NBA Playoffs 2026- NBA Finals Picks Game 1-7 (Wednesday 3rd June-Friday 19th June)

Twelve months ago, the 2025 NBA Finals began with the main focus for this writer being the narrow exit suffered by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

During the course of an up and down regular season, the Knicks looked like a team that may come up short again and at 2-1 down in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, the critics were sharpening the knives.

Instead of crumbling to a very early exit, the New York Knicks rallied and they are on a Playoff heater and now return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years!

History has a tendency to repeat itself and so it is perhaps fitting that the New York Knicks will be facing the San Antonio Spurs, the team that beat the Knicks 4-1 in the 1999 NBA Finals.

While the Knicks have been crushing all who have stood in front of them, the San Antonio Spurs had to dig deep to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, but it would be a poor excuse for a young team to speak about fatigue having last played on Saturday. There have been plenty of emotion put into reaching the NBA Finals, but inexperience is a bigger factor in the NBA Finals for this young core.

The NBA have to be really pleased with the Finals match up at a time when the Football World Cup is due to kick off in the United States- Victor Wembanyama is trying to become the face of the League and going up against a New York Knicks team that have given the entire City a huge energy boost should make for fascinating viewing for as long as these Finals last.

NBA Finals 2026- San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks (June 3rd-19th)

Wednesday 3rd June

New York Knicks @ San Antonio Spurs Game 1 Pick: Earlier in the season, the New York Knicks upset the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Cup and the two teams have fought their way through the Playoffs to set up a rematch for a much bigger prize.

Twelve years have passed since the San Antonio Spurs last won the NBA Championship, but the Draft Pick of Victor Wembanyama was seen as a pivotal moment in a new era. The Spurs have to be given credit for other choices they have made and this is a young group that could create a dynasty in the years ahead having shown what they can do when beating the defending Champions Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

That victory means the Spurs arrive at the NBA Finals with a lot of belief and it is San Antonio that will get to host the first two games of the Series.

One of the big questions for this young San Antonio team is how they will handle the pressure of playing in the NBA Finals after missing six straight Playoff seasons before this one. Some of those questions have been answered in beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Playoffs, but the NBA Finals is considered a significantly different experience and some of the biggest names in NBA history have suffered in the first appearance on this stage.

Victor Wembanyama is the key for the Spurs and he cannot afford to struggle- big performances in the four wins secured over the Oklahoma City Thunder proved decisive and it is no surprise that the Thunder won the three games when Wemby was not at his best.

He can be a monster factor on both ends of the floor, but it is also important that the other players on the court contribute as the Spurs look to keep the New York Knicks waiting for a Championship.

Fifty-three years have passed since the New York Knicks last won the NBA Championship and twenty-seven since they last played in the NBA Finals.

Much of the intervening time has been a mess, but Leon Rose has to be given a lot of credit for the way he has constructed this roster- the signing of Jalen Brunson has proved to be a masterstroke, but deals to bring in the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges have all strengthened the roster.

Throw in Mitchell Robinson, who should be recovered from a pinky injury that had some fearing he would miss some of the NBA Finals, and the likes of Landry Shamet and Miles McBride from the bench and this New York Knicks team will feel they can match up with anyone.

It helps that they have won eleven Playoff games in a row and by huge margins as they completed back to back sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. That means the team have had eight days of rest, while the San Antonio Spurs have had to play three games in that time, and the New York Knicks will be looking to make that rest count.

There is no doubting that there is going to be a lot of pressure on the New York Knicks, but they will feel they match up well with the San Antonio Spurs and the three regular season games between the teams back that up. The Knicks won twice and in good fashion, while they were only narrowly beaten in San Antonio and the New York team can make the adjustments within the game to change the flow of the momentum.

The Knicks do match up well with the San Antonio Spurs, but the same will be felt by the Western Conference Champions.

New York are well rested, but you do have to wonder if that will mean another slow start- yes, they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, but it should not be forgotten that the Knicks were 22 Points behind in the Fourth Quarter and Cleveland blew a big opportunity.

That was after another seven games had been needed in the previous Series and this San Antonio Spurs team have had a bit more recovery time compared with Cleveland.

Being at home in Game 1 is also a big advantage and this is a NBA Finals featuring two teams who will want to spot up shooters at the three point arc- if the Knicks are a little more rusty than rested, the San Antonio Spurs may take advantage and Game 1s of recent NBA Finals have been dominated by the home team.

Hosts who have also been asked to lay at least 4.5 points in NBA Finals have also been on a very strong run and the feeling is that the rhythm of the San Antonio Spurs may see them get into the lead and manage that much better than Cleveland did against the New York Knicks.

MY PICKS: 03/06 San Antonio Spurs - 4.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

NBA Finals: 

Conference Finals: 9-2, + 6.24 Units (11 Units Staked, + 56.73% 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 11 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 3rd June)

Day 10 proved to be a bounce back day for the Tennis Picks, but the French Open continues to throw up plenty of upsets and it is going to take some serious navigation to get out of Paris with a winning record.

Four more Quarter Final matches are set for Wednesday as the tournament begins to reach its climax.

Two Semi Final matches, one from both Men's and Women's events, have already been set as we prepare for what could be another day of tennis to be played under the roof.

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 games v Diana Shnaider: Consistent form away from the Grand Slam events helped Diana Shnaider into a career best World Ranking of Number 11 twelve months ago, but she has hit a bit of wall in the last year. That is not a surprise for a young player getting used to the trials and tribulations of a long Tour, but this is a surface on which Diana Shnaider feels comfortable.

Credit has to be given to the 22 year old for the numbers that have been steady across all surfaces, but that has not prevented Diana Shnaider for slipping down the World Rankings and she entered the French Open as the Number 25 Seed.

No matter what happens from here, Diana Shnaider has reversed the slip by reaching the Quarter Final of a Grand Slam event for the first time and she has had to come through some difficult situations. Most notably that was in the Third Round win over Oleksandra Oliynykova who had been highly critical of Shnaider in the pre-match press conferences and some of the actions that have been taken by the young player away from the Tour in relation to the continuing Russia-Ukraine war.

Diana Shnaider dealt with a difficult match and she has a win over a former Grand Slam Champion in Madison Keys in the Fourth Round, but there is going to be little doubt that this is another considerable step up in level of challenge facing her.

There has been a trend in each of the first four wins- Diana Shnaider has broken six times in each of those matches, but also dropped serve three times in each win, while there is going to be room for improvement on the serve if the lower Ranked player is going to beat the top Seed in the draw.

After a less than impressive build up towards the French Open, Aryna Sabalenka battled through the first couple of Rounds here in Paris.

The concern for the rest of the draw is that Aryna Sabalenka looks to be peaking at the right time and the last couple of performances have been better than the one before, while the win over Naomi Osaka in the Fourth Round really did make a statement. Aryna Sabalenka will know that there are stronger clay courters that she will have to beat to win this title for the first time, but being on the easier half of the bracket will help and it will be a real surprise if the World Number 1 is not playing in the Final again.

She has been one of the top clay courters on the Tour in recent years and Aryna Sabalenka will feel her serve gives her a big edge in this Quarter Final.

The return has been solid, but it is the strength of the serve that creates scoreboard pressure and that may be the case against Diana Shnaider, who has struggled against the better players on the Tour.

All four of Shnaider's clay court defeats this season have been against top 20 Ranked opponents and she had been 0-4 in those matches before the win over Madison Keys in the Fourth Round.

In those previous four defeats, Diana Shnaider has found herself under siege on the serve, but also struggling to make a serious impact on the return and that sounds like it could be the story of this last eight clash.

Facing a lefty may make things awkward for Aryna Sabalenka who has never played Diana Shnaider on the Tour before, but the World Number 1 did knock off a couple of southpaws at Roland Garros in 2025 without too much pushback.

This one should be tougher with the sense of expectation around Aryna Sabalenka, but she can eventually get on top of Diana Shnaider and that will likely be reflected on the final scoreboard as another Grand Slam Semi Final is reached by the top player on the Tour.

Flavio Cobolli v Felix Auger Aliassime: The run to the Quarter Final here in Paris means Felix Auger Aliassime has reached the last eight or better at every Grand Slam event on the Tour, while he is going to end this tournament at a new career high World Ranking.

The early elimination suffered by Jannik Sinner has opened up this top half of the draw and Felix Auger Aliassime is the highest Ranked player in the section, which will have built up some pressure on the 25 year old. He has been handling it as well as he can and Felix Auger Aliassime will be grateful for a straightforward Fourth Round win, which will mean he has been given time for recovery and preparation ahead of this Quarter Final.

Like many in the Men's tournament, there have been some taxing matches during the run to the last eight, but that Fourth Round win in a little over two hours came at an ideal time for Felix Auger Aliassime.

Two Fourth Round defeats and four First Round defeats had been the previous record at the Frenhc Open, but Felix Auger Aliassime has used the serve to build up pressure on opponents. The draw has also opened up for him, which means only one Seeded player has been beaten to reach the Quarter Final, while the form in the build up tournaments had been nothing to write home about.

Felix Auger Aliassime is very reliant on strong serving to build up pressure and he has to be credited for what looks to be an improving shot as the wins have racked up here in Paris. Conditions were much different in the first week, but Auger Aliassime will take real encouragement from his performance in the Fourth Round, while stronger serving has opened up opportunities on the return.

Experience is most certainly on the side of Felix Auger Aliassime who is playing in his fifth Grand Slam Quarter Final and who reached the US Open Semi Final last September.

However, Flavio Cobolli has continued to grow on the Tour and he is very close to cracking the top 10 of the World Rankings for the first time, while he is the player in the top half of the bracket who has made the most comfortable of progress to this stage of the French Open.

The World Number 14 had won the opening three matches in straight sets and should have done the same in the Fourth Round before losing concentration.

Still, Flavio Cobolli has spent around four hours fewer hours on the court compared with his opponent on the way to the Quarter Final and that accumulated fatigue, or lack of, can make a difference when we get to this Round of a Grand Slam.

Flavio Cobolli will be like many from Italy in being very comfortable on the clay courts and his overall tennis has looked to be in very good shape at the French Open. He has benefited from a kind draw and one that has looked kinder than the one that Felix Auger Aliassime has navigated, but credit has to be given to Cobolli for getting through the matches as would be expected.

Like his opponent, Flavio Cobolli will sense there is a big opportunity for him in the top half of the Men;'s draw and the 'x factor' here is how the Italian can handle the emotions and the sense of occasion.

He can take a huge amount of confidence from the fact that Flavio Cobolli has two wins over Felix Auger Aliassime on the Tour and both on the hard courts that should favour the latter. One of those was in Canada in 2024 and both of those wins have been at a time when Felix Auger Aliassime was the higher Ranked player, as he will be on Wednesday.

The overall clay court numbers, the potential of being the fresher player and the head to head are the slight edges in favour of Flavio Cobolli and he can win this match if he is not overawed in just his second Grand Slam Quarter Final.

Matteo Berrettini - 1.5 sets v Matteo Arnaldi: If someone had told you that three Men's Italian tennis players would be competing in the French Open Quarter Final and none would be Jannik Sinner, you'd never have believed them.

But that is the case on Day 11 of the French Open and the last match scheduled on the court features two players named Matteo.

Between 2021 and 2022, Matteo Berrettini found himself constantly competing at the business end of Grand Slam events and he was as high as World Number 6 in January 2022. During that time he reached the Final at Wimbledon, the Semi Final at the Australian Open and back to back runs to the Quarter Final at the US Open.

In 2021 Matteo Berrettini was also able to reach the Quarter Final at the French Open, but injuries piled up and he had not even competed at three of the previous four Grand Slam events prior to the 2026 French Open. Matteo Berrettini had not played here since the Quarter Final run in 2021, but the World Number 105 has enjoyed a special week and his experience will give Berrettini a real shot at reaching another Grand Slam Final.

A Third Round win was earned in over five hours on the court, but Matteo Berrettini made relatively routine work of his Fourth Round opponent and that will be key in helping him recover physically.

Before the tournament began, Matteo Arnaldi was one place higher than Berrettini in the World Rankings at Number 104 and so his run to the Quarter Final has been just as surprising as his compatriot's.

Out of the two players, Matteo Arnaldi has played the higher level of opponent, but that has also meant leaving a lot more out of the court. He recovered from 2-1 behind in sets and 4-1 down in the fourth set to beat Frances Tiafoe in the Fourth Round, but that win may have come at a cost with Matteo Arnaldi needing over five hours on the court for a second match in a row.

At times Matteo Arnaldi looked to be running on fumes, but he has shown grit and determination which has to be respected.

He is going to need to show more of that in this Quarter Final, although the expectation is that the rallies are not going to be nearly as gruelling as they were in the win over Frances Tiafoe. This time the big serving of Matteo Berrettini should shorten up the points, which may not be a bad thing for Matteo Arnaldi who is going to have pick and choose the moments when to attack.

The serve has been the big weapon for Matteo Berrettini in this run to the Quarter Final and he may have the edge in this one if there is any lingering fatigue in the Matteo Arnaldi arm and body.

Matteo Berrettini is not the most convincing of return players on the Tour, but he should be the fresher player in this Quarter Final and Matteo Arnaldi's serve showed some vulnerabilities in the Fourth Round.

While Matteo Arnaldi has shown considerable fight to get back into matches in this French Open run, you do have a feeling that this match could get very tough for the younger of the two Italian players if Matteo Berrettini can move in front.

The serving of Berrettini will likely keep Matteo Arnaldi under some real pressure and that could finally see the 25 year old crack.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Flavio Cobolli @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Matteo Berrettini - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

French Open Update: 25-19, + 2.64 Units (84 Units Staked, + 3.14% Yield)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day 10, we go again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Joyce @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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