US Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2025 (Sunday 31st August)

A number of the Day 7 matches have yet to begin at the time of writing, but there is Fourth Round action scheduled for Sunday and the selections from those matches can be read below.

The quality of the matches should ramp up as we move into the second week of this Grand Slam and especially with so many of the leading contenders still fighting their way through the draw.

It looks like it could be a special US Open compared with recent seasons when the final Grand Slam of the season has been negatively impacted by too many players not feeling at their best.

There are still some question marks about the way the two Masters events were scheduled this year, and that may be something that is forced to change in the years ahead, but in general this has been a tournament which has produced plenty of quality and that can only be a positive for the fans and the organisers.

Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: Two veterans of the Tour meet for a place in the US Open Quarter Final, but the Jan-Lennard Struff run to the Fourth Round really has come out of left field.

He is the younger player in this match and the German will take confidence out of the fact he was Qualifying matches before upsetting two Seeded players. That includes Jan-Lennard Struff beating Frances Tiafoe, a home player who has had considerable success at the US Open in recent years, and so there will be nothing wrong with the belief in the 35 year old's camp.

There has been little sign of the run after early losses in Cincinnati and Cancun so all credit has to be given to Jan-Lennard Struff.

His World Ranking will be back inside the top 100 at the end of the tournament, which is very important and Struff will feel there is nothing to lose for him in this Fourth Round match.

Another Seed stands in his way and Novak Djokovic looks to be doing just enough to progress through the Rounds.

There have been some concerns around Novak Djokovic who has looked a little vulnerable physically, but the overall match up in this Fourth Round clash should not be too concerning. The rallies are not expected to be extended and that should help Novak Djokovic, as will the familiarity with the opponent he is facing.

He has won all seven previous Tour meetings between the players and six of those have been on the hard courts.

The numbers have been heavily skewed in favour of Novak Djokovic with 87% of service games ending in holds, while also breaking in 42% of return games.

The former World Number 1 swept Jan-Lennard Struff aside at the US Open in 2020, although Novak Djokovic has not faced this opponent for a number of years.

It may mean needing a bit of time to just get a reading of the Struff serve, but you have to believe that Novak Djokovic will eventually begin to wear down this opponent and move into a position to cover a line that is in an awkward position.

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 games v Ann Li: One more win will see Ann Li move into a career best World Ranking, but the 25 year old deserves plenty of praise for reaching the Fourth Round at a Grand Slam for the first time.

This is after making the Cleveland Final last week and the confidence has to be flowing after early defeats in Montreal and Cincinnati.

Ann Li has always been a competitive performer on the hard courts and she has put together a decent year on the surface. She is likely to receive plenty of support from those in the stands, while Ann Li gave Madison Keys a serious test at the Australian Open earlier this year.

All of the pressure is on Jessica Pegula, who reached the Final at the US Open last year, and the World Number 4 will have plenty of respect for her compatriot. When they met at the French Open earlier this year, Jessica Pegula was perhaps a little wasteful when it came to converting the Break Points that she was able to create and that made it a tougher win than it perhaps should have been.

Ultimately it was a win and Jessica Pegula is a quality hard court player, even if she is going to be an underdog if facing any of the former Grand Slam Champions that are still lurking in the draw.

Jessica Pegula has been playing really well in New York City and clearly enjoys the atmosphere at the event having reached the Final eleven months ago.

She will need to serve well to try and keep the threat at bay and Ann Li is someone that will put every bit of effort on the line. This makes her a threat, and always capable of finding a way to cover the bigger lines, even in a losing effort, and Pegula will just have to be aware that she does not offer too much encouragement to her opponent.

If she can avoid doing that, Jessica Pegula should be the player with the majority of the Break Points and that should give her every chance to secure a pretty solid victory.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Marketa Vondrousova: The dominant win over Emma Raducanu has to have given Elena Rybakina a real boost in her bid to finally have a big impact at the US Open. Despite her obvious talent and the way she can play on the hard courts, Elena Rybakina has never before reached the Fourth Round in New York City.

She is into that Round this year, although faces another former Grand Slam Champion as Elena Rybakina did in the previous Round.

An injury hit twelve months has been the main reason Marketa Vondrousova has dropped down to World Number 60, while she suffered a couple of relatively early losses in Montreal and Cincinnati.

The lefty has not had much of an impact at the Grand Slam tournaments this year, but Marketa Vondrousova is a former Quarter Finalist at the US Open and the win over Jasmine Paolini in the Third Round is going to fill her with confidence. She has also beaten McCartney Kessler, another player Ranked higher than the Czech player, and so Vondrousova has to enter this match with the belief she can reach the last eight at Flushing Meadows again.

Marketa Vondrousova was pretty well beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati though and she will need some help from Elena Rybakina.

While not being at her absolute best throughout the first three Rounds, Elena Rybakina has a serve that will always set her up when she is producing her best from the line. She is also an aggressive return player with heavy groundstrokes pushing opponents back behind the baseline and Elena Rybakina did earn a very strong win over Marketa Vondrousova in their last meeting on the clay courts in 2023.

This is not going to be an easy match and facing a lefty serve can always be a challenge, but Elena Rybakina might just do enough to find a way to earn a maiden Quarter Final in New York City with a cover of this line.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 17-12, + 3.54 Units (57 Units Staked, + 6.21% Yield)

College Football Week 1 Picks 2025 (Saturday 30th August-Monday 1st September)

There were a handful of College Football games played in Week 0, but the official kickoff on the new season begins this weekend.

The Playoff Committee have made it pretty clear that they are not too concerned if a team loses a game, and perhaps even two, but they do want proper scheduling.

Week 1 has plenty of big games, but the top one looks to be hosted by the Ohio State Buckeyes who will take on visiting Texas Longhorns- these are two teams that will be expecting to not only make the Playoff, but to actually win a National Championship.

The winner will likely be in the thoughts of the Playoff Committee all season, while the losing team have plenty of tough games left to prove themselves.

Other teams in the Power Conferences have also chosen to face one another and it is an opportunity to get a good look at some of the leading contenders.

College Football is an ever changing landscape with the new use of the transfer portal and with players heading to the NFL every year, but there are some schools that are always expected to be contending.

Pressure is on the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers to get back into Championship contention out of the loaded SEC.

Michigan Wolverines were another disappointment last season, but they will do well to get the better of the Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes, while a number of non-Power Conference teams will be hoping to impress enough to earn a spot in the final twelve Playoff later in the year.

The College Football Picks returned a profit in Week 0, but there are number of selections from the games to be played across this weekend.

It is still very early in the season and you do want to be a little cautious as teams gel together, but that is the challenge for the page.

In recent years it has been a disappointing return from the College Football Picks, unlike the NFL selections, but the start made offers some encouragement that 2025 can be a much better season.

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Florida State Seminoles Pick: The new expanded Playoff format has motivated teams to pick stronger non-Conference opponents and there are some big games to be played in Week 1. We are in a new era where a single defeat and perhaps even two losses are not going to prevent a team from earning a spot in the Playoff, although neither the Alabama Crimson Tide nor Florida State Seminoles will be thinking about opening with a loss.

Last season was a big disappointment for both teams.

In the final year of the four team Playoff at the end of the 2023 season, the Florida State Seminoles were controversially left out, despite being an unbeaten Power 5 Conference Champion. There was a lot of talk going into last season about having it all to prove and to make sure the Seminoles were not put in that position again, but Florida State struggled out of the gate and ended up with a poor 2-10 record.

After being left out of the College Football Playoff, it was no surprise that the Seminoles were beaten up in the Bowl Game they were given, although that does mean they have lost eleven of their last thirteen games.

The transfer portal has been used heavily by the Seminoles as they look to bounce back from what is the worst season in fifty-two years, while there are new Offensive and Defensive Co-Ordinators to work with the much reshaped roster.

A new Quarter Back has also been signed and there is immediate pressure on Tommy Castellanos who has started twenty games for the Boston College Eagles over the last two seasons. He threw 33 Touchdown passes with the Eagles, but Castellanos added 19 Interceptions to that, while 14 scores on the ground suggests he will be a dual-threat capable of running the new Offensive plan.

The pressure is added to this opening game because of comments that Tommy Castellanos made in the summer suggesting the Crimson Tide will not be able to stop him, and that has been heard loud and clear in Alabama.

Three losses in the regular season meant the Alabama Crimson Tide were the first team out of the College Football Playoff last season, despite some believing they deserved their place in the twelve team format. The defeats to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma really hurt Alabama and so Head Coach Kevin DeBoer is going to be under some pressure of his own to deliver.

He won't have too many excuses with the talent that Alabama have up and down the roster and they look like they will be better than the Florida State Seminoles in most positions.

The one doubt is at Quarter Back where Ty Simpson came into College as a five star recruit, but who has had to bide his time before finally being named starter for the first time.

Ty Simpson has thrown just 50 passes in College Football and this is a true road start so a significant test for his character. He does benefit from playing behind one of the top Offensive Lines at this level, while the Crimson Tide are loaded with talent at the skill positions and that should really help this Quarter Back settle in.

It is never easy to have a true road game and even tougher in Week 1 when there is so much uncertainty around teams and the capabilities that each have.

However, there looks to be a big gap for the Seminoles to bridge after last season and this Alabama team look about as good as any in College Football. If Ty Simpson settles in, the Crimson Tide will be firmly focused on returning to the Playoffs at the end of this season and they may just wear down the hosts and put a dominant win on the board.

UTSA Roadrunners @ Texas A&M Aggies Pick: The move from the Big 12 to the SEC was always going to be challenging for the Texas A&M Aggies and they have struggled to remain competitive in a Conference where the wear and tear builds up every week.

They have remained at a decent level, but only two of the last eleven seasons have ended with more than eight wins on the board and so it has become very difficult to force a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Mike Elko took over as Head Coach last season and led the Aggies to an 8-5 season after Jimbo Fisher was removed following two seasons combining for a 12-13 record.

Having that year under Elko's guidance should help the Aggies know what to expect, while they are bringing back a talented Quarter Back in Marcel Reed.

After losing the opener in 2024, the Aggies bounced back with seven straight wins before the late capitulation, but there were some encouraging signs. Marcel Reed finished the season with 12 Touchdown passes and 4 Interceptions and added another 6 Touchdowns on the ground, while he is also a lot more experienced now.

There is plenty of talent around Reed on the Offensive side of the ball and that is going to give the Aggies fans plenty of excitement whenever their team is in possession.

We should see early signs of that against the UTSA Roadrunners who have lost huge pieces on both sides of the ball, but especially on the Defensive unit which does not have a single returning starter. Facing this potentially very explosive Texas A&M Offense is going to be a huge challenge out of the gate and it may put the pressure on the Roadrunners to keep up on the scoreboard.

UTSA finished with a 7-6 record last season and that was mainly down to a run of four wins from the final five games played. They did lose one of their early games at the home of the Texas Longhorns in a blowout and avoiding that is going to be a huge challenge for this team with the uncertainty on the Defensive side of the ball.

However, the Roadrunners should be capable of playing their part in this game with a more experienced Offensive unit that is led by Quarter Back Owen McCown who had 25 Touchdown passes and 10 Interceptions while starting all thirteen games in 2024.

There is some talent around him on this side of the ball and the big question mark about the Aggies and their ability to improve the record is regarding the Secondary. Owen McCown should have some success in this contest, even if it is stepping up to SEC level, and certainly more than he had against the very good Texas Longhorns last season.

Despite that, the Aggies should still have enough to pull away in the second half as they look to open up with something of a statement win against a rival.

A late stop will likely be needed to avoid the backdoor cover, but the home crowd can help the Aggies push enough to do that and begin the season with a solid win.

LSU Tigers @ Clemson Tigers Pick: They snuck into the College Football Playoff as Conference Champion last year and that despite suffering three losses in the regular season, but the Clemson Tigers look a lot more experienced and ready to enjoy another strong campaign.

They look to be the team to beat in the ACC having won the Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs, although neither team was able to make it out of the First Round in the Playoffs.

There is more expectation around the Clemson Tigers going into 2025 and they can make an early statement when hosting the LSU Tigers from the SEC in Week 1.

After winning another National Championship with players who are now performing at a very high level in the NFL, the LSU Tigers have perhaps struggled to match the heights in recent seasons. Head Coach Brian Kelly is going into his fourth year at the helm and while a 29-11 record is solid enough in three seasons, anything less than a Playoff push may not be considered good enough.

If the expanded Playoff format had been in place in his first season, Brian Kelly may have led the Tigers into the post-season having won the SEC West Division and ultimately fallen short against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. Since then the Tigers have fallen short of the previous year two seasons in a row and that is why there will be some pressure to get things right.

Much like Clemson, the LSU Tigers will be bringing an experienced Quarter Back into the season and Garrett Nussmeier finished 2024 with over 4000 passing yards and 29 Touchdowns thrown. That is encouraging, while the LSU Tigers look pretty stacked all over the field and a genuine contender to have a very strong run this year.

One concern is that the Offensive Line has been completely rebuilt through the transfer portal and that means there will be some teething troubles. Hearing Brian Kelly mention that he is willing to use a number of options throughout this opening game will be a concern for the fans, especially as the LSU Offensive Line will have to deal with the power that the Clemson Defensive Line have up front.

Give Garrett Nussmeier time and he will be able to link up with quality skill players nad attack this potentially underwhelming Clemson Secondary, but so many games come down to the Line of Scrimmage. If the home team can be disruptive up front, they can stall drives and hand the ball over to an experienced Quarter Back of their own.

Cade Klubnik threw for over 3600 yards last season and added 36 Touchdowns to that number and he is a fourth year College Football player.

It is rare for some of the top schools to be able to lean on experienced Quarter Backs and especially not with the experience Klubnik and Nussemeier will be bringing into the game.

The feeling is that the Clemson Tigers have a bit more rhythm and knowledge of one another and that could make up the gap to the talent that the LSU Tigers edge.

With a bit more securing, Cade Klubnik may have more time to attack the LSU Secondary compared with his counterpart and that may make all the difference in what is a quality start to the new season.

Home advantage cannot be dismissed in what is likely to be a fiery atmosphere in Death Valley and it is the Clemson Tigers who may do just enough to win, and cover, in this big Week 1 opener.

Utah Utes @ UCLA Bruins Pick: The former Pac-12 rivals are going to open up the 2025 College Football season as non-Conference opponents and there are certainly going to be plenty of eyes on the UCLA Bruins.

The Chip Kelly era came to a conclusion with three straight winning seasons before the Bruins jumped ship for the Big Ten and they finished with a 5-7 record in DeShaun Foster's first season at the helm.

Four wins from the last six games would have given the UCLA fans something to hang onto going into this season, but it is the arrival of Quarter Back Nico Iamaleava from the Tennessee Volunteers that may have raised expectations. He had a solid year leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff, although subsequent reports about the handling of the departure to Los Angeles has soured people on the talented player.

Nico Iamaleava can change the headlines with his play, but he is going to be protected by an Offensive Line that will need to come together very quickly. Having time is always important to a Quarter Back, but particularly for one that may not have the top skill players that his family insisted he should have had at his previous school.

Going up against the Utah Utes Defensive unit is always going to be a huge challenge for the Quarter Back and the Bruins, especially with some speculating that the Utes may have the best Defense in the Big 12 Conference.

Making Utah potentially a Playoff team is the fact that the Offensive unit looks to be improved- it is now led by Devon Dampier who proved to be a dual-threat in his time with New Mexico. Adding to his comfort is the fact that Utah have also brought in New Mexico's Offensive Co-Ordinator and that is why they have been set as the road favourite in this Week 1 opener.

The expectation is that Utah will win the game, but Nico Iamaleava can handle the pressure and at least make sure UCLA are competitive even in defeat.

It does feel like the Bruins are much further behind overall compared with their former Conference rival, but having that experience at Quarter Back can at least move them into a position to earn a backdoor cover.

The Utes have dominated the recent series between these rivals, but the last two games have been split and this feels like a lot of points to be handing to the home team, even if they may have some early issues getting on the same page for the entirety of the four Quarters.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs Virginia Tech Hokies Pick: Atlanta plays neutral host for this Week 1 College Football game featuring teams out of the SEC and ACC and there are serious expectations around both teams.

The South Carolina Gamecocks finished 2024 with a 9-4 record and they had won six in a row to conclude the regular season, which meant narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff.

Ignoring the Bowl Game result, you can understand why so many Gamecocks fans are very excited about this season and they are bringing back an experienced Quarter Back in LaNorris Sellers. This is always so important in College Football and the growth of Sellers in 2024 offers plenty of encouragement for how he can perform this season.

He does have some new skill players to work with, but LaNorris Sellers will be facing a Virginia Tech Secondary that is going to need a bit of time to bed in.

There is also a new Defensive Co-Ordinator to work with the players and that could take a touch longer to understand compared with what is still a familiar system for those in South Carolina.

Virginia Tech finished with a 6-7 record last season and the excuses are running out for Head Coach Brent Pry who has not turned things around for this school and is now entering his fourth season at the helm. A winning record might ease some of the pressure, but some Hokies fans will believe the team should be challenging right at the top of the ACC and for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

That might be asking a bit too much for a team that is hoping for a healthier year for Quarter Back Kyrone Drones, but who have to rebuild the Offensive Line and with a new Coach leading this group. If they were facing the South Carolina Defensive Line from last season, you would really have to worry about the Hokies Offensive Line, but there are some key players who have moved on from the Gamecocks and that may mean Drones having a bit more time.

There is still some experience on the Defensive unit, but South Carolina have the same issue as the Hokies in that they will need the new players to gel together pretty quickly around the stronger names on the roster.

An opening game in a big NFL venue will offer plenty of motivation and inspiration and this is an opportunity for both the Hokies and Gamecocks to lay down a marker for the season.

The edge has to be with South Carolina who have been tipped up as a potential Playoff team and they can open this season with a confident win to back up the strong end to the 2024 regular season.

MY PICKS: Alabama Crimson Tide - 13.5 Points @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Texas A&M Aggies - 23.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Clemson Tigers - 4 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

UCLA Bruins + 6 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

South Carolina Gamecocks - 7 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Week 0: 2-1, + 0.75 Units (3 Units Staked, + 25% Yield)

College Football Week 1 Picks 2024 (August 31-September 2)

The realignment of rhe College Football landscape had become clear towards the end of the 2023 season, but actually seeing the huge Conference and the disintegration of the Pac-12 will have gotten fans talking.

Instead of Divisions, the new look Conferences are still determining how they want to figure out their schedules in the years ahead and so they have not tied themselves down this year. Eventually you have to figure Divisions will be back as the best way to really separate teams and give us the 'best' possible Championship Games, although there is also beginning to be a feeling that College Football is moving in a direction similar to the NFL and the individual Conferences will end up being brought together under a single umbrella.

That will be something that will play out in the months and years ahead, but the focus in 2024 will be the expanded College Football PlayOff.

Teams have been encouraged to remove some of the easier games on the schedule outside of Conference play and instead face other Power Conference opponents and we see a number of high-profile games in Week 1 of the season. The one that will perhaps pick up the most attention is the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers, two teams that will have big aspirations of being crowned National Champions at the end of the season.

There are plenty of other tough looking games and the Florida State Seminoles found out that you would be ill-advised to look past any opponent in any given week. However, with the expanded PlayOff, the Seminoles still have plenty to play as they look to bounce back to conclude Week 1 and there will be plenty of time impress with the schedule being played.

Big name players leave College Football every year as they look to take the next step in their careers in the pro Ranks, but Nick Saban was the big name Head Coach who called time on his tenure leading the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has left the school in good shape, but replacing Saban is going to be a huge challenge in the expanded SEC.

Moves have been made in other places too, but this was the big story at the end of the 2024 season and Saban will now allow the fans to all know his thoughts as an analyst going forward.

2024 was another good year for the NFL Picks, but not so much for the College Football selections. An improvement is going to be needed, but a good start will allow some momentum to be built and that has to be focus right now.

Poor weeks can be overcome, so the focus has to be on a week by week basis and not to worry too much about the end of season record while in August. Instead you have to believe that will take care of itself as long as some early consistency can be produced and that is the key in Week 1 of the 2024 year.

Georgia Bulldogs vs Clemson Tigers Pick: The College Football season of the Super-Conferences has kicked off with a big upset in Week 0, but Week 1 is when the majority of teams get underway.

In the ACC, the Florida State Seminoles were downed by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and that has just hardened the position of the Clemson Tigers when it comes to being the favourite to win the Championship. It will be a grind with the entire Conference placed in one Division, rather than the usual split Divisions, and the Clemson Tigers are coming into 2024 having produced their worst season in some time.

Any team that wins nine games in a season will be pleased, but the Clemson Tigers have set a really strong standard under Head Coach Dabo Swinney. It was the first time since 2010 that the Tigers had not ended the season with double digit wins and there is a pressure on this team to build on 2023 and make sure they are playing in the expanded College Football PlayOff this time around.

Only the Alabama Crimson Tide have had more invites into the College Football PlayOff than the Clemson Tigers, and missing out two years in a row will feel like a massive underperformance.

This time around, the Tigers bring an experienced Defensive unit back and they also have a Quarter Back that played last year and that is a boost for Clemson. No one will doubt the talent on the Defensive side of the ball, but the key for the Tigers is whether Cade Klubnik can grow having thrown for over 2800 passing yards and 19 Touchdowns last season.

Turnovers proved to be the Achilles Heel for Klubnik and he is going up against the Georgia Bulldogs Defensive unit that may be amongst the very best in College Football.

Last year was a disappointment for the Georgia Bulldogs- they won the National Championship in 2021 and 2022 and had been unbeaten until being upset in the SEC Championship Game. With so many Conference Champions producing strong seasons, the Bulldogs were another team left out of the PlayOff in controversial circumstances and this is a team that will head into 2024 looking to make a real statement.

Head Coach Kirby Smart has really taken the Bulldogs to the next level and any team that has won thirty-two of the last thirty-four games played since the beginning of the 2021 season has to be respected. The NFL will take some of the top talent, but this Bulldogs team is filled with those talented players ready to come in and show how good they can be and this is a team loaded again.

The consistency at Quarter Back is always a boost for the top contenders and Georgia will have Carson Beck behind Center in his second full season as the starter in this position. Last year he almost threw for 4000 yards and 24 Touchdowns, although Beck will know that his main ambition is to make sure he does not lose any game.

With a powerful Offensive Line, the Bulldogs can really grind opponents down with the run and even this Tigers Defensive Line may struggle to contain Georgia.

Both Defensive units are going to feel like they can control the outcome of this game, but the edge has to be with Georgia and the same can be said in the Quarter Back position. An expanded College Football PlayOff means there is perhaps less jeopardy in losing this opening game as there would have been last year, but both Dabo Swinney and Kirby Smart will be keen to see their team make a big, early statement.

The last time these teams met was in September 2021 and it was Georgia who won by 7 points in a game they had been the underdog. This is a big spread considering the kind of talent and expectations that the Clemson Tigers will have, but the Georgia Bulldogs will be angry about not being given a chance to three-peat as National Champions and they can come out and just remind the rest of their rivals about how good they can be.

Clemson have been a productive double digit underdog in recent years, but it is rare to find them in such a position- if the Quarter Back is still struggling with his turnovers, Georgia can make use of the extra possessions to win this game and cover a big mark.

Penn State Nittany Lions @ West Virginia Mountaineers Pick: Returning some key players on the Offensive side of the ball has raised expectations around the Penn State Nittany Lions who have won at least ten games in half of the ten seasons under current Head Coach James Franklin.

The problem in recent years has been the fact that Penn State have been playing in the same Division as the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes, two teams that have been regularly earning a spot in the College Football PlayOff. Adding the likes of the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans to the Big Ten Conference has just meant a change in format in 2024 and the Nittany Lions are now part of one big Conference, rather than Divisions to win to earn a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

It makes the expanded PlayOff a target for the Nittany Lions, but Head Coach Franklin has made it clear that this an immediate tough test right out of the gate. A real road game is always going to be tough to open a season, but even more so when travelling to face the West Virginia Mountaineers who play out of the new-look Big 12.

After three losing seasons in four, Head Coach Neal Brown had to be concerned about his chances of holding onto his job at the beginning of the 2023 season. However, the Mountaineers put together a 9-4 record, which included winning a Bowl Game, and West Virginia will also be bringing back some experienced players to lead them.

Once again the big challenge is going to be deal with the raised expectations around the team after coming close to a double digit win total last year. The likes of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have moved to the SEC so there may be something of a void to fill at the top of the Big 12 Conference and that is certainly what the fans will expect from the Mountaineers.

Garrett Greene is returning at Quarter Back for West Virginia and the hope is that his experiences from 2023 will stand him in good stead in this campaign. He proved to be a dual-threat at the Quarter Back position with almost 2500 passing yards and 800 yards on the ground, but there is a hope that Greene will be able to grow as a passer.

These teams met last year, albeit in a game hosted by Penn State, and Garrett Greene really struggled with his passing having been restricted to 162 yards through the air. The problem for the West Virginia Quarter Back is he is going against a Penn State Defensive unit that looks experienced and having put up some very strong numbers last season.

Bigger news for the Nittany Lions is having Drew Allar returning at Quarter Back after a year in which he was not tasked with trying to win games. Instead he was a solid manager and Allar looked after his turnovers, which is vitally important, although this time there is more expected from him now he has the experiences of 2023 under his belt.

The Nittany Lions have added some quality Receiving options and a new Offensive Co-Ordinator is going to want to make an immediate mark on the team. A number of transfers have come into the Mountaineers Defensive unit, which could give them the depth that was lacking last year, and West Virginia played well enough to have something to build upon.

However, the Nittany Lions look a team that should be targeting a place in the new College Football PlayOff and they may just be able to quieten down a crowd before really taking control of this game. The spread is a big one, but the Nittany Lions Defensive unit may step up to force a couple of drives to stall and perhaps even turn the ball over, and that can give Penn State the chance to pull away from their hosts and cover this spread set.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Vanderbilt Commodores Pick: For a long time, the Virginia Tech Hokies set the benchmark for success within the ACC, but those days look behind them.

For now.

There is a real belief that the end of the 2023 season may spark the Virginia Tech Hokies to not only finish near the top of the ACC standings, but to actually find themselves in a position to compete for the Championship and ultimately a place in the expanded College Football PlayOff.

Four of the previous five seasons had finished with a losing record and it felt like 2023 was going to be another, but the Hokies rallied to win their last two regular season games and then the Bowl Game to earn a 7-6 record. That alone might not have given the fans as much enthusiasm as they have going into the season, but the Hokies are bringing back a lot of the starters from last season, on both sides of the ball, and that is where Virginia Tech can grow.

Kyron Drones led the team at Quarter Back and the ability to present a dual challenge to Defensive units makes him and the Hokies that much more dangerous. This might be a road game to start the season, but Virginia Tech may not have been able to ask for too many opponents better than this one and especially not out of the Power Conferences.

The Vanderbilt Commodores have made several changes to their Coaching staff since the end of the 2023 season, but they have struggled in the SEC and have won just three Conference games since 2019. With changes there is always a hope that things can change quickly, but Vanderbilt will need time and they are changing the Offensive style, which leaves them vulnerable in 2024 as the new systems bed in.

Diego Pavia is expected to be given the starting job at Quarter Back having played at New Mexico State under the new Vanderbilt Head Coach Jerry Kill.

It should make the transition a little easier, but Pavia is stepping up his level and this Virginia Tech Hokies Defensive unit may be more accustomed as to how to deal with a dual-threat Quarter Back than most. We should see the team a little more aware of what they need to do and Vanderbilt suffered some big losses when playing the better teams last season, which is a concern in this game.

They are set as a considerable underdog, all things considered, but the Commodores can at least offer some resistance. However, eventually you would have to believe that the Virginia Tech Hokies will be able to show off the talent that had found momentum at the end of last season and the consistency should help the road favourite come away with a big win.

MY PICKS: Georgia Bulldogs - 11.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Penn State Nittany Lions - 7.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Virginia Tech Hokies - 13.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish + 3 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

UCLA Bruins - 13.5 Points @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alabama Crimson Tide - 31.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

US Open Tennis Day 6 Picks 2024 (Saturday 31st August)

It has been a tournament that has not produced a lot of drama through the early parts of the week, but the Carlos Alcaraz defeat in the Second Round will have reverberated around the grounds.

Of course we had to have people making huge statements of it being the 'biggest upset' of all time, but the reality is that every top player has suffered a defeat early in Grand Slams. The 'big four' largely avoided those, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lost memorable matches in their peak and Carlos Alcaraz will learn a lot about himself in the weeks and months ahead.

The curse of the men's Silver Medalist struck again at the US Open, but it has been a strong year on the Tour for the young Spaniard who has won two of the four Grand Slams played.

His exit opens the door for Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner, although these two are set to meet in the Quarter Final.

All of that means we are going to have at least one surprising name in the Semi Final and that will ramp up the pressure on all of the players in the quarter of the draw that Alcaraz has departed.

The last couple of days have been mixed for the Tennis Picks made and Saturday is looking a quieter day with just three selections made.

I will update the US Open totals once the full Day 5 schedule has been completed.

Jack Draper - 5.5 games v Botic van de Zandschulp: Easily the biggest upset of the 2024 US Open, Botic van de Zandschulp is looking to back up the victory over Carlos Alcaraz in another match in which he is set as a significant underdog.

Of course, after winning the Second Round match against Alcaraz in the manner he did, Botic van de Zandschulp is not as big an underdog against his next opponent, but he is still an underdog. The layers are not taking too many risks after the season the Dutchman has had, even if at his best van de Zandschulp worked his way close to the top 20 in the World Rankings.

However, it has been a tough 2024 and Botic van de Zandschulp had won just 33% of his hard court matches prior to the start of the US Open. Back to back wins here will certainly have raised the confidence, but it has been a surprise considering he was pretty well beaten in Winston Salem in the lead up to the final Grand Slam of the season.

It was a special performance on Day 4, but van de Zandschulp will struggle to get back to that level displayed against Carlos Alcaraz. There is a bit more pressure on him after such a headline win and it cannot be ignored that he had been struggling on the hard courts this year.

In saying that, there is plenty of pressure on Jack Draper too.

The World Number 25 would have been hoping for a big run at the US Open, but the expectation will have risen after the exit of the player that has won the last two Grand Slam titles. That expectation level can play on the mind of any player and Draper is going to have to control his emotion and avoid looking too far ahead at the potential he has in this tournament.

Overall Jack Draper has been playing at a considerably higher level on this surface, but this will be a test for him.

The first set should be very competitive, but it is a match that Draper should be comfortable with if he continues to serve as efficiently as he can. The return game can be a bit inconsistent, and that is where this spread will be won or lost, but Botic van de Zandschulp had only been holding 73% of service games on the hard courts before this Grand Slam began.

With plenty of expectations on his own shoulders after dumping out one of the favourites, it may be tough for Botic van de Zandschulp to find the level needed to beat another player Ranked higher than himself. Jack Draper is a little inexperienced, but his quality of tennis should be at a high enough level to find his way through this match and eventually take complete control.

Tomas Machac - 1.5 sets v David Goffin: For the second Grand Slam in a row, two players at opposite ends of their careers meet, although this time it is a Third Round match rather than a First Round match as it was at Wimbledon.

David Goffin is a former top ten player, and he is still a capable player as he has shown through much of the season. The problem that Goffin has is when he has come up against the stronger players on the Tour and his hard court record against top 50 Ranked players was 1-4 prior to the US Open.

He has won two matches against such Ranked players to work his way into the Third Round, which has to be respected, but the serve has been vulnerable against the better players. This has added to the pressure on the return, but the Goffin numbers dip significantly and he breaks in 20% of return games played against top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts compared with his 29% overall mark on this surface.

Challenging the Tomas Machac serve will not be much easier, although Goffin did break the young Czechia player seven times in their match on the Wimbledon grass. However, it was the nine breaks of his own serve that allowed Machac to fight back from 2-0 down in sets to win that First Round match in SW19, while the younger player is much more comfortable when it comes to playing on the hard courts compared with the grass.

Tomas Machac had not been in the best of form in the lead up to the US Open with early losses in Montreal and Cincinnati, but one of those defeats was to Alexei Popyrin who went on to win the tournament in Canada.

A bit more consistency is needed from a young player that has been expected to reach the top of the ATP Tour, and he is looking to crack the top 30 in the World Rankings for the first time. His win over Sebastian Korda, and the manner in which it was achieved, will certainly give Tomas Machac a boost in confidence and this is a match up that should not really worry him.

The pressure is on Machac to serve well, but he is control of that aspect of the match and it does feel like a contest that will be played on his racquet. David Goffin is still a decent mover around the court, and that will test the Tomas Machac's patience.

However, the fact they have met pretty recently will help and Tomas Machac has the momentum of winning the last three sets at Wimbledon against the Belgian. On a more favoured surface, Tomas Machac can frank that win and do so with a little more comfort on the scoreboard as he books a place in the second week.

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 games v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: In May 2023, Iga Swiatek crushed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets and handed out a double bagel on her favoured clay courts.

It was a time when Pavlyuchenkova had spent a number of months on the sidelines and she was the World Number 506 in that match, but this time she is the World Number 27 and a Seeded player in the US Open. As far as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is concerned, there is little doubt that she can only improve on the first match up with the current World Number 1.

She is also a stronger hard court player than when operating on the red dirt, while Iga Swiatek is a really tough out on the clay. In reality, Swiatek has not made it to World Number 1 by dominating the clay portion of the season alone and she is a very comfortable hard court player and looks to have enough of an edge to win this Third Round match with something to spare.

The Pole disappointing failed to win the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics, but did make it through to the Cincinnati Semi Final in her sole hard court tournament in the build into the US Open. The Third Round exit at the Australian Open will have stung, but Iga Swiatek is a former US Open Champion and the tennis level she can produce might be a touch too high for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to keep up on the scoreboard.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova did reach the Cincinnati Quarter Final, but other hard court results have been much more mixed and she is going to have to step up her level against one of the top players on the Tour.

Much of this contest is going to be decided by the quality of the Russian's serving- if Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova can put a lot of first serves in play, she should be able to put Iga Swiatek under some pressure and perhaps stay with the World Number 1. However, too many second serves are likely going to be exploited, while Pavlyuchenkova has not returned as well as she would like when facing top 20 Ranked players on this surface.

She still has a 5-5 record in those matches so has to be respected.

However, Iga Swiatek rolled through the Second Round and may be picking up momentum and she can be backed to come through a tough opening set before pulling clear of her Seeded opponent.

MY PICKS: Jack Draper - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Tomas Machac - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)

US Open Update: 14-12, - 0.24 Units (52 Units Staked, - 0% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 4 Picks 2023 (August 31st)

It might just be that poor days at the US Open are remembered much more than other tournaments, but it really feels the final Grand Slam of the season can have those days where every top player performs much lower than their overall season record would indicate.

Poor decisions, poor execution and just overall rubbish tennis will be played at the same time as unheralded players put together their very best and ultimately it becomes a day of the dog.

Day 3 at the US Open felt like that with just topsy-turvy results and performances all around the grounds and it can be frustrating to watch.

You have to believe things will settle down, but the hope is that Day 4 and the conclusion of the Second Round matches brings much stronger results back to us.

Looking back at the Day 3 Picks, you cannot help but feel a little disappointed by what occurred.

Top players losing leads and being upset is not something you would expect to see too often, a retirement in a match where the selection was winning, and players waiting too long to turn things around have contributed to a really poor day in the office.

Bouncing back this week is the key so it is possible to attack the second week of the final Grand Slam of the season, but it would also be welcomed to see players follow through with any momentum they can build up through Day 4 as the Second Round is completed.

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 games v Lloyd Harris: Bad luck cost his First Round opponent any chance of upsetting the defending Champion, but it was long odds against Dominik Koepfer even if he had been fully healthy to compete for two or three hours on the court.

The benefit for Carlos Alcaraz is not having to tax himself too much early in the defence of the US Open title picked up last year, but the top Seed will likely have appreciated an hour on the courts to see how the conditions are compared with last year. He will be expecting to be placed in the Night Session on Arthur Ashe a few more times in this tournament and Alcaraz looks more than capable of having another very deep run in New York City.

Matches will get tougher as the tournament progresses, but Carlos Alcaraz is going to be a strong favourite to beat a player like Lloyd Harris in the Second Round of the tournament.

The big serving South African player has not had the most productive season on the Tour and he has really had difficulties stepping up to face top 100 Ranked opponents throughout 2023. Injuries also haven't helped Lloyd Harris who has slipped down to World Number 177 after being as high as Number 31 just two years ago.

Lloyd Harris will be aware that this match is only going to be competitive if he can bring his best serving day onto the court. That certainly helped him beat Guido Pella in straight sets in the First Round, but Carlos Alcaraz is a much stronger opponent and one that is capable of getting back plenty of returns and neutralising the immediate weapon of Harris and forcing him to try and beat the Spaniard on the ground.

The second serve is likely going to be a shot that Carlos Alcaraz looks to attack and his own serve is one that should largely keep Lloyd Harris at bay with the former considerably stronger on the ground.

The last five times Lloyd Harris has played top 10 Ranked opponents on the hard courts have ended in defeat for the underdog, and that was at a time when his tennis had taken him into the top 50 of the World Rankings. There has been little encouragement in Harris' build up form towards the US Open, while he has not exactly gotten back to his best even when entering Challenger events to rebuild the confidence.

His serve makes him potentially an awkward Second Round opponent, but Carlos Alcaraz is a perfect 9-0 on the hard courts in 2023 when facing those Ranked outside of the top 20. His numbers in those matches are very impressive behind both serve and return and it feels like a match in which Lloyd Harris could potentially melt away under the constant pressure the top Seed will bring.

Arthur Fils - 1.5 sets v Matteo Arnaldi: At 19 years old there are plenty of learning experiences for players to go through on the Tour and winning a five set match and then recovering to play in the next Round is the lesson that Arthur Fils will be learning this week in New York City.

The young Frenchman looks to have a bright future ahead of him having cracked the top 50 in the World Rankings and Arthur Fils has impressed already. He showed character in fighting back from 2-1 down in sets to beat Tallon Griekspoor in the First Round and that has opened up this section of the draw with that victory being over a Seeded player.

Of course it is hard to ignore the almost four hours spent on the court, although the conditions in New York City have not been as hot as it can be and that should help.

Arthur Fils deserved to win, but it was a tight, competitive match and a far cry from Matteo Arnaldi's experience having earned a First Round victory when his opponent retired just ten games into the match. While the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner look to be the future of Italian Tennis, Matteo Arnaldi has quietly climbed into his own career best World Ranking and at 22 years old he has a bright future in the sport too.

Like many from his part of Europe, Matteo Arnaldi has had his best results on the clay courts, but his hard court numbers are not to be dismissed. Matteo Arnaldi won a title at Challenger level on the surface this year, but it should also be noted that he had lost all five matches against top 100 Ranked players on the hard courts before Jason Kubler's retirement in the First Round.

In those defeats, Matteo Arnaldi has seen his serve attacked and the return has been an issue and it is expected to be the case against Arthur Fils, assuming the higher Ranked player has been given the right advice to get himself ready for this match.

The Frenchman has played well against those not Ranked inside the top 20 on the hard courts in 2023 and his numbers have been impressive in those matches. Unlike Arnaldi, Arthur Fils has found a way to get plenty out of his serve on the hard courts and he has also had a significant edge when it comes to the return, which should show up in this Second Round match.

After a tough win in the First Round, Arthur Fils is expected to have a more routine progress into the Third Round by backing up the victory over Seeded Tallon Griekspoor.

Cameron Norrie - 7.5 games v Yu Hsiou Hsu: A strong run to the Wimbledon Semi Final in 2022 would have given Cameron Norrie a huge amount of confidence and he was soon to enter the top 10 despite having earned no World Rankings for that run.

However, the top British player has not really been able to back up that Grand Slam performance in subsequent Slams and Cameron Norrie has not made the second week at any of the three Grand Slams played in 2023. He will be looking to change that in New York City and was a very strong winner in the First Round, while most will be expecting him to cruise past an opponent who is outside of the top 200 of the World Rankings and has a career high of Number 186.

That did not stop Yu Hsiou Hsu from upsetting Thanasi Kokkinakis in the First Round and any player that has won three Qualifiers to earn a place in the main draw has to be given a lot of respect.

Even then, it is a big task for Hsu to close the gap to someone who is just outside the top 10, especially with the lack of experience the 23 year old has in playing opponents of this level. He did face someone of a similar level after Qualifying for the Australian Open, but Yu Hsiou Hsu was well beaten by Alex de Minaur in the First Round in Melbourne and backing up his opening upset is a huge challenge.

Before the win in the First Round, Yu Hsiou Hsu had lost all three hard court matches he had ever played against top 100 Ranked opponents and he had not won a single set in those defeats. He did serve really well to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis, but that is a surprise considering Hsu has only won 58% of his service games and held 69% of service games played on the hard courts prior to the US Open Qualifiers beginning.

To really have those numbers stand out, it has to be noted that most of those matches would have been played against players Ranked outside the top 100 and so it feels like this is a Second Round match that should be played on Cameron Norrie's terms.

Yu Hsiou Hsu has a decent return, but will be dealing with a lefty serve that can be very productive for Cameron Norrie. The underdog was also just 2-7 in his last nine hard court matches before winning four matches at the US Open and the feeling is that Cameron Norrie is going to have Hsu under pressure on his own serve and ultimately can break down and cover a big line against this level of opponent.

Cameron Norrie has won his last ten Grand Slam matches against players Ranked outside of the top 100 in the World Rankings and three of those have been on the hard courts of Melbourne or New York City. In those, Norrie would have covered this mark in each of the last two wins and he can do the same here to back up a strong First Round win.

Alexander Zverev - 7.5 games v Daniel Altmaier: Two compatriots meet in the Second Round at the US Open and so there will be a familiarity about the tennis the opponent is expected to bring onto the court from both sides of the net.

A former US Open Runner Up, Alexander Zverev will likely be quite content with moving under the radar in the tough top half of the draw. He has moved back into a position where he is likely to return to the top 10 of the World Rankings at the end of the tournament and Alexander Zverev is very much in the race to reach the ATP World Tour Finals.

After a seriously worrying injury at the French Open in 2022, Alexander Zverev returned to action at the beginning of this season and his year can be split with the French Open of 2023 being the breaker. Before that, Zverev had been struggling to reach the kind of heights he had been used to doing, but his run to the Semi Final in Paris has sparked a very strong three months and the former World Number 2 is operating at a high level.

We still have room for improvement on the hard courts, but Alexander Zverev was a comfortable winner in the First Round and this could be a decent opponent for him in the Second Round.

That is not being disrespectful to Daniel Altmaier, but he has played his best tennis by some margin on the clay courts and is largely an average hard court player. At his best he can ride the margins to become dangerous, as we saw at the US Open last year when Altmaier pushed Jannik Sinner to five sets, but this is a player who has a relatively weak return on the surface and that does put his serve under pressure.

It says plenty that Daniel Altmaier has lost eight of his nine hard court matches played against top 100 Ranked opponents this season and he has broken in just 9% of return games played in those matches. This has allowed opponents to dig in and put him under pressure through the scoreboard and Daniel Altmaier has held 78% of his service games on the surface, something that Alexander Zverev will look to exploit.

Alexander Zverev has been serving well in the two Masters events played ahead of the US Open and that is impressive considering the lowest Ranked opponent he faced in Canada or Cincinnati was World Number 45.

When these two players met at the Australian Open in January 2022, Alexander Zverev really dominated behind his serve with 73% of points won and he held 93% of the service games played. He won 7-6, 6-1, 7-6 on the day, but that was down to the fact that Daniel Altmaier was able to save fourteen of eighteen Break Points faced.

Even then, Zverev won 44% of the return points played and the feeling is that he is playing closer to his best right now compared with earlier in the season to really put Daniel Altmaier in a tough position. Alexander Zverev can win this one in straight sets and he may find the breaks of serve to cover what looks a big line, but one he can get the better of on current form of the two players in this Second Round match.

Quick Thoughts on Other Selections: You have to believe that Stan Wawrinka can move through another Round against a Seeded player that he beat on the grass courts of Wimbledon, a surface that the Swiss player does not massively enjoy. He has been in decent hard court form and Tomas Martin Etcheverry has not, which was highlighted by a tougher than expected First Round win.

Jannik Sinner looks a real threat to the 'dream Final' that fans are hoping for and he was a dominant First Round winner- while you expect this to be closer against compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, the Sinner return could put the lower Ranked Italian under considerable pressure and especially if Sonego continues to struggle with his own return as has been the case on the hard courts this year.

There are always young American players looking to breakthrough during the various US swings on the Tour and Alex Michelsen looks to have a bright future, although beating Nicolas Jarry might be too soon. The latter has the big game that is well suited to the hard courts and can move through without needing a deciding set.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Arthur Fils - 1.5 Sets @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Cameron Norrie - 7.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Stan Wawrinka - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Jannik Sinner - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Nicolas Jarry - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Hubert Hurkacz - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Greet Minnen - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Karolina Pliskova - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 8-13, - 13.64 Units (42 Units Staked, - 32.48% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 3 Picks 2022 (August 31st)

Headlines have been earned by a number of underdogs over the first two days at the US Open and a relatively slow start for the Tennis Picks are probably appreciated with so much going on around the grounds.

The Women's defending Champion was beaten on Day 2 and Emma Raducanu will now be able to try and build on her fairytale run in 2021 by playing with less pressure going forward. It didn't do anything for her to be Ranked at Number 11 off the back of one strong tournament and the fact she will be slipping to at least World Number 80 and perhaps even lower may mean she can work on her tennis, rather than her commercial brand building, and try and get back to doing the basics.

I am not convinced we will see that to be honest- Raducanu is made for life after winning the US Open and I would not be surprised at all if she retires in her mid-20s if her Ranking is not vastly improved sooner rather than later. That may be a big statement to make about a Grand Slam Champion, but that was really a miracle couple of weeks and the tennis played over the last twelve months has truly not been good enough.

She is young enough to come again, but a complete change in mentality is likely going to be needed and someone who has gone through three or four Coaches in the space of twelve months suggests to me that the blame is attributed to others rather than someone looking inwards to improve. I might be wrong, time will tell...

The Men's draw is largely intact after the First Round, but the Women's draw looks as wide open as anticipated with a number of former Grand Slam Champions already exiting before the Second Round. Throw a dart onto a board- that may be the most productive way to pick a Women's winner over the next fortnight.

Day 3 looks to be another scorcher in New York City and it is going to be a tough test for all out on the courts. It is a much busier day for the Tennis Picks with the tournament really feeling lime it is underway now and I am hoping for an improvement in results too.

Daniil Medvedev - 8.5 games v Arthur Rinderknech: A dominant First Round win has gotten Daniil Medvedev's defence of his US Open title off to the perfect start and it was a positive day all around for the top Seed. Focusing on his own performance will be the kind of answer you would expect from Daniil Medvedev if you asked if he had seen the other results from the day, but I have no doubt that he will have noted the exit of Stefanos Tsitsipas to further enhance his own chances of making it through to the Final in a little under two weeks time.

The surprising loss for Tsitsipas will also make sure that Daniil Medvedev is very focused on each match as it comes and I do think it will make sure he is not overlooking any opponent that will be placed in front of him.

As one of the stronger hard court players on the Tour as well as being the reigning US Open Champion, Daniil Medvedev is likely going to be asked to cover some big numbers early in the tournament. He was able to do that with little fuss against Stefan Kozlov in the First Round, but the expectation is that Daniil Medvedev will be challenged by Arthur Rinderknech, despite the Frenchman having limited experience of this level of tennis.

Arthur Rinderknech reached the Final at the Vancouver Challenger and that run has to be respected, but he has suffered early losses in the main draw in Indian Wells, Miami and Montreal. Last year he was beaten in the Second Round at the US Open by Carlos Alcaraz and this is a very difficult test for Arthur Rinderknech who is going to have to serve very well to be competitive.

The return game is not really good enough to expect an upset, but Arthur Rinderknech does hold 85% of his service games played over a twelve month period on the hard courts and that makes him potentially awkward. It should be noted again that Daniil Medvedev is a very effective returner of serve and can nullify the rallies very quickly, but Rinderknech may be able to breeze through some of his service games and make it very difficult for the Number 1 Seed to cover.

Daniil Medvedev did make relatively comfortable work of some of his early opponents last year in his run to the US Open title and I do think he can find a way to earn the breaks to do the same here. I am finding it hard to ignore the early losses suffered by Arthur Rinderknech at Masters level on the hard courts, especially as those have not come against players of the quality of Medvedev, and I think there will be at least one set that gets away from the lower Ranked player and gives the defending Champion a chance to make it back to back wins and covers on his way into the Third Round.

Andy Murray - 6.5 games v Emilio Nava: An impressive win in the First Round was not as comfortable as the straight sets win would suggest, but the big question for Andy Murray is whether he can back that up at a venue where he won his first Grand Slam title. He has beaten one of the Seeds in the top half and a number of other Seeded players have already been dumped out of the US Open around the Andy Murray draw, although he is likely going to need at least one more really big win if he is going to return to the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since the beginning of his big injury issues at Wimbledon in 2017.

In fact Andy Murray has not even reached the Third Round of a Grand Slam since then, but the draw looks to be one that should give him every chance of doing that.

Andy Murray is still a fiery competitor, but he is not at the level he once produced and that is most clear from his return numbers, which are considerably down on his peak levels. Over the last twelve months, Andy Murray has only broken in 21% of return games played on the hard courts, but back in 2016 that number was 35% and it has put additional pressure on a serve that always had one or two vulnerabilities about it.

While he may not be the player he once was, Andy Murray has been stronger in those matches played on the hard courts against players Ranked outside the top 20. Over the last twelve months, Andy Murray has been able to break in 25% of the return games played in that situation and he will certainly hold a considerable experience edge against Emilio Nava.

The 20 year old home hope will receive plenty of support from the crowd in this huge match, but Emilio Nava did have to dig deep and win in five sets in the First Round. The back and forth nature of that match will have taken something away from Nava both mentally and physically, while he has a 1-3 record against top 100 Ranked players on the hard courts this season.

In fact Emilio Nava had lost all six matches against top 100 Ranked opponents on this surface until beating Taro Daniel last week in Winston Salem and the American has struggled to be competitive in those matches. He has not been able to get himself into the return games as well as he would have liked, while Nava's serve has been a weakness as he continues to grow onto the main Tour.

Winning back to back matches has been a very difficult challenge for Andy Murray this season, but I do think he is going to have enough to find the breaks needed to win the match and cover this handicap mark.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 8.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Andy Murray - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Brandon Holt - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Matteo Berrettini - 6.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - 1.5 Sets @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Daniel Elahi Galan - 1.5 Sets @ 2.50 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 6.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Sebastian Korda @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Yibing Wu - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alison Riske - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Madison Keys - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Anett Kontaveit - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Beatriz Haddad Maia @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open: 6-8, - 6.50 Units (28 Units Staked, - 23.21% Yield)