Spain is one challenge, but Austria will have to defend a lot better than what has been shown in this tournament if they are going to contain this attack.

Spain have only scored five goals in the Group Stage, but they have created plenty of chances and the expectation is that this experienced squad will grow as the tournament progresses. There is a potentially awkward Last 16 tie coming up, but Spain cannot think too far ahead and the style of Austria may just allow them to remind everyone that they are the current European Champions and a big threat to win a second World Cup.

Portugal vs Croatia Pick: The favourites for this Last 32 tie are Portugal and that may be simply down to the fact that the starting eleven only has one player that looks like his best is a long way behind him, while Croatia are still relying on a few more.

Croatia finished second in the Group behind England, but have not really impressed and it is does feel like a major tournament too far for some of their top names.

They narrowly edged out Panama and Ghana in wins, but Croatia have to be a lot better when taking on another top European nations having been crushed 4-2 by England. They have not defended as well as they would have hoped and this Portugal team are very capable going forward, even if they are still searching for Cristiano Ronaldo for too long and far too often.

It has made Portugal a little predictable, but they should have the majority of the ball and the fresher midfield belongs to them.

Portugal are likely to dominate the shot count and Croatia may struggle to contain them, although the former are a team that have been used to making hard work of major tournament football in recent years. In the last European Championship, Portugal drew with both Slovenia and France in Knock Out ties that went all the way to Penalties and they are perhaps too short in this Last 32 tie, even if they ultimately prevail.

It would be a significant surprise if Croatia were to win this one game inside regular time, but the value here is with the draw and a fourth Knock Out tie in this Round that does need Extra Time to find a winner.

Switzerland vs Algeria Pick: After only barely getting themselves over the line to reach the Last 32 of the World Cup, there are plenty out there who will believe that Algeria's time in the tournament will soon be coming to an end.

However, Algeria have been much better since the 3-0 opening loss to Argentina when the tactics were wrong as they allowed the World Champions to build into the game.

More familiar tactics and team selections helped Algeria beat Jordan and then draw 3-3 with Austria and that kind of level will make them dangerous.

Of course it should be noted that Switzerland topped Group B ahead of co-hosts Canada and this is a team who have got some momentum behind them having beaten Bosnia-Herzegovina before that win over one of the hosts. That means the opening draw with Qatar is behind them, but both of these teams will be slightly concerned with the defensive performances in the tournament.

There has been little wrong with the attacking side of Switzerland and Algeria and that may mean the layers are underestimating the chance of seeing at least three goals in this one.

Knock Out ties have a tendency to be more cautious, but that may be the case later in the tournament when teams are more closely matched up.

At this stage, both Switzerland and Algeria will fancy taking on the other and that could be reflected in the approach of the managers and the players and goals could follow.

Friday 3rd July

Australia vs Egypt Pick: Credit has to be given to Australia for getting out of the Group Stage, but Asian Qualifiers have disappointed in the 2026 World Cup and this is another one of those that may have reached the end of the line.

An upset over Turkiye set Australia on their way, but a functional team has struggled for goals and that is always going to be a problem.

Egypt have won a first World Cup match at this tournament and have reached the Knock Out Rounds for the first time after finishing behind Belgium in the Group.

There is talent in the forward areas that gives Egypt the edge in this Last 32 tie and they look most likely to move through to the Last 16 and can be backed to do that.

Argentina vs Cape Verde Pick: Nothing will ever erase the memories that Cape Verde have created at the 2026 World Cup and the fact is that these players will never forget having faced the European Champions and World Champions in the same tournament.

They held Spain, but Cape Verde have had to ride their luck against the Spanish and Uruguay and you have to believe that fortune will run out against Argentina.

The underdog will give it a go, but Argentina's qualities and experience should guide them through without too much drama. Lionel Messi has been making all of the headlines, but Lautaro Martinez has been plenty involved for Argentina and backing the striker to 'score or assist' in an Argentina win looks a decent price.

Even if he is replaced, the likelihood is that Julian Alvarez will come in for Martinez and this 'sub play on' option gives the selection every time of coming out on top.

Colombia vs Ghana Pick: The team managed by Carlos Queiroz have shown plenty of resilience in this tournament and Ghana can make things difficult for Colombia, even if the latter are going to have the majority of the ball.

DR Congo did their best to keep Colombia at bay, but Ghana may feel they are a bit more organised than their African rivals and that can help.

However, Colombia's attacking qualities cannot be ignored and they will put Ghana under pressure throughout this one- the team will take shots from all angles and that makes it tougher for defenders to reset and get into blocking positions.

In the win over DR Congo, Colombia had 9 shots on target and they can put up at least 6 here against a Ghana team that will be looking to hit them on the break. Ghana have been pretty solid, but they will allow shots to be taken against them, but from range, and it may allow Colombia to fill up the stat sheet in this one.

MY PICKS: Canada @ 1.83 Coral (1 Unit)

Brazil-Japan Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.10 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Germany Win to Nil @ 2.25 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Netherlands-Morocco Draw @ 3.20 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Ivory Coast-Norway Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

France - 1 English Handicap @ 1.75 William Hill (1 Unit)

Mexico-Ecuador Under 1.5 Goals @ 2.40 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

England Win to Nil @ 1.80 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Belgium-Senegal Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

United States - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.02 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Spain - 1 English Handicap @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Portugal-Croatia Draw @ 3.80 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Switzerland-Algeria Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Egypt to Qualify @ 1.61 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Argentina to Win & Lautaro Martinez to Score or Assist @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Colombia Over 5.5 Shots on Target @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Last 32: 8-5, + 3.57 Units (13 Units Staked, + 27.46% Yield)

Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)

Group Stage MD 2: 16-8, + 7.44 Units (24 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)

Group Stage MD 1: 12-12, - 0.30 Units (24 Units Staked, - 1.25% Yield)