Miami Tennis Day 2 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 18th March)

The Indian Wells Masters tournament was a great one for Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, but it was not a very good tournament at all as far as the Tennis Picks go.

Thing started poorly and the selections just did not rally as hoped, which was summed up by Sabalenka failing to serve out the Final, then miss five Break Points to have another shot at doing that, and only then to battle through the Tie-Breaker to take the title.

She won't care with the World Number 1 happy to get one over on Elena Rybakina and both players will join the rest of the Tour in Miami where the WTA event begins a day before the ATP.

Those two players will enter the tournament later in the week in the Second Round, but it is a tough switch with the courts in Miami historically playing quite differently to those in Indian Wells. The conditions are a lot different too and there are expected to be a fair few rain delays throughout the Masters event played here over the remainder of the month.

Aryna Sabalenka won the WTA title and it was a big week for Jannik Sinner who won the ATP title and picked up his first trophy in 2026 in what has been a difficult year so far.

Well difficult in terms of his own expectation levels and Jannik Sinner will be feeling much better about his overall game after winning the big title, while he can spend the next two months chasing Carlos Alcaraz in the World Rankings with nothing to defend until the French Open.

Like the top WTA players, Sinner and other Seeded ATP participants in Miami will join the tournament in the Second Round and this has the makings of another intriguing week on the Tour as the hard court portion of the season takes a break at the end of the event here.

Soon all of the attention will be on the clay court events in the build up to the French Open and that will mean another adjustment is needed to the criteria in narrowing down a shortlist.

After the last tournament, Miami is an important one to try and bounce back and pick up some momentum to take into the red dirt part of the season.

Ethan Quinn v Hubert Hurkacz: There was nothing wrong with the way Hubert Hurkacz played at the United Cup in the build up to the Australian Open and he won four of the five matches played in that tournament.

He carried that form through to an opening win at the first Grand Slam of the season, but things have gotten away from the World Number 75 and he has since suffered six straight defeats on the hard courts.

The serve always gives Hubert Hurkacz a chance to make things competitive on the scoreboard, but in this run of defeats, he has won one of the fourteen sets played. Hubert Hurkacz even decided to leave Indian Wells following another opening defeat and take part in a Challenger event to build up some confidence, but he was beaten by the World Number 94 and has taken another body blow.

His opponent in the First Round in Miami will receive plenty of support from the stands, but Ethan Quinn had also suffered three defeats in a row at Dallas, Delray Beach and in his first match at Indian Wells and so also decided to take in a Challenger event.

However, this time Ethan Quinn went on to win the title in Phoenix and there are a couple of solid wins on the resume in that run to the trophy that will have only added to the confidence of the 22 year old.

Prior to that Challenger event, Ethan Quinn had been struggling for form as well, but he will take confidence from the fact that he was able to beat Hubert Hurkacz in Melbourne in January.

The first two sets were very competitive in that Second Round match at the Australian Open and Ethan Quinn had to save a lot of Break Points, but he will be encouraged by the success he had against the Hubert Hurkacz serve. Winning 38% of return points will give the young American belief he has the tennis to secure another upset over the former top ten Ranked opponent and especially with the way things have been going for both players in recent weeks.

Ethan Quinn will have to just lift his serving numbers slightly to make sure he offers little encouragement to his opponent and he will also have to likely come through at least one Tie-Breaker.

None of that is going to be easy, but Hubert Hurkacz has not been playing well enough to be favoured when noting he has lost four of his last six hard court matches to opponents Ranked lower than himself when the match has been played. The Pole will serve effectively, as is always the case, but it is the younger player who can came through a tough match.

Denis Shapovalov - 2.5 games v Botic Van De Zandschlup: At 26 years old, there is still time for Denis Shapovalov to reach the kind of level that many felt he would after some very strong early successes in his career.

By January 2022, Denis Shapovalov had reached the Quarter Final in three of the four Grand Slams played with the exception being the French Open, but he has only reached the second week of a Major once in the next fifteen appearances in Slam tournaments.

Suffice to say that this is a big disappointment and Shapovalov is the World Number 38 having reached a career best of World Number 10 back in 2020.

There have been some signs that he may be returning to something like his best after a Semi Final run in Dallas and winning two matches in Indian Wells before losing to eventual Champion Jannik Sinner in the Third Round. Over the last twelve months, the Canadian has shown something different in his return games, although that has had a negative impact on his service numbers on the hard courts.

Despite that, it should be noted that Denis Shapovalov has a 16-8 record on the hard courts when facing a lower Ranked opponent over the last twelve months and that is the situation for him in the First Round in Miami.

Botic Van De Zandschlup reached the Third Round at the Australian Open and the Quarter Final in Rotterdam, but there has been too many losses around those runs.

On his day, Van De Zandschlup has a serve that can be very dangerous, but his return game has been limited and the three losses in a row cannot have done very much for his confidence as he slips down the World Rankings.

When these players last met in the 2024 US Open, it was Botic Van De Zandschlup who won as the higher Ranked player with Denis Shapovalov sitting outside of the top 100. Earlier that season, Shapovalov had beaten the same opponent at the Indian Wells Masters and the feeling is that on current form the Canadian can be backed to get the better of this opponent.

Dismissing Botic Van De Zandschlup's chances would be a mistake, but Denis Shapovalov may just do enough at critical moments in this match to edge past the Dutchman into the Second Round.

The slightly superior returning can make that difference in this match and that is how it feels like it will play out.

MY PICKS: Ethan Quinn @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Denis Shapovalov - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 74-62, + 9.27 Units (202 Units Staked, + 4.59% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 12 Picks 2026 (Sunday 15th March)

It did prove to be a difficult tournament to turn around after the two ATP Semi Finals were split 1-1, but that does not mean we move past the last day of the Indian Wells Masters.

The two Finals are both scheduled to be played on the day and both look like they could be very enjoyable for the neutrals tuning in.

A repeat of the Women's Australian Open Final and a Men's Final featuring two of the very best hard court players in the world can only be a positive and my thoughts can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: A repeat of the Australian Open Final will be played in the Indian Wells Final and both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have put together strong runs here.

Out of the two players, Aryna Sabalenka has been producing the higher level of tennis, but she has also struggled to get the better of this opponent.

In the last nine hard court matches between the pair, it is Elena Rybakina who has won seven times including in Melbourne in January. They met three times on the hard courts in 2025 and Rybakina won two of those, while the sole meeting in Indian Wells was also won in the Final by the World Number 3 in 2023.

All of that will give her a lot of confidence, but Aryna Sabalenka will feel she was very unfortunate to lose the Australian Open Final and the performances so far in the Indian Wells conditions will give her confidence in turning that form around. She has found it very difficult to read the Rybakina serve, but it was the World Number 1 who had more Break Points in the defeat in Melbourne and that is another reason Sabalenka can believe she has the game to get the better of this rival.

Aryna Sabalenka has been the much stronger server so far this week and she can certainly contain much of the threat from the World Number 3, although there is always that mental pressure to deal with.

That comes from the fact she has lost so many recent matches against Elena Rybakina, but the latter has not been nearly as impressive as the top Seed. That is not to say that Elena Rybakina has played poorly, but the wins have been in more competitive matches, even if that can sometimes be a help rather than a hindrance.

Both players should produce some good tennis in this Final, but the narrow edge is rightly with Aryna Sabalenka and she may just pick up a big title that gives her momentum to carry into the clay court season after a stop in Miami later this month.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Daniil Medvedev: The win over Carlos Alcaraz will have given Daniil Medvedev a huge amount of confidence and has also maintained what has been a really strong run of form being produced by the World Number 11.

He now takes aim at winning back to back titles and arguably the biggest one anyone can win outside of the Grand Slams when competing for the Indian Wells trophy.

Daniil Medvedev served really well in the Semi Final win and he is going to have to do the same if he is going to put together a rare tournament in which a player beats the top two players in the world in back to back matches.

Beating Carlos Alcaraz means Daniil Medvedev is more than capable of winning this Final, but there will be a lot of respect for the way Jannik Sinner is playing and the World Number 2 produced a dominant win over Alexander Zverev in the Semi Final.

No one is going to be surprised to read that Jannik Sinner has been serving well, but it is the aggressive performance on the return that has proved to be the key to the Italian reaching his first Final of the 2026 season. This week Sinner has broken in almost 40% of return games played and dealing with the very solid Alexander Zverev serve will mean he is not intimidated by what Daniil Medvedev can produce.

Jannik Sinner began his career by losing the first six matches against Daniil Medvedev, but he has now won eight of the last nine matches, including the last three in a row.

Eight wins in a row have been produced on the hard courts and Jannik Sinner would have covered what looks like a big line in the last four hard court matches played in a best of three set format.

During this eight match winning run on the hard courts, Jannik Sinner has held 90% of his service games compared with Daniil Medvedev's 75% mark and that is a significant difference.

Respect has to be given to Daniil Medvedev for the current level being produced, but it is still a little short of the standard being set by Jannik Sinner and the latter can win the Indian Wells title with a solid looking success on the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 12-14, - 3.98 Units (26 Units Staked, - 15.31% Yield)

European 2 Tour- European Darts Trophy Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 15th March)

The absence of the two big names on the Tour have hurt the European Darts Trophy, but not enough to suggest the Third Round does not look like a strong lineup regardless.

With the Rankings used for the European Tour, it is a shame that the likes of Danny Noppert and Gerwyn Price are playing in the Third Round, rather than further down the line towards the business end of the tournament.

The winner of that match is going to be very difficult to beat later in the day, while there are plenty of other players still involved in the draw that will recognise the opportunity in front of them to pick up a big title with both Lukes and Michael van Gerwen out of the tournament. That does mean having to deal with a different kind of pressure with the expectations greater than they perhaps would be if the top two players in the world were also taking part, but it should also mean another good day of darts.

As is the case with the majority of the European Tour events, the Third Round is completed in the Day Session before the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final are played in a busy Evening Session.

Any selections from the Quarter Final matches will be added to this thread on Sunday afternoon.

Jermaine Wattimena v Niels Zonneveld: Backing up a big win over Michael van Gerwen would be tough in most cases, but it is that much more difficult for Niels Zonneveld when facing an opponent who has gotten the better of him in recent matches.

Three matches in 2025 all ended in Jermaine Wattimena wins and this could be another that ends up trending towards the higher Ranked player.

Jermaine Wattimena has not been operating at the same level he ended 2025, but the close win in the Second Round will give him confidence.

A final Leg decider would not be a big surprise, but it is Wattimena who can do enough to reach a Quarter Final on Sunday.

Chris Dobey v Josh Rock: A solid win in the Second Round will have been a boost for Josh Rock, but this has been a tough match up for him.

The power scoring of Chris Dobey makes him very dangerous and there may be a point to be made about losing his Premier League place and having Rock join that elite competition instead.

Chris Dobey did not need that big time scoring to win in the Second Round, which likely means more is to come from him, and he can keep Josh Rock under pressure and test the doubling.

Again, this is likely to be a close match, but Chris Dobey can find a way to move past Josh Rock yet again.

Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman: He has just hit a poor run of form, but the win in the Second Round and the manner in which Gian van Veen produced that will have done him the world of good.

Losses can feel like they are being strung together when playing in the Premier League, and so it will be important for van Veen to have produced a victory here in Germany.

He does have a tough Third Round match against Wessel Nijman, but there is a pecking order in Dutch darts and Gian van Veen has won the last five between these players.

That includes a win at European Tour 1 in Krakow last month, while Gian van Veen beat Wessel Nijman at the Grand Slam at the end of 2025.

Wessel Nijman is playing well and putting plenty of wins on the board, but he may have to overcome a mental obstacle in this one and that may see him come up short against the World Number 3.

Ross Smith & Dirk van Duijvenbode double: Neither of these players are going to have things all of their own way, but the scoring power of Ross Smith and Dirk van Duijvenbode could be the difference.

They do have challenges- Smith is playing a home player who will be receiving huge support, while van Duijvenbode has to be prepared for the pace, or lack of pace, that Mensur Suljovic will employ to disrupt opponents.

However, the Dutchman has a good recent record against Suljovic and can power past him.

Ross Smith will have plenty of respect for Nico Springer, but Smudger is playing well and can edge through to a Quarter Final here at the expense of the last German left in the tournament.

MY PICKS: Jermaine Wattimena @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Chris Dobey @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gian van Veen @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ross Smith & Dirk van Duijvenbode Double @ 2.16 Bet365 (1 Unit)

European Darts Trophy: 2-4, - 2.37 Units (6 Units Staked, - 39.50% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2026- James Dickens vs Anthony Cacace (Saturday 14th March)

There has been some drama out of the ring in recent weeks with the two leading British promoters finding themselves on the opposite side of the Saudi power-brokers who are now aligning with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing instead.

Politics have meant some fighters have switched promotions, while the Tyson Fury fight in April looks to be excluding Queensberry from the promotional side, despite the deal Fury seemingly had with Frank Warren and his company.

This is going to be a part of the future of the sport, at least in the immediate future, but there are some very good nights already locked in for the weeks and months ahead.

James Dickens vs Anthony Cacace

Ten months have passed since Anthony Cacace was last out in the ring and you do have to wonder if his career is not progressing as quickly as he would like.

Back in May 2025, Anthony Cacace beat Leigh Wood comprehensively, but he has not been able to build on that as he may have hoped and at 37 years old, time is not on his side.

This is an opportunity to win the WBA World Super Featherweight Title though and there should be a fine atmosphere in Dublin on Saturday night.

James Dickens has had an Indian summer in his own career after moving up to Super Featherweight and upsetting the odds to pick up a World Title. This is the first big World Title earned and James Dickens will not want to give it up easily, although it should be noted that he has been Stopped in five of the six career defeats suffered.

He will stand his ground, but Anthony Cacace is the naturally bigger fighter and he does punch much harder than the overall record may suggest.

They should gel together, which is always great news for the fans, and Anthony Cacace may pick up another World Title with a Stoppage win as he did when beating Joe Cordina in May 2024.

On the undercard, Pierce O'Leary is looking to take the next step in his development by beating veteran Maxi Hughes.

There is no doubt that Hughes has mixed in stronger company, but at 36 years old, you do have to wonder how much is left in the tank.

Maxi Hughes may have come in at short notice, but he has shown he still has a level that has proven too good for some domestic level fighters and it is up to O'Leary to prove he is better than that.

This is going to be far from easy for the home fighter, but Pierce O'Leary may have just enough to edge to a Decision on the cards.

We also have a decent card in Anaheim on Saturday evening- Oscar Callazo holds two of the four World Titles in the Minimumweight Division and he is expected to have far too much for Jesus Haro before targeting the other Champions.

Arnold Barboza Jr was last seen losing to Teofimo Lopez in the Light Welterweight Division, but can upset the odds and Kenneth Sims Jr in the move to Welterweight.

This is anything but a foregone conclusion with Sims Jr knowing a win would push his name forward for big World Title fights of his own in what is an open Division, but Arnold Barboza Jr is perhaps a little underrated and can secure the victory on the cards.

MY PICKS: Anthony Cacace to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Pierce O'Leary to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Oscar Callazo to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.05 William Hill (2 Units)

Arnold Barboza Jr to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.87 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2026: 5-10, - 6.94 Units (27 Units Staked, - 25.70% Yield)

European Tour 2- European Darts Trophy Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 14th March)

The big names enter the European Darts Trophy in the Second Round, although Luke Humphries was at Cheltenham on Friday and it was soon announced that he would not be travelling to Germany for this event this weekend.

Despite the absence of the top two players in the Rankings, a strong field has still come together for the tournament and there are some very good looking matches to be played in the two Sessions on Saturday.

Poor doubling from Cameron Menzies and a failure to see out a 5-4 lead by Kai Gotthardt made it a difficult start to the weekend, but both could have easily swung the other way.

Hopefully better fortune is to come this weekend.

Danny Noppert & Ross Smith double: These two players should have the high scoring power to beat the opponents in the Second Round, although Ross Smith is goign to have clean up on some of the doubling issues he had in his UK Open defeat last weekend.

Prior to that, Smith had been playing well on the floor and he can bounce back against Dave Chisnall, who put in a huge effort to recover from 0-5 down to win his First Round match 6-5.

Danny Noppert is becoming one of the most consistent players in darts and he can match the scoring power of Ricky Evans, while also showing off the superior doubling at key times.

Wessel Nijman win & Chris Dobey over 2.5 180s double: It was harder than Wessel Nijman needed it to be, but winning the First Round match should have given him a lot of confidence.

You can never dismiss Mike De Decker, but he is not producing the same consistency as the Dutchman and it was Wessel Nijman who won both matches between the pair in 2025.

Chris Dobey vs Luke Woodhouse has the makings of a match that could go down right to the wire and that should give the big maximum hitting Dobey ample time to hit at least three in that contest.

Josh Rock & Michael van Gerwen double: Two Premier League participants look capable of coming through awkward, but winnable Second Round matches in the Evening Session.

Neither Josh Rock nor Michael van Gerwen have been in strong recent Premier League form, but they are playing opponents that are a step down from the elite in the Premier League.

Josh Rock will have to deal with the crowd being behind his opponent, but going out first in the Evening Session may not be the worst time and he should be able to squeeze through.

The same can be said for Michael van Gerwen who is not playing as consistently as earlier this season, but who can put together a few minutes of very high level darts to pull away from his compatriot.

MY PICKS: Danny Noppert & Ross Smith @ 1.81 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Wessel Nijman to Win & Chris Dobey Over 2.5 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock & Michael van Gerwen @ 1.96 Bet365 (1 Unit)

European Darts Trophy: 1-2, - 1.18 Units (3 Units Staked, - 39.33% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 11 Picks 2026 (Saturday 14th March)

The WTA Semi Finals were played on Friday, but they both looked pretty tough to read.

Instead the focus is on the Saturday ATP Semi Final matches and the top two players in the World Rankings look like they will be very difficult to beat.

Things happen in sport, but this is the direction that has been taken by the Tennis Picks for Day 11 of the tournament and the reasoning can be read below.

Carlos Alcaraz - 4.5 games v Daniil Medvedev: Another solid win was produced in the Quarter Final and that has continued a fine winning sequence for Daniil Medvedev, which has included a title win in Dubai.

He has suggested the courts are playing faster than usual, which has helped in his ability to perform at Indian Wells, but Medvedev will also be well aware that he still needs to find another level if he is going to beat one of the top two players in the world.

Right now it is Carlos Alcaraz who is playing as the World Number 1 should and his form this week in Indian Wells has been very strong.

Of course the Spaniard plays at this level so often that it perhaps does not make anyone sit up and take notice as they would usually, but that also means Carlos Alcaraz has been able to pick up a couple of titles already this season and he still looks the player to beat.

These two players did split the first four meetings on the Tour, but in recent times Alcaraz has been pretty comfortable in the match up and the challenge for Daniil Medvedev is to turn that momentum around.

This match is also being played in a tournament where Carlos Alcaraz has crushed Daniil Medvedev twice before in 2023 and 2024, both times in the Final rather than the Semi Final. While some believe the conditions are slightly different this year, Carlos Alcaraz will have that mental edge in the contest, as well as the fact he has won four of the five hard court matches between these two Grand Slam Champions.

Daniil Medvedev has to make the best use out of his serve if he is going to upset the odds, but will also need to serve very well to make this competitive. He has held 97% of service games played in Indian Wells this year, but you also have to factor in the opponents faced and being that comfortable against someone who returns as effectively as Carlos Alcaraz is a big ask.

The World Number 1 has also been serving really well and in the previous hard court matches between these players, Carlos Alcaraz has held 89% of service games played compared with 76% for Daniil Medvedev.

Those are numbers that cannot be ignored and the Indian Wells conditions have favoured Carlos Alcaraz who has now won the title twice and reached the Semi Final in each of the last five years.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Alexander Zverev: In the years ahead, you have to believe the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will join an elite list of players that have reached the Semi Final of every Masters event played.

The Big Four of the last era have been joined by Alexander Zverev and the World Number 4 is now looking to add a Major title to his list of accomplishments. There are going to be opportunities for Alexander Zverev, but the pressure is on the German to show he can beat the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz in big events.

On Saturday he has a chance to prove himself when he faces the World Number 2 in the Semi Final in Indian Wells, which has long been considered the unofficial 'fifth Slam'.

The best of three set format should provide another chance with Alexander Zverev finding it tougher to come through those big Grand Slam matches, and it is imperative that he serves well.

Outside of one troubling match, Jannik Sinner has looked supremely confident here at Indian Wells and he crushed Learner Tien in the Quarter Final.

Players of this stature are judged on how many titles they win and so it is a huge disappointment for fans of the World Number 2 that he has yet to make a Final, never mind actually winning a title.

Over the coming weeks he should get a lot closer to Carlos Alcaraz in the World Rankings, but Jannik Sinner knows that he is in an era where big titles mean so much more than World Ranking and he would be very keen to win this one in Indian Wells to remind people that there are a 'Big Two' and not just his Spanish rival coasting to title after title.

Jannik Sinner is playing well enough to win this Semi Final and he has beaten Alexander Zverev five times in a row.

Some of those matches have been really competitive where Zverev has used his serve very effectively, but the last couple of hard court defeats at the end of the 2025 season were worryingly one-sided.

In the last four hard court matches between these top four players, Alexander Zverev has only broken serve once and that is a problem for him against a quality returner like Jannik Sinner.

During the run to the Indian Wells Semi Final, Jannik Sinner has been much stronger returning than Alexander Zverev and that may show up here to set up what could be the Final that all of the fans want to see.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 11-13, - 3.98 Units (24 Units Staked, - 16.58% Yield)

European Tour 2- European Darts Trophy Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 13th March)

Another Premier League Night has ended with Jonny Clayton picking up maximum points and he is well on his way to reaching the Play Offs in the competition he enjoys playing the most.

His participation in the European Darts Trophy is perhaps a little uncertain having played through the pain with his gout making it difficult to walk, especially with this tournament taking place in Germany and perhaps not being an ideal time to travel.

Of course the form through the first two and a half months of the 2026 season has been at such a level that Clayton would love to keep things going and he is not due out until Saturday when the Second Round is played.

Luke Humphries had a productive night in Nottingham, although one that did not end with the Nightly win even after beating Luke Littler and Gian van Veen earlier in the evening.

The Polish Open was won by Littler, but he is not involved this weekend and Luke Humphries has to be amongst the favourites, even at a time when his doubling has been letting him down.

The European Darts Trophy looks like it is wide open this week with Humphries down as a 4-1 favourite, but plenty of the big names are expected to be involved in Germany and it should be three strong days for the fans to enjoy.

The First Round will be played across two sessions on Friday before the same situation for the Second Round on Saturday.

Third Round matches will be completed in the Day Session on Sunday before the traditional ending to the European Tour events with all of the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final matches played in the Evening Session to produce the second winner on this circuit.

Later this month the Belgian Darts Open will also be played as the European Tour 3 event is scheduled to be played and so it is a very busy time for the biggest names in the PDC with Premier League Nights also to be played on Thursday over the next couple of months.

Ricky Evans & Cameron Menzies double: The Afternoon Session features a number of decent players, but there are some close matches to call and picking these two looks the best approach to take to the eight games scheduled.

Ricky Evans played pretty well at the World Championships, but he has not been able to build on that in 2026 and suffered a relatively early defeat in the UK Open.

However, he should still have enough to beat Florian Preis in the First Round, even if the latter is going to be given plenty of crowd support.

Doubling up Ricky Evans with Cameron Menzies is slightly risky when you think of some of the recent performances offered up by the latter.

A hand injury inflicted on himself has proved to be a big problem for Menzies, but he did come through a couple of Rounds at the Polish Darts Open last month and Paul Krohne may not have enough to use the crowd and land a spot in the Second Round.

Dirk van Duijvenbode & Wessel Nijman double: A double from the Evening Session puts together a couple of Dutchman who should have enough to progress into the Second Round.

Dirk van Duijvenbode has slipped to the World Number 29 position and has been very inconsistent this season, but he faces someone who is struggling much more than himself.

After a decent enough start to the season, Mario Vandenbogaerde has lost his last six matches in a row and some of those have been in close defeats.

This all adds to the mental challenges when it comes to late Legs, and DvD may have too much scoring for him at critical times in this First Round match.

A fellow Dutchman has been in fine form on the floor and Wessel Nijman had a strong run at the Polish Darts Open- there is still more to come from him and he can edge past Cristo Reyes who is a player that can make strides up the World Ranking in the weeks and months ahead.

However, Nijman looks capable of squeezing past him here in Germany in what should be a quality match to end the session.

Kai Gotthardt v Nico Springer: The best of eleven Leg format is always open for an upset or two to occur and Kai Gotthardt can back up some solid form at the UK Open by getting the better of his compatriot in Germany.

These two actually met last week in Minehead and it was Gotthardt who edged past Nico Springer, while the familiarity with this opponent should allow the underdog to settle into this First Round match.

It should be noted that Gotthardt had shown little form going into the UK Open, but those wins will have done him the world of good.

Nico Springer is very talented, but he has just hit a slump in form with three straight defeats under his belt- he has been a little inconsistent on the Tour this year and suffered an early loss at European Tour 1 last month.

This is likely going to be a close match in front of the home fans, but Kai Gotthardt looks a big price to edge through to the Saturday Second Round.

MY PICKS: Ricky Evans & Cameron Menzies Double @ 2.64 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Dirk van Duijvenbode & Wessel Nijman @ 1.82 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Kai Gotthardt @ 2.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 29-37, - 2.87 Units (65 Units Staked, - 4.42% Yield)