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)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 10th August)

The Canadian Masters is winding down, but these pages are still looking for a strong end to the tournament to try and restrict some of the early damage absorbed at the tournament.

A winning day was produced thanks to Jakub Mensik's late recovery in the second set of his straight sets win to back up Ben Shelton's success earlier in the day.

However, it was not quite the clean sweep that was hoped for after beginning the day with Tallon Griekspoor's surprisingly one-sided defeat.

The Quarter Finals begin on Monday with the tournaments in Montreal and Toronto still scheduled to be concluded on Thursday, while the Cincinnati Masters is set to begin with First Round action on the same day.

However, the focus right now has to be on the conclusion of the Canadian Masters, even if the Monday action looks tough to call and with one only Pick made that can be read below.

Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 games v Luciano Darderi: Both of these players have shown considerable character to make their way through to the Quarter Final at the Canadian Masters.

Both Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima have come through consecutive matches by winning a deciding set, while the former has twice been able to recover from dropping the opening set.

Despite the run, you cannot ignore the fact that Luciano Darderi has struggled for consistency on the hard courts and he has benefited from a kind draw that has meant beating two players Ranked outside the top 100 before the win over Nuno Borges in the Fourth Round.

Brandon Nakashima does hold a win over a fellow Seed here in Montreal, which means he has the best win on the record, while the American has been producing stronger numbers of these two Quarter Finalists at this tournament.

Those could be the key in this Quarter Final and Brandon Nakashima has beaten Luciano Darderi once before on the hard courts.

It was a victory earned on an indoor hard court at the back end of the 2025 season and Nakashima was the much stronger server in that match.

He can show that superiority again in this match and Brandon Nakashima has been in good form on the return of serve this week to believe he can cover this handicap.

MY PICKS: Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 15-15, - 2.83 Units (30 Units Staked, - 9.43% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 9th August)

The Canadian Masters will have the entire Quarter Final lineup settled by the end of play on Sunday as the Fourth Round comes to a conclusion.

Weather conditions have been pretty difficult for the players and that has led to a number of surprise results.

The ATP tournament always felt wide open after the withdrawals before the event even began, but the early defeat suffered by Alexander Zverev means this is a Masters tournament that is filled with opportunity for those remaining.

It has been a different story in Toronto where the WTA tournament is being played and where the big stars have come through a couple of Rounds.

This means the tournament is set up to give us an early look at some of the potential US Open Champions, although the focus right now has to be on winning one of the big tournaments outside of the Grand Slams.

Tallon Griekspoor v Daniel Merida Aguilar: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz all announced they would be missing the Canadian Masters for various reasons and Alexander Zverev has been beaten before the tournament has really gotten going.

All of this means a big opportunity has opened up for someone to pick up a big title and it really does feel like the ATP event in Montreal is wide open.

Tallon Griekspoor is the reason that the draw has opened up thanks to his upset win over Zverev and he has been able to back that up by moving through to the Fourth Round. He fought through some difficult moments to win in the Third Round and Griekspoor will have taken plenty of confidence out of that performance to follow up the win over Alexander Zverev.

Next up is a young Spaniard who has put together a very good tournament.

Daniel Merida Aguilar has had a decent year on the hard courts, but has really impressed over the last week and the World Number 63 is set for another jump in the World Ranking. A new career high mark is going to be set, regardless of when this tournament run comes to a conclusion, and Merida Aguilar can play with some freedom.

The serve still needs some developing on the hard courts, but Daniel Merida Aguilar has been very effective on the return and that could make him dangerous.

However, Tallon Griekspoor has found his rhythm on the return at this tournament and he should be able to put some pressure on the younger player in what is likely another competitive match.

Overall, it is the lower Ranked player who has impressed the most here in Montreal and Tallon Griekspoor also has the best win on the record- he may just be able to find his best tennis when he needs it the most and that can see him come through a Fourth Round match that is likely going to be decided by the fine margins.

Jakub Mensik - 3.5 games v Botic van de Zandschulp: The run to the French Open Semi Final was the full breakthrough on the Tour for Jakub Mensik, but it should be remembered that he as won a Masters tournament on the hard courts of Miami last year.

There is a lot of encouraging signs around the development of Jakub Mensik and he will certainly feel he has every chance of winning a second Masters considering the absence of so many big names.

The serve has been a big weapon this week, as it usually is for Jakub Mensik, but the really eye-catching part of his performances has been the quality of return produced.

It should be good enough to put Botic van de Zandschulp under pressure, although the World Number 70 will have taken a huge amount of heart from beating Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Both of those opponents had gotten the better of van de Zandschulp in previous matches on the Tour and so those wins here in Montreal should have given the veteran a boost in confidence, as well as pushing him back up the World Rankings.

Botic van de Zandschulp has played well this week, but the returning numbers will be hard to maintain against a server like this one.

The Dutchman is winning 60% of his service points, which will give him a chance to stay in the match, although Jakub Mensik is expected to have enough success on the return to cover the handicap mark here.

Ben Shelton v Joao Fonseca: The early defeats at both Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami and the Quarter Final loss in Washington last week will have been a disappointment for Ben Shelton, but he is the defending Champion of the Canadian Masters. He has shown that he is not going to give up this trophy easily after two very strong wins, while Ben Shelton may feel like the favourite considering the top Ranked players that will not be competing in the coming days.

This may be one of the tougher challenges against Joao Fonseca.

The talented youngster will be aiming to finish within the top 20 of the World Rankings at the end of the season and Joao Fonseca is expected to be Seeded at the US Open, which will give him a chance to push towards those positions.

However, Joao Fonseca has yet to find the consistency on the hard courts that some may have expected- at his best, he can be very tough to deal with, but Fonseca has not played as much tennis on this surface in 2026 as he may have expected.

Wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud show the kind of level that Joao Fonseca can produce, but Ben Shelton has already gotten the better of this opponent on the European clay courts.

That should be a surface that favours Fonseca more than Shelton, but the latter had the superior serve and that is expected to be the case on a hard court in North America.

A deciding third set may be needed, but Ben Shelton looks like he deserves a stronger edge in the outright market to move through to another Quarter Final at the Canadian Masters.

MY PICKS: Tallon Griekspoor @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ben Shelton @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 13-14, - 3.46 Units (27 Units Staked, - 12.81% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 1st August)

The tournaments continue on Saturday and, unfortunately, there has been some timing issues that have prevented me from writing out a fuller thread.

It has been a decent week, but there is still time for things to move either in a positive or negative direction and so it is important to round things out with a couple more winners ahead of the Canadian Masters.

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

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

Weekly Update: 5-3, + 1.14 Units (8 Units Staked, + 14.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 30th July)

It was not a very good start to the week, but the tournaments being played this week are continuing into the Second Round on Thursday and there are three selections that have been identified below.

Ben Shelton - 1.5 games v Ugo Humbert: Two players that are hugely reliant on the serve have come through the opening Round in Washington and the layers are finding it quite difficult to split them as far as this handicap mark is concerned.

It has not been the 2026 Ben Shelton may have hoped for and he has perhaps taken a bit of time to recover from the injury that forced him to withdraw in the Third Round at the US Open last year. The recovery may have been more about the mental disappointment of having to pull out of his home Grand Slam, rather than the physical recovery, but Shelton has to find his way with some big Ranking Points to defend before the last Slam of the 2026 season begins.

He dropped a set in coming through the First Round, but Ben Shelton continues to be one of the tougher outs on a hard court.

Disappointing defeats at Indian Wells and Miami in Masters events earlier this year will have stung, but Ben Shelton tends to have plenty in the tank to overcome those players he is expected to beat.

One of those will be Ugo Humbert who was a dominant winner in the First Round, but who fell in straight sets when he faced Ben Shelton at the Australian Open back in January.

The Frenchman has struggled when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts this year- Ugo Humbert's service numbers dip a little, but it is the return where he has struggled to have any kind of consistent impact and that has kept him under scoreboard pressure.

Overall his return numbers show Ugo Humbert breaks in 16% of return games played on the hard courts, but that dips to around 5% when only focusing on top 20 opponents in 2026.

It is an edge that Ben Shelton can exploit having created ten Break Points in the match between these two at the Australian Open.

Those fashioned against him amounted to three Break Points and the American player can use his serve to make sure he comes through this Second Round match.

Diana Shanaider - 1.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: Both of these players can point to strong runs during the clay court season for the current World Ranking position, but Diana Schnaider and Anastasia Potapova are both comfortable enough on the hard courts to build on those successes.

Disappointing grass court campaigns are behind both Schnaider and Potapova, while the latter has already beaten Venus Williams here in Washington.

This is the first match for Diana Schnaider who is a top four Seed in the draw and that has allowed her to earn a Bye through the First Round. Sometimes players would rather have a match under their belt than having a Bye through a Round, but Diana Schnaider will have known about her opponent for a couple of days and should be pretty familiar with the Anastasia Potapova game.

They have met on the hard courts earlier this season in the lead into the Australian Open, but Diana Shnaider will be expecting a much tougher match.

Both have struggled in hard court matches against top 50 Ranked opponents this season, but Diana Schnaider has had the edge on the numbers being produced and that could be key in this Second Round match.

The return numbers are similar, but Diana Shnaider is capable of getting a bit more out of the first serve and that could make all the difference on the day.

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 games v Cruz Hewitt: It is quite ridiculous to think Lleyton's son is now a pro Tennis player not because he is, but because it is a reminder of how old some of us have become.

Cruz Hewitt upset the odds to beat Marcos Giron in the First Round, but this is a much stiffer test against the defending Champion who came through a very tough opener in Washington.

Alex De Minaur should be pretty aware of the qualities of Cruz Hewitt and it may feel like the latter is playing a version of his own father in this match. Like Lleyton, Alex De Minaur looks to use his movement to frustrate opponents and make sure he is getting plenty of balls back in play, but also has an ability to turn things around in his favour when the opportunity comes up.

He will have a lot of respect for Cruz Hewitt and the kind of tennis he has been playing in recent weeks, but De Minaur's edge in experience cannot be dismissed.

A two hour match on Wednesday may have done Alex De Minaur some good in building up his rhythm for the remainder of this tournament and he can wear down Cruz Hewitt, who has already achieved plenty from his time in Washington over the last few days.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 18th April)

The tournaments being played around Europe are all coming to a conclusion this weekend and the attention will soon turn to the Madrid 1000 event for both the ATP and WTA Tours.

The top of the ATP event has lost both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic with both players citing injury- the withdrawal of Alcaraz is more worrying considering he pulled out of the event in Barcelona before playing his Second Round match and the defending French Open Champion will be desperate to get some more clay court tennis under the legs at the Rome Masters in early May.

We know that Novak Djokovic is all about peaking for the Grand Slams, but his fans will also like to see him take part in a clay court event before the French Open gets underway at the end of next month.

The WTA event in Madrid is intact at the time of writing, but things can change quickly on the Tour as most begin to think about the second Grand Slam of the season.

Alexander Zverev - 4.5 games v Fabio Cobolli: At the end of March, Fabio Cobolli set a new career high World Ranking mark at Number 13 and he can move even higher than that if he is able to win the ATP Munich title on Sunday.

The performances at this event have been pretty strong, but the Italian has benefited from a draw in which he has not faced anyone Ranked higher than World Number 40.

You can only beat what is placed in front of you and so credit has to be given to Fabio Cobolli for the manner in which the wins have been produced. This is a clay court event, but it says something when you think Cobolli has only been broken twice in three matches, although he will be the first to admit that his serve will be tested considerably more by the World Number 3 compared with the opponents that have been seen off in this tournament.

Alexander Zverev showed his qualities in coming from behind to beat Francisco Cerundolo in the Quarter Final and he is very comfortable playing in front of the home fans. After dropping the first set 7-5, Alexander Zverev lost just two more games against a very solid clay courter, and he looks to have his eye in on the return of serve.

There is a pretty small sample of clay court results at this stage of the season, especially for these two players who have both begun the red dirt experience since the Tour moved back to Europe.

The numbers are pretty similar, but it cannot be ignored that Alexander Zverev has been facing considerably stronger opponents than the younger player across the net. It means Fabio Cobolli probably has another level to find if he is going to compete in this Semi Final and Alexander Zverev should be comfortable with the match up.

He has won both previous matches against Fabio Cobolli and Alexander Zverev has won all five sets played against one another.

They met at the French Open last year and Alexander Zverev was a very comfortable winner in that Third Round meeting- the higher Ranked player proved to have a real edge when it comes to the service numbers and that could play out again in a tournament that Alexander Zverev has really enjoyed.

In a best of three set format, this is a big spread, but Alexander Zverev has been playing with the intensity and qualities to find a way to break down the Fabio Cobolli game and ultimately make relatively comfortable passage into yet another Munich Final.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-1, + 2.34 Units (5 Units Staked, + 46.80% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 16th April)

There may have been plenty of matches scheduled on Wednesday, but enough doubt around the majority of them meant a single selection was made.

Rafael Jodar came through some tough moments to earn his straight sets win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli for the second time in this clay court season and Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing from the Barcelona tournament means all eyes will be on the other young Spaniard who is now beginning to make headlines.

He will have to wait until Friday before the Quarter Final matches begin, but Thursday is all about completing the Second Round matches across the various tournaments being played this week.

Once again a number of matches have come close to being selected, but ultimately have not quite convinced enough and that means going with two selections from the ATP Munich event.

Francisco Cerundolo - 3.5 games v Botic van de Zandschlup: The move into the clay court season means there is limited samples of how players are performing, but some are more comfortable on the red dirt compared with others.

The World Number 19 Francisco Cerundolo is one of the more comfortable clay courters and tends to take in the South American Golden Swing in between the Australian Open and the big hard court events in North America in March. That was the case again in 2026 and Cerundolo does win plenty of matches on the clay, which is a solid reason behind his overall World Ranking mark.

A title has been won on the surface earlier this year, but Francisco Cerundolo suffered a relatively early loss in the opening tournament played on the European clay courts.

A comfortable win in the First Round against a Lucky Loser has taken Francisco Cerundolo through to this Round and he is the right favourite in this match.

You have to have respect for the early clay court form shown by Botic van de Zandschlup who reached the Semi Final in Budapest and who has another win under his belt here in Munich. However, it should also be noted that the 30 year old has yet to face anyone Ranked higher than World Number 60 on the surface and his numbers in recent years suggest the current level is unlikely to be sustained through the two big Masters events coming up before the French Open.

This is a player that has been pretty reliant on his serve, but that cannot be the case on the clay courts and that is where Francisco Cerundolo should have the edge.

He has won the two previous meetings between the players and both on the hard courts in 2025.

Francisco Cerundolo did not drop a set in either of those two matches and his confidence on the red dirt should make sure he is in a position to move into the Quarter Final behind another strong win against this opponent.

Alexander Zverev - 4.5 games v Gabriel Diallo: The most consistent Grand Slam success produced by Alexander Zverev has been at the French Open and he was leading Carlos Alcaraz in the Final of that Slam two years ago before eventually being beaten in five sets.

There is no doubt that Alexander Zverev will be heading to Paris as one of the favourites, although at the same time most would have Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner significantly shorter prices in the outright markets.

Yet another defeat to the new World Number 1 at the Monte Carlo Masters underlines the challenges that face Alexander Zverev when it comes to finally winning a Grand Slam. The feeling remains that the window has closed barring unexpected defeats for the top two players in the world, but Zverev cannot think like that and the Semi Final run in Monte Carlo is a reminder of his qualities.

Alexander Zverev is expected to have too much for Gabriel Diallo in this Second Round contest in Munich, especially as the World Number 37 has had limited success on the surface.

He took advantage of a Lucky Loser spot to enter the main draw at the Madrid Masters in 2025 and Gabriel Diallo reached the Quarter Final at that ATP 1000 event. However, Diallo will have to accept that he was given a pretty kind draw and the Canadian was just 3-5 on the clay court outside of that run in Madrid.

Opening defeats in Bucharest and Monte Carlo will have done little for the confidence and Gabriel Diallo beat a Qualifier Ranked outside the top 200 in the First Round here in Munich.

Suffice to say that this Second Round match is a significant step upwards and Gabriel Diallo was well beaten by Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open back in January. That was a First Round match played on a surface that would suit Diallo more than the clay courts here in Munich and it may be a tough ask to stick with the top Seed in this ATP 500 tournament.

MY PICKS: Francisco Cerundolo - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 1-0, + 0.91 Units (1 Unit Staked, + 91% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 15th April)

The clay court season has gotten underway earlier this month, but a decision was made to skip making any Tennis Picks at the Monte Carlo Masters.

There are plenty of big events to be completed before we get to the French Open at the end of the month and there are three 500 level events this week in Barcelona, Munich and Stuttgart with some big names on both the ATP and WTA Tour in action.

It should be remembered that there are still plenty of clay court specialists out there and those have to be respected, while some top names are much more comfortable on the faster surfaces rather than the red dirt.

We have already seen another meltdown from Daniil Medvedev last week in Monte Carlo, while some of the top American names are skipping some of this part of the season knowing they are much more dangerous when it comes to the hard or grass courts. Others that are playing become vulnerable to the upsets that the layers may not always price up as they should and so there is a lot of consideration given to a number of factors that can change the selection.

Taking note of the kind of clay court tournaments coming up is also important- the Madrid Masters plays very different to the other clay events and the French Open and tends to throw up many more upsets than most events at this time of the season. Conditions tend to see the ball fly that much quicker through the air and the surface so that may be another event which needs to be watched, rather than having multiple selections made, but that is something to consider when the tournament comes around next week.

A decent start to the season took a knock in March with the Indian Wells and Miami Masters both getting the better of the selections.

Overall we have to be happy with where the numbers currently stand, but building momentum towards the French Open is important and that is the focus over the next six weeks until the second Grand Slam of the season gets underway.

Rafael Jodar - 4.5 games v Camilo Ugo Carabelli: After the retirement of Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz has become the poster boy for Spanish Tennis, but there is another Rafael making his way up the World Rankings.

19 year old Rafael Jodar may not have made the early waves of Alcaraz, but he is operating at a career best World Number 55 after winning the title in Marrakech earlier this month. A Wild Card has been handed to him to take his place in this ATP 500 event in Barcelona and the same can be expected at the ATP 1000 event in Madrid and Rafael Jodar could make significant leaps in the World Rankings right through the French Open.

He has played well on the hard courts as well as the more natural clay and that makes this teenager someone to keep an eye on.

Veteran Jaume Munar was dismissed in the First Round very comfortably and Rafael Jodar is a pretty significant favourite in this match up against Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

The 26 year old Argentinian is the World Number 43 and like many of his compatriots, Camilo Ugo Carabelli is very comfortable on the red dirt. Earlier this season he won a Challenger event in Argentina and later reached the Quarter Final at the ATP 250 tournament held in Buenos Aires.

Early losses in Rio de Janeiro and Santiago will have been a disappointment during the South American Golden Swing, but Camilo Ugo Carabeli reached the Semi Final in Marrakech to boost confidence.

That run was ended by Rafael Jodar as they prepare to meet for a second time on the clay this month, and the real test for Camilo Ugo Carabelli is whether he can find a way to get his teeth into the Jodar serve. It was a problem in Marrakech with Ugo Carabelli creating just 2 Break Points in a straight sets defeat as he struggled to make an impact on either the first or second serve return.

While only a small sample, Rafael Jodar's serving in his six clay courts matches in 2026 has been really impressive and he has backed that up by keeping the pressure on opponents with his return.

If Camilo Ugo Carabelli can get his first serve rhythm going, he can be dangerous and put some pressure on the younger player. However, the second serve can be a real weakness and Ugo Carabelli was broken four times when these players met in Morocco.

Winning just three games again is unlikely, but Camilo Ugo Carabelli may struggle to still cover this spread set for the Second Round match in Barcelona.

MY PICKS: Rafael Jodar - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 93-80, + 9.20 Units (238 Units Staked, + 3.87% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 11 Picks 2026 (Friday 27th March)

The Miami Open is down to the final three days of the tournament and the Women's Singles Final has been set for Saturday between two of the current top four players in the World Rankings.

Some may feel the second ATP Semi Final scheduled to be played on Friday is a de facto Final with the winner likely going to be set as a strong favourite in the title match on Sunday. The two other players left in the draw will certainly have something to say about that, but Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev are playing at a really high level and the day of rest between the Semi Final and Final will certainly edge things in their favour.

A mixed Day 10 has continued to hold back the totals, but that is just the way the second half of this Masters event has gone.

One selection is available from the ATP Semi Final matches to be played on Day 11 and that can be read below.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Alexander Zverev: For the second Masters event in a row, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev meet and this is a match that really comes down to the racquet of the latter.

He must serve well if he is going to produce the upset, but it may be asking too much against the World Number 2.

In Indian Wells, Jannik Sinner dominated the second serve of Alexander Zverev and that saw him coast to a pretty comfortable win. Not only does that make it six wins in a row for Sinner, all on the hard courts, but the last three have been very one-sided and something will have to change for Alexander Zverev to even put a competitive performance on the board.

Protecting that second serve more effectively is important, but there is also considerable concern with the way Alexander Zverev has been dealing with the Sinner delivery.

In the last three matches, Alexander Zverev has not been able to win more than 31% of return points played and that has kept him under the pump. In their last meeting in Indian Wells, Zverev managed to win just 26% of return points played and he has now broken the Jannik Sinner serve once in the last five matches played.

During that same period, Alexander Zverev has been constantly having to fend off Break Points and it is very difficult to see much changing with the short turnaround between recent matches.

Jannik Sinner is playing exceptionally well in Miami and is on course to complete the Sunshine Double, which will give him a huge amount of confidence to take into the clay court season as he looks to become the latest player to complete the career Grand Slam.

This is a big spread and a strong serving display from Alexander Zverev will make it very difficult to cover, but Jannik Sinner's recent head to head against the German makes him the right play in this second Semi Final scheduled for Friday.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 18-16, + 1.21 Units (33 Units Staked, + 3.67% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 3 Picks 2026 (Thursday 19th March)

Early reports indicated it was going to be a wet start to the Miami Masters, but a complete washout on Day 2 is a real disappointment for the fans.

It all adds up to an extremely busy Thursday when almost the entire First Round of the ATP tournament and the majority of the WTA event have to be completed- some of the Second Round matches that were due to be played on Thursday are scheduled to go out on the new Stadium court, but we are already in catch up mode at the tournament.

The two selections that were made from Day 2 will have to be played on Thursday and there are two more selections below that were originally in the batch of remaining First Round matches due to be played on Day 3.

A few Second Round selections had been identified from the WTA event being played here, but those will be out in the Day 4 thread- with the majority of those matches set to be scheduled for Friday being put together at the end of play on Thursday, further selections will be added to that thread on the day as we also try to keep up with a tournament that would have appreciated having some tennis on Day 2 instead of the complete wipeout of a day.

Marin Cilic - 2.5 games v Alexei Popyrin: He will be turning 38 years old later this year, but Marin Cilic still feels he has enough in the tank to compete at a level that will make him feel satisfied. Early results have been pretty solid in 2026, including reaching a Semi Final in Dallas, but Marin Cilic suffered opening defeats in Delray Beach and Indian Wells.

Instead of taking in a Challenger event last week, Marin Cilic will have headed over to Miami and begun preparation for the next Masters event on the calendar.

The faster surfaces remain his favourite domain and Marin Cilic may be targeting a strong run that can help him move closer to the Seeding positions for the next two Grand Slams on the clay courts and grass courts. You would definitely like his chances of having an impact at Wimbledon, but Marin Cilic is pretty competent on all surfaces and he is rightly set as the favourite for this First Round match.

Alexei Popyrin entered the top 20 of the World Rankings in August 2025 to reach a new career high mark, but his form since then has been disappointing.

Now the Australian will be entering the Miami Masters as the World Number 47 and it is really concerning to see Alexei Popyrin holding a 9-23 record on the hard courts since the beginning of the 2025 season. He is at 2-8 for the 2026 season and that is largely down the pressure that Popyrin has faced on the return with less than 30% of returning points won in those ten matches.

The serve will always be a potentially dangerous weapon, but Alexei Popyrin has not been able to play the big points effectively with the pressure that has been put on him by his own struggles.

Marin Cilic can put pressure on with his own strong serve, while the veteran has also been the much more effective return player in the opening months of the season.

The 2-1 head to head in favour of the Croatian will also help mentally and that includes a very strong win in Miami, albeit back in 2022.

The last meeting came thirteen months ago on the hard courts of Dubai, and Marin Cilic rallied in that one for another victory over Alexei Popyrin and he may have the higher confidence level to come through this First Round match.

Alex Michelsen - 3.5 games v Mattia Bellucci: Any time someone comes through the Qualifiers, they have to be respected and that is certainly the case for Mattia Bellucci who also reached the Final of a Challenger event in between these two big Masters events played in North America.

That run will have given him confidence, although it should also be noted it would have been in a field where players are not quite of the level that he is going to be facing in the main draw.

However, this is a winnable match for the lefty and Mattia Bellucci will have some confidence behind him after a difficult opening to the 2026 season- he will surely be looking forward to the run on the clay courts coming up, but Bellucci has shown he can be competitive on the hard courts.

Over the last twelve months he has tended to struggle against the higher Ranked opponents faced though and that is the situation for the Italian in the Miami First Round.

Alex Michelsen has had some mixed results, but a strong run in Indian Wells will have done him the world of good and he can use the home crowd to push through this opening match.

At 21 years old, Michelsen will know there is room for improvement, but he has a serve that can be effective and his return numbers have been much better when facing those Ranked below him. That is evident over the last twelve months and Alex Michelsen is expected to get the better of Mattia Bellucci having beaten him on the Washington hard courts a little over eighteen months ago.

MY PICKS: Marin Cilic - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alex Michelsen - 3.5 Games @ 2.25 William Hill (1 Unit)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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