Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 21st August)

Another day in Cincinnati ended with another retirement, but this one feels very different to some of those we have seen over the last few days.

Elena Rybakina is only a couple of wins away from becoming the World Number 1, but she had to withdraw from her Quarter Final with an ankle injury.

There was an immediate concern that it could be an achilles injury, but she has downplayed that and suggested an existing injury that she been managing has flared up. However, that does mean Elena Rybakina will be desperate to get through the next few days managing things and preparing to be ready for the US Open, even if her participation has to be considered doubtful.

News did break that Carlos Alcaraz will be travelling to New York City having missed the last two Grand Slams and a number of months on the Tour with a wrist injury.

However, before thoughts turn to the final Grand Slam of the season, the Cincinnati Masters has to be completed this week and the Semi Final lineup will be put together on Friday.

Taylor Fritz - 1.5 games v Brandon Nakashima: These two players met in Washington as both prepared for the US Open and it was Taylor Fritz who edged past Brandon Nakashima in a competitive Semi Final. It is the second time that Fritz has beaten his compatriot on the hard courts of the United States this season and he will be chasing a third victory when this Quarter Final is played.

Taylor Fritz moved past Brandon Nakashima in three sets in Washington and went on to win the title there, but he was beaten in his opening match in Toronto at the Canadian Masters.

The run in Washington may have ended in the Semi Final, but Brandon Nakashima has clearly taken a lot of confidence from his performances and reached the Final last week in Toronto before losing to Ben Shelton.

A lot of tennis has been played, but momentum is behind Brandon Nakashima and he is enjoying another strong run in a Masters event.

The wins that have already been achieved look to be good enough to push Brandon Nakashima into the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time when the new Rankings are released next week. Brandon Nakashima has dug in to win back to back matches in three sets, but you do have to wonder if this build up of tennis could ultimately wear him down before a well deserved rest ahead of the US Open.

Both players are very reliant on the serve, but Taylor Fritz has been able to get a little more joy against the Brandon Nakashima serve in the two meetings this season.

This all means Taylor Fritz leads the head to head 4-1, although the sole win for Brandon Nakashima came right here in Cincinnati and will give the lower Ranked American confidence to turn things in his favour.

However, the fresher player should be Taylor Fritz who has made comfortable passage through the draw and he can edge past Brandon Nakashima for a second time in the space of a month.

MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 17-18, - 3.81 Units (31 Units Staked, - 12.29% Yield)

Australian Darts Masters Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 21st August)

The top players have been invited to travel to New Zealand and Australian for back to back World Series events and it was Jonny Clayton who picked up the trophy last weekend in New Zealand.

This week the World Series takes place in Australia and the eight top PDC players will all believe they have what it takes to win the title here, especially with the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries not being involved.

Judging by what was seen last weekend, those invited into this World Series tournament may also be playing with the confidence to believe they can upset the odds and put together a deep run and that makes this World Series event very interesting.

On the opening day of this tournament, all eight opening Round matches will be played before the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final take place on the second day.

Stephen Bunting - 3.5 legs v Mal Cuming: The disappointing opening Round exit last week should mean Stephen Bunting is that much more focused to make amends when arriving in Australia.

He did not play badly in the loss to Raymond Smith and anything similar should be good enough to beat Mal Cuming who is in eighth place in the Australian Dart Rankings.

In the two previous runnings of the Australian Darts Masters, Mal Cuming has not been able to earn a spot in the draw and he will have to lift his numbers considerably to challenge Bunting.

The Bullet can be really frustrating at times, but he should be focused to bounce back from the early loss at the New Zealand Darts Masters and that should see him ease through to the Quarter Final this week.

Josh Rock to win & most 180s v Adam Leek: The win over Ross Smith last week came as a real surprise, but Adam Leek was not able to back that up in the Quarter Final.

He had not been showing much form at the Players Championship prior to earning a place in the World Series Down Under, but Adam Leek found a way past Ross Smith when he looked set for another defeat.

Credit has to be given to the character of Leek and he will be motivated to perform well here in Australia, while he has beaten Josh Rock once already this season.

However, Josh Rock should be able to maintain a stronger level than Adam Leek even if he was not at his absolute best last week when going out in the Quarter Final as well.

Josh Rock is the bigger maximum hitter and that should aid him in his bid to move through to the next Round.

Jonny Clayton to win & most 180s v Ben Robb: He did not start the tournament in New Zealand with an impressive performance and Jonny Clayton was a little fortunate to beat Haupai Puha.

Despite edging through, Clayton took full advantage by picking up the World Series trophy last weekend and he should be playing with a lot of confidence.

Those qualifying for the New Zealand Darts Masters impressed last week and so Jonny Clayton will know he cannot afford another below par performance against Ben Robb.

A narrow loss to Damon Heta was the outcome of the First Round match involving Ben Robb last week, although it was the missed doubles that kept Robb in the match.

He will need to improve to beat one of the top players on the Tour and Jonny Clayton can secure the match double on his way to the Quarter Final.

Gerwyn Price - 3.5 legs v Simon Whitlock: The veteran Australian is back in the World Series for the third straight year at home, but Simon Whitlock has struggled to compete with the best players on the Tour.

He did win four Legs in his loss to Josh Rock last week in New Zealand, but Simon Whitlock's two matches at the Australian Darts Masters have both ended in 6-1 defeats.

Simon Whitlock will need Gerwyn Price to underperform if he is going to upset the odds, but that looks unlikely considering how well The Ice Man was playing last week.

Maintaining that level has not been easy for Gerwyn Price and he has admitted that he has not been completely focused on his darts this season, even if the results have remained strong.

Motivation should not be too difficult to find for Gerwyn Price against someone who will receive a huge amount of support and he may prove to be the latest top player on the PDC that reminds Simon Whitlock of better days.

Damon Heta - 3.5 legs v Joe Comito: 2026 has not been the season he may have expected, but Damon Heta has shown a bit more positive form over the last couple of months.

He produced a very strong First Round win in New Zealand, although the scoreboard did not reflect how well The Heat had played.

Too many missed doubles were a problem, but Damon Heta is expected to be more focused all around as he plays in front of his compatriots.

Damon Heta should have too much scoring for Joe Comito and that should mean having a lot more chances to close out Legs.

Credit has to be given to Joe Comito for winning a match at the World Championship, but he has won just four Legs in the last couple of years at the Australian Darts Masters.

At the same time, Damon Heta has really produced very strong form in the opening Round at this tournament in each of the two editions and he can pull away for a relatively comfortable win.

MY PICKS: Stephen Bunting - 3.5 Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Jonny Clayton to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gerwyn Price - 3.5 Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Damon Heta - 3.5 Legs @ 2.20 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 113-147, - 21.14 Units (257 Units Staked, - 8.23% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 20th August)

It was a case of so near, yet so far, when it came to the Tennis Picks through the Fourth Round in Cincinnati and those early retirements are not hitting the overall numbers pretty hard.

There is still a few days to go at this last 1000 event before the US Open begins and half of the Quarter Final matches are set to be played on Thursday.

This is an opportunity for players to throw down the gauntlet to the rivals ahead of the US Open, especially as both titles could be up grabs- Aryna Sabalenka will likely be the favourite in the women's event, but looks completely devoid of confidence and belief, while there is an increasing concern that both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will not be playing in New York City.

Alexander Zverev has not exactly taken advantage of that in Montreal or Cincinnati and that would mean there are a huge amount of players that may feel an opportunity to win a Grand Slam has opened up for them.

Winning the title here would give that player a huge shot in the arm ahead of the US Open and so an important few days lies ahead in both tournaments being played here.

Thiago Agustin Tirante-Arthur Fils over 0.5 tie-breakers: Yes, the Thiago Agustin Tirante three set win over Jakub Mensik failed to reach at least one tie-breaker, but it was the concern about scoreboard pressure at the back end of sets that worked against the selection.

In the first set, Tirante had only lost six points on serve when he stepped up at 5-6 behind, but he produced the worst game he would in the match.

Despite that, Thiago Agustin Tirante is still putting in strong serving numbers and this is likely to be another match dominated by that shot.

He will need to serve well against Arthur Fils, who has quietly made his way through the draw thanks to some strong returning displays. Those have to be respected, especially as they have been backed up by impressing serving of his own, and Arthur Fuls has the confidence of having beaten two top 15 Ranked opponents.

However, Thiago Agustin Tirante has managed to beat two players Ranked inside the top 16 and so both players should be expectant heading into this big Quarter Final.

Seeing at least one tie-breaker played looks underestimated considering the kind of serving both can produce- Arthur Fils deserves the edge in the match thanks to the superior returning he can produce on the hard courts, but his opponent should be able to keep this competitive through the opening couple of sets and one may need the breaker to separate the two.

Jessica Pegula v Amanda Anisimova: Five previous meetings on the Tour have all been won by Jessica Pegula, including both played this year at the Australian Open and in Dubai.

The latest of those saw Amanda Anisimova make a fast start, but she struggled on the serve and that makes things very difficult for the World Number 10.

The serve is one of her strengths and being put under constant pressure by the retrieving skills of Jessica Pegula has eventually led to Amanda Anisimova facing 22 Break Points in the two matches played against her compatriot this season. She has saved 14/22 of those big points, but being broken four times in both matches puts her under immediate pressure ahead of this one.

Amanda Anisimova is going to know she needs to serve very well and that is especially the case as she has struggled to deal with the Jessica Pegula delivery.

The lower Ranked of the two American player has won just 38% of return points played against Jessica Pegula, which is significantly below her seasonal mark. Amanda Anisimova has also created just 13 Break Points in the two matches and it is Jessica Pegula who has enjoyed her time in Cincinnati much more often than most.

She did have to play over two hours in the Fourth Round win over Sorana Cirstea, which is a potential factor, but Jessica Pegula has matched up well enough with Amanda Anisimova to believe she may get the better of her again.

Iga Swiatek - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: Another disappointing tournament for Aryna Sabalenka means the Number 1 spot in the World Rankings is up for grabs and Elena Rybakina may finally take that spot for the first time in her career.

However, that can only happen next week if Elena Rybakina can find a way to get past Iga Swiatek after losing in the Toronto Final to this opponent last Thursday.

Both players have backed up that run at the Canadian Master by putting another strong one together here and Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina continue to push and pull one another in the head to head. The Pole's win last week means she now leads 7-6 having snapped a two match losing run against Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek leads the hard court head to to head 6-4.

That includes beating Elena Rybakina in the Cincinnati Semi Final last year as they prepare to meet a Round earlier in 2026 and Iga Swiatek is playing with confidence that we have not seen that often over the last several months.

Winning the title in Toronto has clearly given her a boost and Iga Swiatek is the defending Champion in Cincinnati, although that does mean there is pressure to defend the Ranking Points with her live position seeing her dropped into World Number 9.

You have to believe Iga Swiatek is not overly concerned about that and instead is looking to complete the double of the two WTA 1000 events played in preparation for the US Open. There is no doubging the current Number 1 player is struggling and Iga Swiatek will be looking to make a big statement ahead of her bid to conclude the season with at least one Grand Slam title in her hands.

Much is going to come down to the Rybakina serve- in the six hard court wins, Iga Swiatek has won at least 41% of return points played, but the four losses have been in matches where she has not won more than 35%. Before the win in Toronto, Iga Swiatek had really struggled to deal with the Elena Rybakina serve in back to back hard court defeats, but the World Number 2 has allowed more Break Points than she has created in two of the three wins here in Cincinnati.

Iga Swiatek has not been as consistent on the serve as she would hope, but the numbers are better than people may imagine.

She is perhaps throwing in one or two really poor serving matches in a shorter time span than she had when at her very best, but Iga Swiatek can back up the win in the Toronto Final thanks to her current momentum.

MY PICKS: Thiago Agustin Tirante-Arthur Fils Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula  @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 16-17, - 3.53 Units (29 Units Staked, - 12.17% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 19th August)

In a break compared with some of the other Masters events played through the course of the year, the Cincinnati Masters will have the entire Fourth Round played through Wednesday.

Manic Monday used to be the best day of the season when Wimbledon used to have the entirety of the Fourth Round played on a single day, but they have changed the schedule in SW19 and Cincinnati is one of those rare tournaments of this size that will have all of the top names in action over the course of several hours.

Of course it is also dependent on the weather with thundery conditions expected through much of the day and there is a significant chance that the majority of the Fourth Round matches are not completed.

Despite that, the Tennis Picks will be made as usual, although the short time between the end of the Third Round and one half of the draw having to play on consecutive days means there has not been the time to put the analysis down for every selection made.

Rafael Jodar - 3.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: He has had to dig in and come through a couple of very tough matches, but Rafael Jodar has managed to do that and continues producing a strong set of results during the hard court build up towards the US Open.

There will be a feeling of playing with 'house money' having somehow rallied to win his Second Round match against Denis Shapovalov, but credit has to be given to Rafael Jodar for taking advantage of any fortune that has come his way.

He is getting closer and closer to cracking the top 1o in the World Rankings for the first time and Rafael Jodar has to believe that is possible by the end of the season, while he may also harbour hopes of playing at the ATP Finals.

Winning this match against someone Ranked higher than himself would continue to the positive surge and Rafael Jodar has been set as the favourite against Flavio Cobolli.

The World Number 10 has won a couple of matches in Cincinnati to just rebuild some of the confidence that may have been lost since the disappointing Quarter Final defeat at Wimbledon. Flavio Cobolli did win the title in Acapulco, but would have a 6-8 record on the hard courts for the season if he had not won five matches at that event.

In reality, Flavio Cobolli is not quite doing enough behind serve or return, while the win over Alexander Blockx means he is just 2-3 in hard court matches against top 50 Ranked opponents. His numbers have been disappointing across those matches and Cobolli could find it tough to slow the momentum picked up by the teenager standing across the other side of the net.

The Italian can be tough to shake off with his ability to put a streaky run of points together within matches, but Rafael Jodar is playing at a level which is more than capable of producing a strong looking victory.

Thiago Agustin Tirante-Jakub Mensik over 0.5 tie-breakers: The conditions in Cincinnati have historically played faster than some of the other hard courts and both of these players have taken advantage of that by backing up huge serves and groundstrokes.

Thiago Agustin Tirante has already upset Novak Djokovic here as he built up pressure on the ailing former Champion through the serve.

He has already backed up the upset by winning his next match and the World Number 50 will continue his rise in the World Rankings by setting a new career best mark at the end of the tournament having coming into this one at his peak career Ranking.

Serving well will be key against Jakub Mensik, who has also used his delivery to strong effect throughout his time on the hard courts. He is a former Masters winner and Mensik is continuing to grow towards the very top of the sport with the potential to win Grand Slams very clear.

The lower Ranked player has played eight sets in Cincinnati this week and Thiago Agustin Tirante has played five tie-breakers in that time.

Jakub Mensik has only played a single tie-breaker in five sets, but it should be noted that both are very much stronger behind serve compared with return and this is a match that may feature plenty of easy service holds. Pressure at the back end of sets can do funny things, but there should be at least one tie-breaker played between them in the Fourth Round.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Sorana Cirstea: After dropping the first set, Sorana Cirstea did not look back in her Third Round crushing win over Anna Kalinskaya and the veteran will have picked up some confidence from earning consecutive victories.

The level is raised significantly in the Fourth Round when Cirstea is set to face Jessica Pegula, who has long been right in the mix for the biggest hard court titles.

Winning here in Cincinnati would lay a marker for the US Open, but Jessica Pegula will be aware she is still going to have to get through some difficult tests.

However, she will also be aware of not overlooking Sorana Cirstea who had put together such a strong first half of the season. Recent weeks have been tougher for a player that may see retirement looming over the horizon after announcing this will be the last year on the Tour and there is a case to be made that it has affected her recent performances.

She has always been a steady hard court player, but there is no doubt that Sorana Cirstea has found a new level this year.

In saying that, it may still not be quite as strong as Jessica Pegula can be on this surface and the more consistent tennis of the World Number 3 can help her breakthrough.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Diana Shnaider: Memories of the Semi Final loss at the French Open may have come flooding back for Diana Shnaider in the second set of her match against Maja Chwalinska and the higher Ranked player looked a little lost. She had dominated the first set and had missed multiple break points in consecutive return games early in the second set before Diana Shnaider dropped serve for the first time in the contest.

It rocked her and only a rain delay broke the negative momentu as Shnaider rallied on the return to the court and ultimately came through in straight sets.

Another level is going to have to be found if she is going to beat the Australian Open Champion Elena Rybakina in the Fourth Round.

The hard courts have long been a favoured surface of Rybakina's with her huge game perfectly suited to the surface. However, Elena Rybakina may have felt there has been an underperformance in terms of the results achieved before the Australian Open back in January, but she reached the Final in Toronto last week and is looking for another big run before the US Open begins.

If you are being critical of Elena Rybakina, you would say there is room for improvement on the return of serve- if she could move her returning points percentage by even a couple of points in a more favourable direction, Rybakina would be a player that is incredibly tough to beat.

Her current game is good enough to take care of most and the 21-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 10 underlines that statement.

Diana Shnaider can cause problems, but facing the elite has been an issue on the hard courts and she has a 1-4 record in those matches in 2026. In those matches, the serve has been more vulnerable and Shnaider has struggled with her consistency on the return, while the sole previous meeting between the players ended in a routine win for Elena Rybakina on an indoor clay court in Stuttgart and we could see something similar here.

MY PICKS: Rafael Jodar - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Thiago Agustin Tirante-Jakub Mensik Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.66 William Hill (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Lorenzo Musetti - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Felix Auger Aliassime - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 12-12, - 1.51 Units (20 Units Staked, - 7.55% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 18th August)

For the second time at this tournament, a player has withdrawn from a match they were about to lose and that is now having a serious impact on the numbers.

Anna Kalinskaya retired at 7-6, 1-6, 0-5 on Monday to add to the Elena Gabriel Ruse retirement when three games away from losing her Second Round match on Saturday and it is frustrating.

Instead of two winners, which was looking incredibly likely, we have to void both and that has meant another mixed start.

Tuesday is the conclusion of the Third Round matches to be played and all will be hoping it is not a day impacted by too many rain delays- unfortunately there does look to be a real chance of some rain later in the afternoon (local time), but it should not prevent the schedule from being completed as planned.

At least the wind is not nearly as tough to deal with as it was this past weekend, which should give the players an opportunity to compete with confidence.

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 games v Nuno Borges: This will be the sixth time these two players have faced one another on the Tour and Nuno Borges is still looking to get the better of Andrey Rublev for the first time.

The most recent meeting came at the French Open and Andrey Rublev edged through in straight sets as he continued to win the big points when they were played.

It is a result that also means Andrey Rublev has won eleven of the twelve sets played between the pair, while all three hard court matches have been won in straight sets. The last of those came back in January in Hong Kong as the players prepared for the Australian Open and Andrey Rublev has been supremely dominant behind the serve.

The only nagging aspect going against this selection is that Andrey Rublev has been struggling for consistent form in recent weeks and he was beaten in the Second Round in Montreal last week. It was the fourth straight defeat in hard court matches, but Rublev will have exorcised some demons by beating Pablo Carreno Busta in the Second Round here, while also likely playing with plenty of confidence considering the head to head against Nuno Borges on the Tour.

Nuno Borges has come through a couple of matches in Cincinnati and had a decent run in Montreal last week, but he has struggled when facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts. The 3-5 record is a little disappointing and the World Number 47 may come up short against Andrey Rublev once again on Tuesday.

Lorenzo Musetti - 2.5 games v Michael Zheng: The return to the Tour has been pretty productive for Lorenzo Musetti with a couple of solid, if unspectacular, runs in Washington and Toronto before winning his Second Round match in Cincinnati.

The World Number 15 is in the midst of putting another solid year together on the hard courts, although that also means there is the pressure of defending the Ranking Points won last year to maintain a spot inside the top 20 of the World Rankings.

Lorenzo Musetti is down as the favourite to beat Michael Zheng who came through the Qualifiers before winning a couple of main draw matches. The young American is operating at his best career Ranking mark, but is set to move inside the top 100 for the first time and Michael Zheng will be comfortable competing on the hard courts.

However, his experience of facing top competition is pretty limited this year and the win over Ugo Humbert is the first against someone Ranked inside the top 50.

It is a performance that will give Michael Zheng confidence, but there is still some for improvement on the serve and that is an area that Lorenzo Musetti will look to exploit.

Both of these players will believe they have the return game to hurt the other and it would not be a surprise if there are a number of breaks of serve, but Musetti has remained very strong when facing those players Ranked outside the top 20. He has already won in that spot in this tournament and Lorenzo Musetti has been able to get enough out of his serve to take a real swing on the return and he can do that in this Third Round match.

Felix Auger Aliassime - 4.5 games v Juan Manuel Cerundolo: Having to miss out on competing at the Canadian Masters would have really hurt, but Felix Auger Aliassime came through his opening match in Cincinnati in impressive style.

The win over Stefanos Tsitsipas will have been a boost for Felix Auger Aliassime who had deep runs in Cincinnati and at the US Open last year.

He is facing an opponent who has won the sole previous meeting between the pair on the Tour, but Juan Manuel Cerundolo is pretty lucky to still be in the draw at this Masters event, while beating Felix Auger Aliassime on a clay court is a different story than beating him on a hard court.

It was a win in Madrid where the courts play faster, but Felix Auger Aliassime will feel he had the chances to turn that match in his favour and his strengths should be clearer on a relatively fast hard court.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo has improved his hard court record to 5-3 this year thanks to two wins here, but his numbers have been poor and Arthur Rinderknech should have beaten him in the Second Round.

Felix Auger Aliassime is not the best return player, which makes this spread a difficult one to deal with, but he should be able to serve himself into a strong position and that pressure can be applied to help him find the breaks needed.

Madison Keys - 4.5 games v Katerina Siniakova: Two previous meetings between the pair have ended in routine wins for Madison Keys, although the last of those came at the US Open in 2024.

At 31 years old, you do have to wonder how much motivation is left for Madison Keys as she has dropped out of the top 20 in the World Rankings and picked up the Grand Slam win in Australia over eighteen months ago. That Slam victory will have made it feel like Keys has achieved all she would have wanted having looked like the Major was going to escape her, but the upcoming US Open is where she will want to peak.

It has not been the best summer of preparation but Madison Keys has tended to beat those players that she would expect, especially on the hard courts where she has a 10-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 20.

Katerina Siniakova is a dangerous player when at her best, but it has been another inconsistent season and she did have to withdraw mid-match in Toronto last week.

A Second Round win here will have given Katerina Siniakova a boost as she performs as one of the Seeded players, but Madison Keys may have too much know-how on a hard court and can pull away for a solid win.

Iva Jovic - 3.5 games v Marie Bouzkova: Both of these players are Seeded in Cincinnati and that is expected to be the case when the US Open begins, but Iva Jovic is definitely a player on a stronger positive trajectory at this stage of the respective careers.

The 18 year old has had some very strong moments on the Tour throughout 2026 and that has helped Iva Jovic move into the World Number 16 position, which is the career high so far.

It is an improvement that will allow Iva Jovic to try and put together a strong end to the season, although her Second Round win means she has only matched the run in Cincinnati produced twelve months ago.

Back then Iva Jovic had a reprieve to enter the tournament as a Lucky Loser, and the American has put a solid year together on the Tour, albeit one that still sees her having a few off days.

Marie Bouzkova will be looking to exploit any dip from the opponent on the other side of the net, but that also means finding her own consistency in what has been a difficult season on the hard courts.

The Czech player has really struggled when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the surface and has a 2-6 record in those matches, while the numbers have taken a significant drop on the return of serve.

You always have to respect a veteran of the Tour who can call upon ample experience to change things around, but Iva Jovic has been the stronger hard court player and can push through to the Fourth Round.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Janice Tjen: Winning the French Open means Mirra Andreeva has already begun to fulfil the obvious potential she has and this is a player who has been comfortable on the hard courts, although perhaps not putting up the results expected.

It is telling that she has yet to reach the Quarter Final at either the Australian Open or US Open with a Third Round effort the best she has had in New York City before the last Grand Slam of the season begins later this month.

Quite comfortably the best results have been at the French Open, but Andreeva has won the Indian Wells WTA 1000 event and also a big tournament held in Dubai on the hard courts.

Both of those titles were won in 2025 and Mirra Andreeva has had some disappointing early exits in the WTA 1000 events this season, including a Third Round loss in Toronto last week.

The World Number 6 did not play in Cincinnati last year, but that means the pressure is not on her shoulders and Mirra Andreeva has continued to be good enough to beat those she would expect to beat. A couple of the hard court losses have been disappointing, but a 14-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 20 has to be respected, especially coupled with the overall numbers produced.

Janice Tjen will be looking to make it four losses in that spot for Mirra Andreeva, but the World Number 37 is still trying to find the consistency on the Tour.

She is almost certainly going to be putting up a new career-best World Ranking mark at the end of the tournament and Janice Tjen has a first serve that can put some pressure on opponents. Serving well here may give her a chance to keep things competitive, as Tjen has proven to be against many opponents on the hard courts this season, although both matches against top 10 Ranked opponents have ended in one-sided losses.

This whole match could come down to how effective Janice Tjen can serve against someone like Mirra Andreeva who has very strong returning numbers.

Janice Tjen was not able to impose the serve against Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova in matches earlier this year and someone like Mirra Andreeva is capable of producing a very good looking win in this Third Round contest.

MY PICKS: Andrey Rublev - 1.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Lorenzo Musetti - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Felix Auger Aliassime - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Iva Jovic - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 8-10, - 2.99 Units (14 Units Staked, - 16.61% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 17th August)

The Tennis Gods can giveth and the Tennis Gods can taketh away.

That is how it has felt through the opening two days of selections at the Cincinnati Masters after a baffling Sunday.

Players were getting into positions to win matches as expected, but wasted Match Points or a loss of focus at the wrong time swung things against the Tennis Picks made and it proved to be a tough pill to swallow.

Things like that can happen across a long season, but the key is to not lose focus or faith with what has worked and instead work to bounce back immediately.

We will be moving into the Third Round in Cincinnati on Monday, but the forecast does not look very good for the day with thundery showers accompanied by an out of date drying system meaning it could be a frustrating day for players and fans alike. However, there are still selections to be made from the Monday schedule, even if the likelihood is that some of these matches will need to be carried into Tuesday, when it is forecasted to be hot and dry.

Tommy Paul - 4.5 games v Adolfo Daniel Vallejo: An upset in the Second Round has seen Adolfo Daniel Vallejo make it through to the Third Round here in Cincinnati and give himself a big boost in the World Rankings.

This is not a player that spends a lot of time on the hard courts and so the two wins in the main draw will have given Adolfo Daniel Vallejo confidence to take into the next couple of tournaments. Backing up the upset in the Second Round is the immediate challenge though and that may be beyond a player that has limited experience on the surface and who is now going up against an opponent who should receive plenty of backing from the crowd.

Tommy Paul has put together decent numbers on the hard courts this season, but he has not had the deep runs that he would have hoped.

His win over Hubert Hurkacz is a reminder of what Tommy Paul can do on this surface and half of the hard court wins in 2026 have been against players Ranked outside of the top 50.

Conditions have been tough in Cincinnati through the opening few days, but the wind looks to be dying down on Tuesday, although a wet day is predicted and there is no guarantee this match will be played as scheduled.

Despite all of that, Tommy Paul should have the edge whenever he does get on the court and he should be able to put himself in a position to cover this handicap mark as long as he has not overlooked Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Terence Atmane: There is every reason to respect Terence Atmane as he continues to try and defend the World Ranking Points from reaching the Semi Final here in Cincinnati twelve months ago.

His run was ended by Jannik Sinner, but Atmane had three top 15 wins and two top 10 wins and that will give him confidence, even if he has struggled for consistency on the hard courts in 2026. The 12-11 record is boosted by two wins here in Cincinnati to reach the Third Round, but that record reads 6-7 when only focusing on matches against top 50 opponents.

Terence Atmane does have a dangerous serve and that should work well in the Cincinnati conditions, as it did last year, but he is now facing the top Seed in the draw and someone who should be motivated to put a strong tournament on the board.

Alexander Zverev was upset early in Montreal at the Canadian Masters, but this is a player who has reached the Semi Final here in each of the last three years and the top players on the ATP Tour are not around to stop his run this time.

He dominated Cameron Norrie in the Second Round and Alexander Zverev is also very comfortable in the conditions as shown in previous visits.

The serve can contain much of the Terence Atmane threat if Alexander Zverev is performing close to his usual level, while the Number 1 Seed is the superior return player. That was on display in the altitude of the Madrid clay courts earlier this year and Alexander Zverev can match that margin of victory against this French opponent for the second time.

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 games v Maja Chwalinska: The run to the French Open Final will live long in the memory of Maja Chwalinska, but there had been little to suggest that was about to happen for the Polish player before Roland Garros in 2026.

It was only the second time she had played in a main draw at any Grand Slam and the results since that run have been more in line with what you would expect.

Maja Chwalinska upset Diana Shnaider in the Semi Final in Paris and these two players renew acquaintances on the hard courts of Cincinnati, which should favour the latter a little more.

It was a breakthrough Slam for Diana Shnaider, despite coming up short in the Semi Final, but she has backed that result up a lot more decisively than her opponent.

The hard courts should favour Diana Shnaider more than Maja Chwalinksa, although the latter did put together a strong performance in the Second Round, which does deserve respect.

She frustrated Diana Shnaider when they met on the clay courts of Roland Garros, but that may be harder to do on a relatively quick hard court and Diana Shnaider can back up recent results in Washington and Toronto to move through to the Fourth Round here.

Sorana Cirstea v Anna Kalinskaya: The second half of the 2026 season has yet to hit the same heights as the first half as Sorana Cirstea continues to push towards a planned retirement. The early season form had some questioning whether Cirstea should postpone those plans for another year, but the veteran of the Tour may be slowing down right now.

Despite those concerns, there has still been enough coming from Sorana Cirstea to believe she can edge past Anna Kalinskaya, even though the latter reached the Quarter Final in Cincinnati twelve months ago.

2026 has been a lot more inconsistent for Anna Kalinskaya and the 13-9 record on the hard courts is a bit of a disappointment.

You do have to state that eight of those nine losses have been against top 20 Ranked opponents and Anna Kalinskaya has struggled to impose herself in those matches. This has to be a concern for her ahead of a match against Sorana Cirstea, who has beaten Kalinskaya at the US Open three years ago, while the World Number 19 has also been effective when facing higher Ranked opponents this season and certainly more so than Anna Kalinskaya.

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 games v Emma Navarro: There may not be a lot of World Ranking Points to defend to conclude the 2026 season, but Emma Navarro will still be largely disappointed with the efforts to this point of the campaign.

A Second Round win has improved her hard court record to 6-11, but Navarro is going to have to put together some strong runs if she is going to extend her run of winning seasons on the surface.

Doing that here in Cincinnati looks a tough ask when going up against Jessica Pegula, who has won all three previous meetings between the compatriots on the Tour.

Jessica Pegula is the World Number 3 and she has produced much higher form on the hard courts throughout this season compared with Emma Navarro. The former will also go into the home Grand Slam as one of the favourites and Pegula has always enjoyed playing in Cincinnati having reached the Final and Semi Final in 2023 and 2024 ahead of strong runs at the US Open.

Last year was a disappointment at this WTA 1000 event, but Jessica Pegula produced a strong win in the Second Round and can back that up with another victory over Emma Navarro.

Despite all three matches being won by Jessica Pegula, she will respect the fact that Navarro has been a competitive opponent in all of those.

However, the 2026 version of Emma Navarro has not quite been able to put it all together and the two previous hard court meetings between these players has seen Jessica Pegula dominate the serving numbers.

If she can do that in this match, Jessica Pegula has the return game to find the breaks needed to cover this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Tommy Paul - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Sorana Cirstea  @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 6-8, - 2.59 Units (14 Units Staked, - 18.50% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 16th August)

It proved to be a positive start to the Cincinnati Masters for the selections being made on these pages, although it is a shame that a couple more winners were not found on the day.

A rain delay allowed Elena Gabriela Ruse the time to think about her ankle issue and she decided not to come back out on the court with Alexandra Eala three games away from the win- if that match had been allowed to continue without the delay, the expectation is that Ruse would have finished it on the court.

Later in the evening, Alexander Zverev had enough Break Point chances to beat Cameron Norrie with a slightly stronger result and that makes it a frustration he was not quite able to cover the handicap mark as he eventually fell one game short.

Fortunately the majority of the opening Picks returned as hoped and that does give us something to build upon as this last big tournament before the US Open continues over the next several days.

However, it should be remembered that it is only a start and there is still a lot of work to do in order to finish the event with a positive number and momentum to take into New York City.

It has been a busier weekend than expected with the heat continuing to rise in the United Kingdom.

There should be fuller threads with analysis in the days ahead, but the Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks for Sunday can be seen in the MY PICKS section below with the updated tournament totals.

Selections have been researched, but time constraints have impacted the thread in terms of the analysis usually provided with those that have made the criteria.

MY PICKS: Lorenzo Musetti - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Arthur Rinderknech - 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Taylor Fritz-Alex Michelsen Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Learner Tien - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Leylah Fernandez - 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 5-2, + 2.31 Units (7 Units Staked, + 33% Yield)