US Open Day 9 Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 7th September)

There has been a lot of talk surrounding the tumbling of the Men's Seeds at the US Open, but it has felt like the top of the ATP Tour is dominated by three names right now and with everyone else playing catch up.

Even including Alexander Zverev alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may not be for everyone, but the German is a Grand Slam Champion in 2026 and that deserves respect.

However, below those three players, you could make an argument that very little separates Felix Auger Aliassime in the World Number 4 spot and Jiri Lehecka down in World Number 24.

That leaves those players vulnerable to upsets.

And while you do not want to single players out, Alex De Minaur is someone who has been a feature of the top ten for a while and who is looking to reach the ATP Finals for a third straight year, but who has never played in the Semi Final of any Grand Slam.

That kind of highlights the lack of high quality depth on the Men's Tour, although it does mean the tournaments will feel wide open to a surprise run or two even as the likes of Zverev, Sinner and Alcaraz continue to make their passage through the tournament.

Some may say that is being overcritical, but it has been a criticism aimed at the top of the WTA Tour for a long time.

This year the top names have been more consistent in Grand Slams, although a surprising winner continues to pop up as Linda Noskova showed at Wimbledon.

However, the young Czech player looks like someone who will be aiming to join the elite of the WTA Tour and she remains involved at the US Open having already earned her spot in the Quarter Final.

That means that while five of the top 20 of the Men's Rankings remain in the draw at the final Grand Slam of the season, the Women's tournament has seven of the top nine and nine of the top 20 still fighting it out for the title.

All of the top six in the current World Rankings are still in the tournament and the WTA looks in a good place when noting that five of those players are under 29 years old and it is a list that does not include Iga Swiatek who is 25 years old and the current World Number 9!

The middle of the US Open saw a dip in the early tournament form for the Tennis Picks, but the weekend has produced a recovery to get the number back into a very healthy position.

Nothing has been achieved yet with seven days remaining in New York City, but the momentum is back behind the selections and that is hopefully something that can be built upon as the Quarter Final lineup is confirmed at the end of Monday's play.

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v Luciano Darderi: If you were to look at the Luciano Darderi record on the hard courts over the last couple of years, you would expect this player to one of the more vulnerable Seeds in the early Rounds at the Australian Open and US Open. He is playing in New York City as the Number 21 Seed, but Luciano Darderi has perhaps surprisingly made the second week at the US Open, which surpasses the run to the Third Round from 2025.

It also comes in the same year in which Luciano Darderi reached the Fourth Round at the Australian Open, although there is a real difference in the level of opponent that the Italian has had to beat in Melbourne compared with this tournament.

As the draw has opened up around Luciano Darderi, it has also meant he has not had to beat anyone Ranked inside the top 100 in the opening three Rounds at the US Open. Unsurprisingly he has made pretty comfortable passage through those matches, but it also has to be questioned whether he has had the toughness of challenge to be ready to compete with some of the very best players on the Tour.

The top Seed and French Open Champion Alexander Zverev is next up and the World Number 2 will be very happy to have come through the Third Round match in straight sets. He has already played consecutive five set matches in the first couple of Rounds at the US Open and that accumulation of tennis is always a concern, but Alexander Zverev can make decent recovery if he can back up his Third Round win by putting another comfortable victory on the board.

He is certainly the superior hard court player of the two competing, although Luciano Darderi will take confidence from having beaten Alexander Zverev on the Rome clay courts in the lead up to the French Open.

Scheduling this Fourth Round match for the second of the Night Session matches on Arthur Ashe may actually suit Luciano Darderi with the court likely to play a little slower than it would do in the heat of the day.

That has to be a concern for those backing Alexander Zverev, but he should be the more comfortable in the match and the performance in the Third Round is encouraging. The serving numbers on the hard courts can be a big difference in favour of the top Seed in the Men's draw and there is an expectation that the German may end up finding the breaks of serve needed to cover this handicap.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: When these two compatriots met on the clay courts of Linz earlier this year, Anastasia Potapova made a very fast start and too the first set, but Mirra Andreeva recovered to win that match in three sets.

That was a tournament played in the build up to the French Open, which was eventually won by Mirra Andreeva, and the World Number 5 has yet to drop a set on her way to the Fourth Round of the US Open for the first time. The first five sets have all been won in dominant fashion, but Mirra Andreeva had to hold herself together to win a tie-breaker to avoid a third deciding set in the Third Round win.

No one can really complain about the numbers being produced by Mirra Andreeva on the hard courts, although she has struggled against the elite players. To win another Grand Slam, that will have to change, but Mirra Andreeva will take a lot of confidence into this Fourth Round match knowing she has an 18-3 record on the hard courts against opponents Ranked outside of the top 20.

The first serve has been really effective in those matches and Mirra Andreeva wins 50% of return points played, which will always give her a chance if producing that kind of form again.

Further confidence will be taken from the fact that Andreeva has beaten Anastasia Potapova twice in Grand Slam events at Wimbledon in 2023 and, more notably, here at the US Open last year. That was a match that ended 6-1, 6-3 in favour of Mirra Andreeva, although Anastasia Potapova has been able to move from World Number 53 twelve months ago into World Number 25 at the 2026 US Open.

Anastasia Potapova has not been at her consistent best on the hard courts this year and had a losing record on the surface before the US Open began, but three wins have turned that around. The opening two wins were against opponents Ranked outside of the top 100, but it is the Potapova win over Amanda Anisimova in the Third Round that will have provided a huge shot of confidence.

Before the win over Anisimova, Anastasia Potapova had lost all four matches against top 20 Ranked opponents and the last three defeats had seen her crumble away on the scoreboard.

Diana Shnaider beat Anastasia Potapova for the loss of three games in Washington, but Elina Svitolina was even more dominant having dropped two games in Toronto.

Serving well is going to be absolutely key for Anastasia Potapova, but she will do well to keep Mirra Andreeva at bay and that will mean pressure on the former to pick up her levels on the return.

It all looks unlikely though and Mirra Andreeva can win and cover this handicap mark.

Coco Gauff - 3.5 games v Iva Jovic: After coming through an intense Third Round match, Iva Jovic will be hoping the experience will be something that can aid the development of her career.

At 18 years old, Iva Jovic is already playing at a peak career World Ranking mark just outside of the top 10 and it has been a strong year for the teenager. Results at Grand Slams will stick out the most and Iva Jovic has reached the Quarter Final at the Australian Open, Third Round at the French Open and Fourth Round at Wimbledon before moving into the second week here at the US Open.

There is so much to like about the Iva Jovic game, but the exciting part of her future is that there are also clear areas to improve.

The serve will naturally develop as she continues to grow, while Jovic will be looking to show she can compete consistently with top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts. Iva Jovic does have a 2-3 record in those matches after beating Alexandra Eala in the Third Round, but those matches have been challenging for the youngster and there is also a question about whether she will have the time to recover from an exhausting win in the last Round.

Experience is something that Coco Gauff is not lacking and the World Number 4 cannot really ask to come into this Fourth Round match in much better form.

Not only has she won nine matches in a row, which includes winning the Cincinnati Masters, but Coco Gauff has won eighteen sets in succession. The three wins produced at the US Open have been comfortable enough, but Coco Gauff is also yet to have peaked and that makes her dangerous at a Grand Slam where she has had so much success previously.

Coco Gauff is a former Champion in New York City, although back to back Fourth Round defeats is something of a concern.

Playing to open up the Night Session on Arthur Ashe should suit Coco Gauff and there is a feeling she should be the fresher of the two players.

They have faced one another in Rome on the clay courts and Iva Jovic did give Coco Gauff as good as she got before fading in the final set decider.

As long as Coco Gauff is not overthinking her record at the US Open over the last two years, the higher Ranked of these two young compatriots can edge over Iva Jovic and do just enough to cover this handicap mark laid out. 

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka-Elena Rybakina Over 22.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

US Open Update: 25-14, + 12.60 Units (78 Units Staked, + 16.15% Yield)

US Open Day 8 Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 6th September)

It has been one of those weekends when time has been a major factor and so only the selections from Day 8 at the US Open will be placed here and those can be read below.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Alex Michelsen - 1.5 Sets @ 1.70 William Hill (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Ben Shelton - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 20-13, + 7.28 Units (66 Units Staked, + 11.03% Yield)

European Tour 12- Czech Darts Open Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 6th September)

The European Tour 12 event being played in Czechia will be concluded across two Sessions on Sunday with the Third Round all set to be completed during the day.

Big names have moved into the last day and the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will always be the players to beat.

However, the shorter formats of the European Tour means they can be vulnerable and that is what the other players will be hoping to exploit, at least before the Semi Final and Final. Even the best of thirteen and best of fifteen formats are short enough for an upset to occur, but it is all about peaking at the right time on a long day.

Luke Humphries to win & most 180s v Andrew Gilding: All credit has to be given to Andrew Gilding for the performance he put together to beat Nathan Aspinall, but another level may be needed if he is going to get through the Third Round.

Not only is he is facing one of the top players on the Tour, but Luke Humphries put in a strong performance to beat Beau Greaves in the last Round.

Five maximums were thrown in that win and Humphries may do enough to edge the Match Double.

Respect has to be given to Andrew Gilding having thrown four maximums of his own to get the better of Nathan Aspinall, but Luke Humphries won a Players Championship title recently and is producing the kind of form that should see him move through to the Quarter Final behind more maximum hitting.

Jonny Clayton to win & most 180s v Keane Barry: Some of the recent meetings between Jonny Clayton and Keane Barry have been competitive, although it is the Welshman who has held himself together at key moments.

It has been two years since the last of those matches, but Jonny Clayton is playing at a very good level throughout 2026 and will be looking to make a big impact at upcoming Ranking events.

Keane Barry overcame the five maximums Chris Dobey hit against him in the Second Round, but Jonny Clayton is playing with more consistency than the man from the North East of England.

He is likely going to be outscored in that category, but Jonny Clayton's finishing should also be key in getting him through in a competitive outing.

MY PICKS: Luke Humphries to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton to Win & Most 180s @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Czech Darts Open: 3-3, - 0.09 Units (6 Units Staked, - 1.50% Yield)

US Open Day 7 Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 5th September)

The US Open continues into the Fourth Round from Sunday, but the Third Round has to be completed before the second week begins.

There will be longer threads in the days ahead, but for now, only the selections will be placed for Day 7, which can be seen below.

MY PICKS; Karen Khachanov - 1.5 Sets @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Iva Jovic @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

US Open Update: 17-11, + 6.26 Units (56 Units Staked, + 11.18% Yield)

European Tour 12- Czech Darts Open Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 5th September)

The Czech Darts Open continues with the Seeded players joining the tournament... It is a weekend where the personal life has to take over and that means only the Picks from the day.

MY PICKS: Ross Smith - 2.5 Legs @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Nathan Aspinall to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton - 1.5 Legs @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Czech Darts Open: 1-2, - 1.09 Units (3 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)

US Open Day 6 Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 4th September)

The US Open continues into the Third Round over the next couple of days and the tournament is back on track after the rain delays earlier in the week.

Another potentially wet week is coming up, but two courts with a roof should make sure the tournament is completed on time and without too much impact on the schedule of the Singles players hoping to pick up titles next weekend.

Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 sets v Valentin Vacherot: Despite two 2026 Grand Slam Champions still being involved in the draw at the US Open, there is still a feeling that the Men's tournament remains wide open.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will be the favourites with the layers, but a number of players have to be competing in New York City filled with belief that they can become a Major Champion.

Both of those players mentioned will receive plenty of support, but the American audience is always ready to get behind the home players and Frances Tiafoe is about as popular as any of his compatriots. The World Number 12 reached the Final at the Cincinnati Masters and has managed to come through the opening two Rounds at the US Open by winning some key points at critical times.

He will appreciate winning the Second Round match in straight sets having needed all five sets to come through the opening match and Frances Tiafoe is comfortable in this setting where his best Grand Slam results have been produced. Two Semi Final runs and a Quarter Final in between will give Frances Tiafoe plenty of confidence even if his 2025 US Open ended at this Third Round stage.

Frances Tiafoe will grind for everything he earns and he will need to dig in against Valentin Vacherot who has produced some solid hard court numbers in the previous two years.

Injury has been a factor in the slight slide out of the top 20 in the World Rankings, but Valentin Vacherot has won a couple of matches at the US Open to pick up some vital Ranking Points ahead of a big defence of the Shanghai Masters title won last year. This run has been relatively unexpected considering Vacherot had lost his opening match at both Montreal and Cincinnati and he is going to have to find a way to get himself into return games to see if he can put pressure on the home player.

Valentin Vacherot's two wins in this tournament have been against players Ranked 84 and 73 and this is a big step up compared to that level of opponent.

He has a serve that can cause problems for any opponent as everyone found out in Shanghai last year, but Frances Tiafoe can battle and dig and eventually he should have enough to move through in three or four sets in this Third Round match.

Jiri Lehecka - 1.5 sets v Stefanos Tsitsipas: Earlier this season, Jiri Lehecka reached the Miami Masters Final, but he has not had a lot of consistent success on the hard courts in 2026. Even in the build up to the US Open, Jiri Lehecka reached the Fourth Round in Montreal and was beaten in the Third Round in Cincinnati, but the World Number 19 has won his two matches in New York City without being pushed too hard.

With that said, Jiri Lehecka will know that the next opponent may be Ranked outside of the top 50, but one who has reached the Semi Final on three different occasions at the Australian Open.

Unfortunately for Stefanos Tsitsipas, his hard court Grand Slam level at the US Open is considerably poorer than the one he has managed to put together in Melbourne, and reaching the Third Round is as good as it has gotten in New York City.

He is back in the Third Round after an upset over Arthur Fils and then being able to back that up by beating Lloyd Harris in the Second Round. Stefanos Tsitsipas is another who had been struggling for consistent form in the build up to the US Open, although his issues have been season-long which has contributed to the slip down the World Rankings.

Both Jiri Lehecka and Stefanos Tsitsipas are going to be well aware that they need to serve well in this match- this has been the basis of any hard court success they have had this season.

However, the key to the outcome of this match is whether Stefanos Tsitsipas can maintain a solid return game, which has been a struggle all year. The win over Arthur Fils will give him confidence, but Tsitsipas has only broken in 13% of return games played against top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts before this tournament began.

Jiri Lehecka has an aggressive return game and he should have the edge on the return, while the last two meetings between these two players were back in 2024 when Stefanos Tsitsipas was Ranked considerably higher.

Those Rankings have flipped now and Jiri Lehecka will take confidence from having won the previous two matches against Stefanos Tsitsipas and doing so in pretty dominant style.

Pressure will have ramped up with a place in the second week on the line, but Jiri Lehecka can find a way to edge through some tight sets and eventually move into the Fourth Round with a win in three or four sets.

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 games v Yibing Wu: It is never going to be easy facing someone who has such a big game as Jaime Faria and Yibing Wu will know exactly how Carlos Alcaraz was feeling seeing as he lost a Second Qualifying Round match against Faria at the Cincinnati Masters.

The defending Champion took a bit of time to find his feet, but he cruised through the next three sets having dropped the opener and Carlos Alcaraz looks about as good as could be hoped after the long layoff from the Tour.

He will also be pretty happy that this little section of the draw has opened up and Carlos Alcaraz is going to be a big favourite to win this Third Round match. Playing at a high level at a Grand Slam event is something we have become very accustomed to seeing from the Spaniard and he has won the last two hard court Majors and that will give Alcaraz real aura any time he steps onto the court.

Yibing Wu has won back to back matches in straight sets, which will have given him a huge amount of confidence, although he will note that this is a significantly tougher challenge than those faced in the previous two Rounds. Neither opponent beaten has been Ranked inside the top 70, although both above Wu himself, and now the World Number 113 has to step up and take on a multiple time Slam Winner.

He had shown little form ahead of the US Open with a Second Round run in a Challenger event and then failing to Qualify for the Cincinnati Masters. An opening Round defeat in Winston Salem has just underlined where Yibing Wu is with his tennis and it is going to take a special effort to keep this one competitive.

Some heart can be taken from the fact that Yibing Wu pushed Carlos Alcaraz when they met at the Shanghai Masters in 2024, but there will be a different intensity about meeting the World Number 3 in a Grand Slam event.

Yibing Wu has struggled to earn breaks of serve when facing some of the top players on the Tour on the hard courts and his own serve. has not been nearly as effective as he would have hoped.

Over this format, you have to believe Carlos Alcaraz can turn the screw as he has been able to do in the Second Round and he may just find the breaks needed to secure a cover of this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Jiri Lehecka - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

Alexander Bublik-Tommy Paul Over 39.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Diana Shnaider - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 14-7, + 8.76 Units (42 Units Staked, + 20.86% Yield)

European Tour 12- Czech Darts Open Day 1 Picks (Friday 4th September)

Another European Tour success for Ross Smith will have made up for a disappointing couple of efforts in the World Series events played in Australia and New Zealand and this is a player who has big ambitions to join the elite players of the PDC Tour much more regularly next season.

Earning a spot in the Premier League will not be easy, but there are some opportunities coming up in which the players can impress as the Majors round out the calendar year.

Before we get to that, there is another European Tour event to be played this week at the Czech Darts Open and this is a big event that has both Luke Littler and Luke Humphries involved.

Those two are amongst sixteen Seeds that will join the event on Day 2, but the First Round has to be completed before that can happen.

Two Sessions are to be played on Friday and there are some very good names in action as they bid to join the Seeded players in the Second Round.

Last week proved to be a decent tournament for the Darts Picks, but the key is to build momentum between now and the World Championships and try and get the 2026 season turned around.

Joe Cullen - 1.5 legs v Stephen Burton: The disappointment of exiting the last European Tour event in a whitewash defeat should have subsided and Joe Cullen can begin another tournament with a victory in the First Round.

He got the better of Adam Leek last week and Cullen is playing an opponent who has been struggling for any consistency on the floor.

Of course you have to credit Stephen Burton for Qualifying for the Czech Darts Open, but he has lost six of his last seven matches played in the Players Championship events. That will have dented some of the confidence and this is a First Round match that feels all about Joe Cullen and the attitude he brings to the stage.

If that is right, Joe Cullen should have enough to earn his place amongst the Seeds, much like he did last week.

Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 legs v Connor Scutt: No one needs to be reminded of how good Connor Scutt can be on his day, but he had a miserable time on the European Tour last week.

That makes it six losses in the last eight matches played and Connor Scutt was not able to get anything going on the stage in Budapest.

Moving to the Czech Darts Open may give Scutt the change of scenery he needs, but he will also know he will have to be a lot better to compete with Luke Woodhouse.

A European Tour title has been won by Luke Woodhouse this season and he lost a very high quality match last week to Rob Cross. He will be well aware that similar levels will lead to a lot more wins than losses going forward and he may have too much for Connor Scutt who is battling to move through his slump in form.

Beau Greaves to win & most 180s v Daryl Gurney: The winner of this First Round match is going to be facing Luke Humphries in the Second Round on Saturday.

So many will be hoping that Beau Greaves is the player who is facing the World Number 2, but the layers are also anticipating her getting the better of Daryl Gurney on current form.

Beau Greaves is a very good maximum hitter and produced a strong average in losing to Rob Cross last week, and that is the kind of level that can be too much for Daryl Gurney to handle.

The Northern Irishman is going to be highly motivated knowing he is the underdog and he handled the occasion just well enough to edge past Greaves at the World Championship. That was won over a longer format, while Daryl Gurney has not been in the kind of form to believe he will be able to recover from a slow start in this First Round match.

An early defeat last week in Hungary will have hurt and Beau Greaves is capable of completing the Match Double on her path through to the Second Round.

MY PICKS: Joe Cullen - 1.5 Legs @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 Legs @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Beau Greaves to Win & Most 180s @ 2.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 122-152, - 17.20 Units (271 Units Staked, - 6.35% Yield)