French Open Tennis Day 4 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 27th May)

The conditions have been very difficult for the players in Paris and that has led to a number of retirements in the First Round of this Grand Slam tournament.

It does not get any easier for those going out on Day 4 when the Second Round begins at Roland Garros and this is a time where the top names just want to continue to get through as easily as possible.

The selections from the Day 4 action can be read below.

Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Valentin Royer: Last week, Novak Djokovic turned 39 years old and all of his former rivals have long moved into retirement.

It is no surprise that the body is not able to stand up to the rigours of the Tour as much as previously, but Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open Final in January and he is convinced there is still a Major left to win. There is a feeling that the window is closing and Djokovic is no longer a player who is going to be worrying about his World Ranking, but the absence of Carlos Alcaraz offers an opportunity and the former World Number 1 is still one of the top clay court performers on the Tour.

At least Novak Djokovic was in 2025- we simply don't know where he stands in 2026 with just one clay court match played in the build up to the French Open, while Djokovic had to dig in before beating home hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets in the First Round. After a couple of tight sets that were split, Novak Djokovic moved through the gears and he will appreciate being off the court before three hours had ticked onto the clock, which means having enough time to appreciate the conditions without overburdening himself.

Another Frenchman will be standing in the way in the Second Round of the tournament, but Valentin Royer is going to have to pick up his level if he is going to be celebrating his 25th birthday in a Third Round match on Friday.

Valentin Royer made short work of his First Round opponent, but he had not been in great form prior to the start of the French Open.

In fact, Valentin Royer had lost five of six matches played on the clay courts and his biggest successes in the build up to the French Open have been at Challenger level.

This is going to be a big challenge for a player who has faced two top 100 Ranked opponents on the clay this season- Valentin Royer has won just 53% of service points played in those two matches, which have led to 63% holds of serve, while the Frenchman has struggled on the return in both to put himself under real pressure.

It does feel like a big ask to push Novak Djokovic- even this current undercooked version- and the latter looked to be rolling through the gears by the end of the First Round match.

If he can pick up from where he left off, Novak Djokovic may be able to produce the tennis in this Second Round match to make routine progress and not tax himself too much in what are likely to be brutal conditions on late Wednesday afternoon in this Paris heatwave.

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v Tomas Machac: It has been written in the Novak Djokovic preview for his Second Round match that the writer feels the absence of Carlos Alcaraz is a big boost for the former World Number 1 as he looks for a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

The absolute same can be said for the Number 2 Seed in the French Open draw as Alexander Zverev chases a maiden Grand Slam title.

Two years ago, Alexander Zverev was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open Final after leading 2-1, although the World Number 3 has openly admitted he still feels Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite to win this title. However, being able to avoid the Italian until the Final and knowing that a big battle with Carlos Alcaraz is not needed should give Alexander Zverev confidence that he can finally pick up a big Grand Slam title.

Five sets were needed when Zverev was beaten by Alcaraz in the Australian Open Semi Final earlier this year, but the former has reached at least one Grand Slam Final in each of the last two seasons. Alexander Zverev made very comfortable work of Benjamin Bonzi in the First Round, despite the potential of that being an awkward draw, and he will enter this French Open Second Round match with real confidence.

In terms of World Ranking, a match up with Tomas Machac will feel like it has come a bit too early- the 25 year old was inside the top 20 of the World Rankings thirteen months ago, but dropped out of the Seeding positions as injuries have held back the Czech player.

Tomas Machac has produced his best tennis on the faster surfaces, but his First Round win over Zizou Bergs in straight sets shows the kind of level that he can produce when fully dialled in.

The 5-4 record on the clay courts prior to the French Open is one thing, but Tomas Machac has shown his inconsistencies within tournaments during that time- he has only managed to win two matches in a row on one occasion in a clay court tournament this season, while the Tomas Machac defeats have been against some of the stronger clay court players on the Tour, but also adding a disappointing defeat to Cameron Norrie to the ledger.

It is clear the serve is not nearly as effective on the clay as it is on other surfaces, although the very hot conditions in Paris should aid Tomas Machac.

He is 1-2 on the clay courts when facing top 20 Ranked opponents this season and Tomas Machac is now 2-9 in his career under those conditions. There have been some competitiveness shown, but the Machac serve is a big part of his tennis and in those matches against top 20 Ranked opponents, those numbers are heavily impacted on the surface.

As mentioned, conditions will help, but the same applies for Alexander Zverev, who is the much more comfortable player on the surface.

This Second Round match at the French Open has been scheduled for the Night Session, which may not be an issue for Alexander Zverev as much as Tomas Machac, and the higher Ranked player will take confidence from having beaten Machac on the clay courts of Roland Garros in routine fashion at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024.

Alexander Zverev can sometimes get bogged down in matches in Grand Slam events, but this is a Second Round opponent that should focus the former Finalist and that can see him put together the performance needed to avoid the upset as the German moves through to the Third Round on Friday.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jasmine Paolini - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 7-0, + 11.06 Units (14 Units Staked, + 79% Yield)

NBA Playoffs 2026- Conference Finals Games 5-7 (Tuesday 26th May-Sunday 31st May)

Most New York Knicks will say there have been a lot more downs than ups in the last quarter of a century as a fan of this team.

There have been marked improvements since the signing of Jalen Brunson and some of the other trades/signings that have been made to push the New York Knicks back into contention just a few years after they finished with the worst record in the NBA (17 wins in 2019).

Years of poor decisions had caught up with a team that had barely challenged since the Eastern Conference Finals of 2000.

Last year the Knicks finally made it back to the Conference Finals before running out steam against the Indiana Pacers, but the moves made between 2019 and 2026 have to be hugely respected and the entire organisation deserves some credit for being patient, which has not really been a feature of the Knicks.

Even then, this current Knicks roster deserves so much respect- they were not considered as Eastern Conference favourites even after winning the NBA Cup, but the team have found a positive formula at a very good time and eleven straight wins have finally brought the NBA Finals back to Gotham.

The performances in those eleven wins will have raised expectations, but the Western Conference Champion will be favourite when those Finals begin next Wednesday.

As a Knicks fan, everyone will be praying for a seven game Series out West and there is every chance of that happening with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder tied at 2-2 and with the momentum shifting from game to game.

Game 5 feels like it could be decisive and that is going to be played on Tuesday.

Hopefully the New York Knicks are getting themselves rested and ready for what could be a special June.

NBA Playoff Picks- Conference Finals Game 5-7

Tuesday 26th May

San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder Game 5 Pick: Victor Wembanyama was hugely critical of himself after the Game 3 loss at home and he came out in Game 4 looking to make a statement for the San Antonio Spurs.

For the second time in the Western Conference Finals, Victor Wembanyama decided to take over a game and for the second time the Spurs won to level up the Series before heading back to the home of the defending Champions.

Game 4 adjustments saw the Spurs move away from double-teaming Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and force the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar to get the ball out of his hands.

This time the Spurs looked comfortable allowing different players to challenge the regular season MVP and make sure they were not going to allow the Thunder shooters to spot up and make uncontested shots. With both Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams out of the rotation, the Spurs clearly believed they could take whatever Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was able to put together and would simply make others miss.

It worked- the Thunder had four players contribute at least 10 points from the bench in Game 3, but that was reduced to just two in Game 4, while the contested shots meant the Thunder moved from 17 three pointers in Game 3 to just 6 last time out.

Expecting little reaction from the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a mistake and there will be adjustments made by the defending Champions in what feels like a hugely important Game 5 for both of these teams.

The blowout might actually not be a bad thing for either team in Game 4- after the Double Overtime of Game 1, that blowout has allowed the key players to have significantly less time on the court last time out and that can only be a positive, but for both teams.

There has to be a concern in the home ranks that they are losing those players who can handle the ball in place of SGA, but this is a team that has overcome adversity time and time again over the last eighteen months. That experience can help with just a day of rest between games again, while being back home should be more comfortable for the role players who struggled all around in Game 4.

San Antonio fans will want to see Wemby continue to dominate, but they will also feel there is room for improvement from the three point range after a 27% effort in Game 4- some of the shooters were wide open playing off of Victor Wembanyama, but those shots need to start falling if the Spurs are going to earn the upset.

If they are going to reach the NBA Finals, the Spurs need another win on the road and this Game 5 will feel like a really good time to do that.

Historically Game 5 of the Conference Finals has been dominated by the higher Seeds and the favourites, which is something that the Oklahoma City Thunder are in both categories ahead of this one. Teams that have lost Game 4 have also bounced back very well in Game 5, which all points to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but this may be a spread where we have to go against recent trends and back the San Antonio Spurs to cover.

An aggressive Victor Wembanyama will be needed for that to happen and the Spurs may have found something from their superstar in Game 4 that can carry over to this one and at least give the San Antonio Spurs a chance to cover, even if they cannot win outright.

Thursday 28th May

Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs Game 6 Pick: When you look at Victor Wembanyama and the size he has over most in the NBA you can be forgiven for forgetting that he is still a young player in the League and one who has never played in the pressurised environment of the post-season before 2026.

With that in mind, it cannot be a surprise when the superstar has a 'learning game' and that is what Game 5 will feel like for Wembanyama and for the fans.

There is no doubting that Wemby has a real desire to be seen as the best basketball player in the world and he has all of the tools to become that- some have put pressure on the Frenchman to crown himself by helping the San Antonio Spurs reach the NBA Finals, but they are now a game away from elimination... And that has a lot to do with an awful outing from Victor Wembanyama.

He was bullied out of the paint and a 4-15 shooting day is not going to cut it, while the Spurs missed Victor Wembanyama's presence around the boards on both ends of the floor. The role players tried to keep the Spurs going, but San Antonio are well aware that Wembanyama needs to be operating at his best if they are going to win the Western Conference Finals.

It was a dud in Game 5 and the Spurs lost- the two best performances produced by Victor Wembanyama in this Series in Game 1 and Game 4 have both ended in San Antonio wins and they will need him to give all that he has to force this Series back to Oklahoma City for a decider.

Minor adjustments have to be made and you have to think the Spurs Coaching staff are going to encourage Victor Wembanyama to take more control at both ends of the court. It has been a tough, physical Series and there were signs of some wear and tear, but being back at home offers everyone on the San Antonio roster a boost.

The defending Champions Oklahoma City Thunder will be much more grateful for the poor effort produced by Wemby considering their own star Shai-Gilgeous Alexander also put together a below par effort. He still contributed plenty, but the Spurs would have looked at that SGA stat-line and feel they have missed an opportunity to get in front and close out this Conference Finals at home on Thursday.

Both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell missed out- the latter is going to miss Game 6 and the former remans Questionable.

Despite those absences, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have been pleased with the way the bench kept the team in front of the San Antonio Spurs and held off some of the rallies.

Four of the five starters scored at least 12 points, while Alex Caruso recovered from a poor Game 4 to produce 22 points from the bench.

The Thunder have to expect a reaction and the role players have tended to find things more challenging on the road. Oklahoma City had the edges in terms of efficiency of the three point shooting and also won on the glass and that will give them encouragement, although the team will likely need more as they look to reach the NBA Finals and earn some rest before those begin next week.

Teams that have won Game 5 have tended to back that up in Game 6 and those in a close out spot are 6-1 against the spread in the last seven games when this situation has come up.

However, Number 1 Seeds have not been the best to back when they have been set as small favourites or underdogs and there is almost certainly going to be some kind of reaction from Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

They missed an opportunity in Game 5, but the fans are going to be right behind the Spurs and that should help this team at least force a one game decider back out on the road this weekend.

Covering will be tough, but this is a Spurs team that will be listening to the criticism and they can come out with more authority from the opening tip as they did in Game 4 here.

MY PICKS: 26/05 San Antonio Spurs + 5.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

28/05 San Antonio Spurs - 3.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Conference Finals: 7-2, + 4.42 Units (9 Units Staked, + 49.11% Yield)

Second Round: 5-8, - 3.45 Units (13 Units Staked, - 26.54% Yield)

First Round: 15-17, - 3.28 Units (32 Units Staked, - 10.25% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 3 Picks 2026 (Tuesday 26th May)

It has been a decent start to the French Open for the Tennis Picks, but Day 3 is the busiest in terms of number of Picks selected.

Over the course of a fortnight of selections, there are going to be some difficult moments and the key is to try and limit those, while making sure that you make hay when the sun is shining.

It has been shining very hard in Paris this week and the conditions look like they are going to continue to be a big factor in the tournament, at least through to the second week. That means players are simply trying to make sure they are not exerting too much energy to battle through the opening week, but there has to be a balance between aggression and pushing the envelope too far, which would suddenly mean being dragged into an unnecessary battle.

The numbers from the first two days can be seen below, but before that is the Day 3 Picks.

Coco Gauff - 5.5 games v Taylor Townsend: There will be plenty of familiarity when these two American players meet in the First Round of the French Open, but it is no surprise that the defending Champion is set as a significant favourite.

She was beaten in the Rome Final, but Coco Gauff had that happen to her twelve months ago before picking up the French Open title weeks later.

The World Number 4 will likely be the first to admit that she has not quite reached the heights of 2025 as far as the clay court form goes, but Coco Gauff is still playing at a high level. That should be good enough to negotiate the early Rounds from her Seeding, although the expectation is that real improvement will be needed in the second week of this Grand Slam if Coco Gauff is going to defend the title won here last year.

Most will expect Coco Gauff to get off to a positive start on Tuesday on Day 3 of the French Open when she takes on Taylor Townsend, who is much more known for her work on the Doubles side of the Tour.

There has been very little consistent success as a Singles player on the clay courts over the last couple of years and even in the build up to the French Open, Taylor Townsend has struggled when facing the better players on the Tour. She has a 4-2 record on the clay courts, but that becomes 1-2 when only focusing on matches against players Ranked inside the top 100 and the numbers on the serve and return have been heavily impacted when facing those players.

Credit has to be given to the World Number 75 for earning her spot in the main draw without having to go through the Qualifiers, as Townsend did last year, but she was well beaten in the First Round and this looks a very tough match up on paper.

In their sole meeting back in 2019, Taylor Townsend got the better of Coco Gauff, but she was 200 places above her in the World Rankings and things have changed for both since those days.

Familiarity with what to expect should help the lower Ranked American, but it feels like a First Round match that the favourite will eventually showcase the difference in quality and be able to pull away for a good, solid win.

Madison Keys - 5.5 games v Hanne Vandewinkel: At 22 years old, it is no surprise that Hanne Vandewinkel has looked to take the next step in her development by entering bigger events.

She had a solid clay court record at the lower level, which will make her dangerous, but Hanne Vandewinkel has struggled t0 a 3-6 record on the surface in 2026 and she was one of the late direct entries into the main draw at the French Open.

The three clay court wins have all been against players Ranked outside of the top 100, while the youngster has really had some issues protecting the serve when it comes to the better players on the Tour.

On any other surface, Madison Keys would be a big favourite to beat the Belgian, but she feels a little underrated in this spread considering the kind of performances the World Number 19 can produce on the red dirt. Last year Keys reached the Quarter Final at the French Open, so there is some pressure to defend Ranking Points, but that is a run that has been backed up by a 5-2 record on the clay since the move from Charleston.

European clay events are more important as a form indicator and Madison Keys reached the Final of a 125 level tournament in the build up to the French Open.

While not being the biggest of statements to do that, Madison Keys will feel it is a level that should provide opponents of the level she is facing in the First Round and that should show up on the final scoreboard.

However, there is the one concern about the thigh issue that forced her to withdraw from the Final of the Paris 125 event and also meant Madison Keys withdrew from Strasbourg. It sounded like a precaution in the last event before the French Open, but that is the only negative to this selection, which raises a slight concern.

The feeling is that Madison Keys will be good enough if she does step onto the court and her power could prove decisive as she looks to limit the time needed to get through the First Round ahead of bigger challenges to come.

Luciano Darderi - 1.5 sets v Sebastian Ofner: The top of Italian Tennis is dominated by Jannik Sinner, who will be entering the French Open as the top Seed and clear favourite to win the title in Paris for the first time.

However, there are a number of other men's players from Italy who have made an impact on the Tour and Luciano Darderi could be next in line.

He is the World Number 17 and that says something about the consistency of the performances when you think Luciano Darderi has only made the second week of a Grand Slam once and that was in Melbourne back in January.

Of course that means having little to defend in terms of World Ranking Points and Luciano Darderi has to take advantage of being a Seeded player- he has never been beyond the Second Round at the French Open and that is a real surprise when you think of the kind of tennis he plays on the clay courts.

A Semi Final run at the Rome Masters and then the Quarter Final run at Hamburg should mean the Italian is heading into this First Round match with confidence, although he will have respect for veteran Sebastian Ofner, even if the World Ranking has slipped to 91.

Sebastian Ofner has won ten of eighteen clay court matches this season, but that slips to two of five when considering top 100 Ranked opponents and one of four when only focusing on top 50 Ranked opponents. He has continued to serve well enough in those matches, but Ofner has seen his returning numbers decline the higher the Ranked opponent faced and that has put him under pressure.

It feels like that could be the difference in this match and Luciano Darderi has provided stronger serving numbers when facing those opponents outside of the top 50 in the World Rankings. He has won twelve of sixteen clay court matches in that spot this season, while Darderi beat Sebastian Ofner on the clay courts for the loss of just three games in the sole previous match up on the red dirt.

The 24 year old Italian can still be erratic at times, but he should have enough to win this match and to do so without needing a deciding set- it is perhaps more likely Luciano Darderi wins in four sets, rather than straight sets, but backing the Seeded player to come through and cover the set handicap looks the play.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Madison Keys - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Luciano Darderi - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 William Hill (2 Units)

Iva Jovic - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

French Open Update: 3-0, + 4.70 Units (6 Units Staked, + 78.33% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 2 Picks 2026 (Monday 25th May)

The French Open continues through the opening Round in Paris and those competing will have to battle through some very difficult conditions.

In fact the forecast for the next several days in the French capital look like they are going to be extremely testing for everyone from those competing on the courts to those watching in the stands.

Getting into the second week with as little time spent on court is the key for those looking to win the Grand Slam and that is the challenge set out before we get into the second week where the temperatures are looking like they are going to be much more manageable.

We already saw some of the top names making sure they were able to win matches on Sunday without exerting too much effort and those going out on Monday will be looking to follow suit.

Alex De Minaur - 7.5 games v Toby Samuel: Untimely injuries can have a big impact on any athlete in any sport and that has certainly held back Toby Samuel.

The 23 year old British player has returned to the Tour in 2025, but he has mainly been operating at a lower level before taking part and winning three Qualifiers to earn a spot in the French Open main draw. This is the first time Toby Samuel has been able to do this and he has a win over David Goffin in the Qualifiers, which has to be hugely respected, but all of this is going to feel like a new experience and the World Number 159 is operating at a career high mark.

The wins in the Qualifiers will have done Toby Samuel the world of good, but he had lost his previous three clay court matches prior to the run here in Paris.

Now he has to take on a top ten Seeded player in Alex De Minaur, although one that has not played nearly as well on the clay courts in 2026 compared with the last couple of years on the surface.

Alex De Minaur can take some belief from the fact he reached the Semi Final in Hamburg last week, but his numbers have been down across both serve and return in 2026 compared with the lsat couple of years. The manner of the Second Round defeat at the French Open twelve months ago may have dented the confidence, but the Australian is right to be set as a strong favourite and you have to believe the best of five set format gives him a chance to warm into the task at hand.

The added edge comes from the experience the World Number 9 has put together in his time on the Tour compared with Toby Samuel who has never played a top 100 Ranked opponent before on any surface.

Having nothing to lose could make Toby Samuel dangerous, but this is a long format and eventually you have to believe Alex De Minaur will show his superior experience to break down and overwhelm the young Qualifier who will be hoping to build on this run in Paris.

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 sets v Ignacio Buse: Winning the title in Hamburg is the career highlight for Ignacio Buse and it will push the 22 year old into a career best World Number 31 when the Rankings are released during the French Open.

Unfortunately that means missing out on a Seeding for this Grand Slam, but it also makes Ignacio Buse a very tough First Round match for a Seeded player.

Andrey Rublev is the player who has to go against Buse, but the World Number 13 is a solid clay courter and he will certainly believe he has the experience to give the youngster all he can handle.

This has been a decent, if unspectacular, clay court season for Andrey Rublev, but the numbers have remained steady and certainly strong enough to win a match like this one. His run in Rome was ended by Jannik Sinner, but Rublev is still playing steadily behind serve and on the return and he will believe there is still some room for improvement when arriving in the French capital for the second Grand Slam of the season.

His experience is going to be important, while Ignacio Buse will have had a long week in the build up to the French Open, which can work against some players.

Ignacio Buse has had some successes against top 100 Ranked opponents, but his numbers have been very similar to those produced by Andrey Rublev in 2026 and that is where the experience edge can become a real factor in the outcome of the match.

The opening set could set the tone, but Frances Tiafoe dropped that before rolling past Ignacio Buse in Rome and Andrey Rublev is capable of winning this one in four, especially if the youngster is just feeling the tennis he needed to play to win the title in Hamburg.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 7.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

French Open Update: 1-0, + 1.44 Units (2 Units Staked, + 72% Yield)

European Tour 7- International Darts Open Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 24th May)

Sixteen players remain active in the draw in Riesa as we enter the last day of the International Darts Open and there are plenty involved who will believe they can win the title by the end of the day.

The Third Round is set to be played in the Day Session before the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Championship Match are played in the Evening Session.

The fans have a really good day of Darts to enjoy, although the hope is those who want to try and ruin the day by whistling constantly have been found out and refused entry. It has become a problem that is has to be dealt with not only by the referees and players, but by security with people identified and kicked out of the Arena.

Any selections from the Evening Session will be added to this thread at the conclusion of the Day Session.

Stephen Bunting to win & over 1.5 180s v Rob Cross: Twelve months ago, Rob Cross and Stephen Bunting had both been involved in the Premier League and it was Voltage who had been getting the better of The Bullet.

However, it is Bunting who won the last three meetings in 2025 as they prepare to face one another for the first time in 2026 and the defending Champion made a very strong start to the tournament.

Rob Cross has been playing really well too and he has taken advantage of the withdrawals that have allowed him to compete here this weekend. He was a comfortable winner over Mike De Dekker in the Second Round, but Stephen Bunting is playing at a high level having won the Premier League Night on Thursday before winning his Second Round match here on Saturday.

It is the stronger scoring of Stephen Bunting that could be the key to the outcome of this match and the momentum is with the World Number 10 to do that and contribute a couple of maximums to the cause.

Ross Smith to win & most 180s v Ricardo Pietreczko: Dartitis is not something you wish to see anyone struggling with and it has been giving Ricardo Pietreczko problems all season.

You can see he is trying to work through a motion that could help, but Pikachu will be just as surprised as most observers that he has managed to win two matches.

Beating Danny Noppert will give the home player massive confidence, but Ross Smith had a solid couple of days at Players Championship events early last week and his win over Joe Cullen was very impressive.

It feels like a matter of time before Ross Smith wins one of these big events and he can use his power scoring to put himself in a position to reach the Quarter Final against an opponent who has surprised everyone to merely still be competing on Sunday afternoon.

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

Ross Smith to Win & Most 180s @ 1.66 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

International Darts Open: 4-5, + 0.31 Units (9 Units Staked, + 3.44% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 1 Picks 2026 (Sunday 24th May)

The second Grand Slam of the 2026 season begins in Paris on Sunday, which has become the norm at three of the four Majors on the Tour.

It has been a week of the top players limiting their media contact after urging for a bigger slice of the pie from the Major events, but the hope for fans is that we can now focus on the Tennis.

You cannot begrudge the top players feeling like they deserve more money, but for fans, the sport is already expensive enough and ultimately it will be those fans who end up having to fork out more.

Hopefully some sort of arrangement to make everyone happy can eventually be made, but the next fortnight is going to be all about winning a Grand Slam title for all entering the main draw.

Of course the Men's draw feels like it is Jannik Sinner vs the rest after Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw with an injury.

The Italian is the clear favourite and it is going to take something special to prevent him winning the French Open for the first time and completing his own Grand Slam just months after Carlos Alcaraz joined an elite list.

We have to expect the Women's tournament to be very open- Aryna Sabalenka has not been in the best form in the build up, but she has shown she is capable of turning things on at any Grand Slam, while the likes of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are certainly going to filled with belief having won titles here.

There are more threats around in the Women's event compared with those lining up to stop the Sinner-train, which could end up making the former event the more intriguing for the fans, at least in the lead up to the business end of this Grand Slam.

The First Round of the French Open is split over three days and that means more of the top names get an opportunity to play on the main show courts.

Picks from Day 1 can be seen below as this Grand Slam gets underway.

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 games v Sinja Kraus: The Grand Slams played in the second half of the year have been when Belinda Bencic has put together her best results having previously reached the Semi Final at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Her worst results have been at the French Open with a couple of Third Round runs as good as it has got, but Belinda Bencic is the World Number 11 heading into Paris and she has produced enough positive performances on the clay to believe she can get through this opening match.

She has only played eight matches on the clay in 2026, but Bencic has won five of those and the reality is that she has been playing in bigger events, which means facing higher quality opponents compared with this opponent.

Sinja Kraus has to be given a lot of credit for coming through three Qualifiers and the World Number 101 has the motivation to look for an upset that would propel her into a career best World Ranking mark at the end of the tournament. Improving that World Ranking would see the 24 year old earn direct entries into future Grand Slam events and some of the 1000 and 500 events that are also played with continued improvement.

The Austrian is very comfortable on the clay courts, which makes her dangerous having won three matches here, but Belinda Bencic should have the experience to weather the storm and eventually begin to showcase her superior quality.

A key to the outcome is the serve- Belinda Bencic should be the one with the first serve that can offer up a few more cheaper points and that may be the difference on the day.

MY PICKS: Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Season 2026: 103-87, + 10.30 Units (255 Units Staked, + 4.03% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2026- Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven (Saturday 23rd May)

The Heavyweight Division produced a classic for those tuning into Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois earlier this month and, once again, the latter came through to become WBO World Champion.

Some have questioned Oleksandr Usyk and a potential desire to face Daniel Dubois for a third time, but that is a fight that will have little appetite from the fans, while Wardley-Dubois II is also much more likely.

Instead Usyk has already stated that he feels he has done enough in Boxing to make his own decisions and one of those has led to this headline fight against the 'King of Kickboxing', but a fighter in Rico Verhoeven having just his second professional Boxing contest.

That is the fight that will headline the latest showing from Riyadh Season under Turki Alalshikh, although the rumours around a growing disinterest in sport from those in Saudi Arabia cannot be ignored.

Other sports have already been impacted with LIV Golf looking like it is struggling, while the Snooker Saudi Masters has come and gone already.

Add to that the reports that the Newcastle United investment is looking to be cut by 25% and you do have to wonder how many more of these standout Riyadh Season events we are going to be getting in the coming months and years?

Perhaps the idea is to eventually navigate all fighters to Zuffa Boxing once they are signed on some poor terms, but that is something we will have to keep an eye on.

Oleksandr Uysk vs Rico Verhoeven

No one is going to doubt the credentials of Rico Verhoeven as a combatant, but you do have to make this a huge mismatch as far as a Boxing contest goes.

The 'King of Kickboxing' has had one professional Boxing bout back in 2014 against an opponent who had lost all five previous professional contests.

Suffice to say that this is a huge step upwards.

Some will point to Frances Ngannou and his efforts against Tyson Fury, but Anthony Joshua made short work of the MMA powerhouse.

Oleksandr Usyk is unlikely to put anyone down with the first big punch thrown, and especially not against someone of the size and stature of Rico Verhoeven, but the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion can do what he does best and that is sure to wear out his opponent.

Taking punches from awkward angles may take a bit of getting used to, but Usyk is a supreme Boxer with fantastic footwork and that is likely going to be mean it will take something very, very special for Rico Verhoeven to find the punches to hurt the Champion who has been in with some monster hitters.

You have to expect the Promoters to be talking up Rico Verhoeven's chances, but even some of those have admitted there is a very small chance the Dutchman can win this fight.

The early part of the contest could be fun with Verhoeven likely going to want to use his size and strength to push Oleksandr Usyk backwards, but the Champion is going to be wearing him down mentally and physically.

That should pay dividends in the middle of this Twelve Round fight and Oleksandr Usyk has enough pop to force the Stoppage at that kind of stage.

As mentioned, this is not the same kind of undercard that fans have become accustomed to seeing at these Riyadh Season events, but there is some intrigue and an opportunity for fighters to take the next step in their careers.

Both Jack Catterall and Shakhram Giyasov are hoping to get into the mix with the World Champions in a wide open Welterweight Division and the winner should be in line for a shot at a World Title by winning this one.

Picking a winner is not easy, although Catterall has been in with the higher level of opponent, which is perhaps why he has been set as the favourite.

The main event involves the Undisputed Heavyweight king, but there is an opportunity for Richard Torrez Jr to move up alongside Moses Itauma as one of the young guns looking to take over when Oleksandr Usyk chooses to call it a day.

As with any fighter developing, Torrez Jr is taking another step in his career by taking on once beaten Frank Sanchez, although there are serious doubts about the health of the latter.

The Cuban has fought once in the last two years since losing to Agit Kabayel in a contest where his knee gave way- surgery and rehabilitation have been completed, but there is a real uncertainty about whether Sanchez has the movement needed with the knee.

The contest is scheduled over Twelve Rounds and Richard Torrez Jr is capable of closing the show within the time allotted to make a statement to his rivals.

Hamzah Sheeraz has long been a favourite of the Riyadh organisers and he should be able to pick up the vacant WBO World Super Middleweight Title.

There would have been a real hope that Sheeraz could have been out much more quickly after crushing Edgar Berlanga last July, but he has had to wait for this opportunity and should have far too much for unbeaten Alem Begic.

The 39 year old has not fought in thirteen months and this does not feel like a fighter who deserves a shot at the WBO World Title, even if it is a vacant Belt.

The Super Middleweight Division looks pretty weak right now though and that gives Begic this chance, but Hamzah Sheeraz should have far, far too much for him.

MY PICKS: Oleksandr Usyk to Win Between 5-8 @ 2.87 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Richard Torrez Jr to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.05 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Hamzah Sheeraz to Win Between 1-6 @ 1.61 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Boxing 2026: 14-29, - 13.18 Units (64 Units Staked, - 20.59% Yield)