Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 4th August)

The next couple of days are forecasted to be dry, and hot, for the Canadian Masters in Montreal and Toronto, but more wet weather is just around the corner.

At least the tournaments will have a chance to get back on track with the conditions meaning some of the First Round matches at the Canadian Masters in Montreal have been held over until Tuesday.

It also means a very busy day of action, although there are 'only' four matches that have appealed enough to be worthy of backing a selection.

Those Picks can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 games v Moyuka Uchijima: For a lot of players, reaching the Quarter Final at the French Open and the Fourth Round at Wimbledon in the same season that they have finished Runners Up at the Australian Open may be considered a successful campaign.

Aryna Sabalenka is the World Number 1 and not most players and she will be hoping the time away from the court since the defeat at Wimbledon has just given herself the time needed to have a reset.

Despite that loss in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka continues to show she is the best hard court player on the WTA Tour and it was the World Number 1 who won both titles at Indian Wells and Miami. She is the defending US Open Champion and Sabalenka will head to New York City as the player to beat, although she would like to put a statement tournament on the board either here in Toronto or in Cincinnati.

Relatively early defeats have been the feature of the last two times Aryna Sabalenka has played in Toronto, but she should have too much for Moyuka Uchijima who is Ranked outside the top 100 and had to win a Qualifier and one main draw match to earn this opportunity.

The First Round win was impressive, but this is a significantly tougher test for Moyuka Uchijima and she is going to need to get plenty of first serves in play to try and put pressure on Aryna Sabalenka.

However, this is a Second Round match that will likely be dominated by the top Seed and Aryna Sabalenka has offered little encouragement to those Ranked outside the top 50 when facing them on the hard court.

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 games v Lanlana Tararudee: The 2025 US Open Champion is expected to make a strong start to her return to competitive tennis this month and the 2025 Runner Up can do the same.

Like the top Seed, Amanda Anisimova has taken several weeks off after losing in the Third Round at Wimbledon twelve months after reaching the Final at SW19.

2026 has not been the best year on the hard courts for Amanda Anisimova, who has a bigger target on her back after the strong Grand Slam showings in the second half of last season. However, she continues to be someone who can put together high quality tennis when facing thos she is expected to beat on the surface and the challenge is for Lanlana Tararudee to change that momentum.

It has been a good summer for Lanlana Tararudee who has won a title on the hard courts at a lower level before reaching the Quarter Final in Prague, but the World Number 79 is going to be well aware that this is a much tougher test than she has faced in recent weeks.

Lanlana Tararudee has shown she can be very effective on the hard courts, but the lack of experience of facing someone as good as Amanda Anisimova should eventually show.

She did offer real resistance to Ekaterina Alexandrova at Wimbledon in what is the only other top 20 match that Lanlana Tararudee has played, but Amanda Anisimova may have the power and ability on this surface to make sure the scoreboard looks a little more comfortable in her own favour.

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 games v Juncheng Shang: There had been a huge amount of excitement around Juncheng Shang as he continued to grow onto the Tour, but injuries have hurt his development over the last two years.

He is still only 21 years old, but Shang has playing with his Protected Ranking and needs to find some very strong results in order to rebuild his real World Ranking.

If he cannot do that, Juncheng Shang will have a very difficult road back towards the top 100 and his win in the First Round is a bonus.

Backing that up would really begin to clear things over the next few days, but that means upsetting one of the Seeded players joining the party in the Second Round.

Andrey Rublev has struggled for some consistency over a number of months, but picked up a title on the clay courts between Wimbledon and Montreal. That will give him a boost in confidence and the World Number 16 has a perfect record on the hard courts when facing an opponent Ranked outside of the top 50 this season.

His numbers have been really impressive in those matches and Andrey Rublev can get this hard court tournament off to a strong start.

Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 games v Daniel Altmaier: It was not for the lack of trying, but Daniel Altmaier had not won a hard court match in 2026 and it had looked like the run was going to continue as he trailed by a set and a break in the opening Round here in Montreal.

Six previous hard court matches had ended in one-sided defeats, but Daniel Altmaier can take confidence from the way he battled to move into the Second Round.

He now faces one of the Washington Semi Finalists from last week and someone who is very, very comfortable on the hard courts.

Brandon Nakashima is going to expect to put another winning year on the hard courts into the history books at the end of this season, but he still has room for improvement if he is going to take the next step in his career. Most notably there has to be some development in the return game to back up what has been a solid serve.

This is something that can hold him back at the business end of tournaments, but Brandon Nakashima should have more than enough against someone who has struggled on the hard courts as much as Daniel Altmaier has this season.

The lower Ranked player is only winning around 56% of his service points and that should offer up chances for Brandon Nakashima to really get on top of this match.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 1-2, - 1.09 Units (3 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 4th August)

After the setback on Saturday, Sunday proved to be a bounce back day for the Tennis Picks and the Canadian Masters are in a decent position to end on a positive and with momentum to take into the two big tournaments to be played in August.

The Quarter Finals will begin in Toronto and Montreal on Monday and the remaining four matches will be played on Tuesday as we fast approach the end of the tournaments here and the beginning of Cincinnati. The midweek Finals are still feeling awkward, both to players and fans, but there is a big prize on the line and that has to be the focus for the players still involved.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Alexei Popyrin: The serve is a big weapon for Alexei Popyrin and he has found plenty of consistency from out of this shot on the hard courts. In recent years he has averaged winning around 66% of the points played behind the serve on a regular basis, but the Australian had put some strong results on the board in 2024 because he had shown plenty of improvement on the return of serve.

However, that has not been the case this season with Popyrin breaking in just 11% of return games played and that is a massive reason he has gone from winning twenty-one hard court matches last season compared with just two wins from ten hard court matches prior to the Canadian Masters winning.

In just a few days, Alexei Popyrin has won more matches on the surface than he has for the entirety of the season and it will give him confidence with the US Open fast approaching.

He has fought back to beat Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune in consecutive Rounds and there will be encouragement from the amount of Break Points that have been created in the deserved wins.

Alexei Popyrin is also the defending Champion in Canada, albeit in a tournament that was played in Montreal rather than Toronto, and that has clearly offered him some belief that has taken him through to the Quarter Final.

He has yet to earn a win over Alexander Zverev on the Tour, although the two hard court losses were several years ago when Alexei Popyrin was still building as a professional player. The last match was on clay at the Paris Olympics last year and that is a surface on which Alexander Zverev would be considered a significant favourite.

Even then, Alexander Zverev has been putting together some very solid hard court numbers over the last two seasons and he is a genuine threat to have a deep run at the US Open. The serve is a big weapon, but the top Seed here in Canada has been much more consistent when it comes to the return and that should give him the edge over Alexei Popyrin.

The handicap line is a tough one with Alexander Zverev potentially needing at least two more breaks of serve compared with Alexei Popyrin, but the former has been playing well all year on the hard courts and that should give him the advantage. There will be times when Popyrin is pretty dominant on the serve, but Alexander Zverev can keep plenty of scoreboard pressure on him and that should see him find a way to win and cover.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Marta Kostyuk: This is a very big line for any Quarter Final match, but the power of Elena Rybakina can see her come through with a solid win against Marta Kostyuk.

If the latter is able to serve well, she can put some pressure on Elena Rybakina, but Marta Kostyuk's second serve continues to be the issue.

She is also not the strongest of return players when it comes to matches on the hard courts and both of those aspects of her tennis take a significant dip when only considering Marta Kostyuk matches against those Ranked higher than herself.

Earlier this season, Kostyuk suffered pretty comfortable defeats to Qinwen Zheng and Jessica Pegula and it may be tough for her to stick with Elena Rybakina, who continues to serve extremely well.

Confidence, or lack of confidence, has been an issue for Elena Rybakina, but she has looked good in the last couple of tournaments and that can only bode well for the World Number 12 at the upcoming US Open. She also showed plenty of character to come from a set behind to beat Dayana Yastremska in the Fourth Round and that is a victory that will do Elena Rybakina the world of good.

In the victories produced in Montreal, Elena Rybakina has looked to be in the more convincing form of the two players and she has also beaten Marta Kostyuk in their last two meetings on the Tour. One of those was a routine victory at the US Open in 2023 and it does feel like the higher Ranked player is going to be in a position to move through to the Semi Final behind another solid looking win.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 10-4, + 4.06 Units (14 Units Staked, + 29% Yield)

Paris Olympics Tennis Day 9 Pick 2024 (Sunday 4th August)

So it was Qinwen Zheng who picked up the Gold Medal with a relatively routine win over Donna Vekic and it will be interesting to see how her career develops from here.

A Runner Up at the Australian Open, it has not been the best few months for Zheng but the victory in Paris, which includes the upset of Iga Swiatek, will certainly have her feeling very positive about her game.

However, like many of the recent Grand Slam events, expect to see a lot of surprising results throughout the US Open when that tournament begins later this month and negotiating the draw will be a tough task for every player in the event.

Before attention fully turns to the hard court season, the men's Gold Medal match is set to be played on Sunday and it is between two players who will be favourites to win the next Grand Slam.

There is a feeling this could be a real changing of the guard moment in the sport, but Novak Djokovic will have a lot to say about that as the Paris Olympics are concluded for the tennis players who have been taking part.

Carlos Alcaraz - 3.5 games v Novak Djokovic: No one can forget the way Carlos Alcaraz cramped up after taking the second set against Novak Djokovic in the French Open Semi Final in 2023- all of the momentum was with him at that time, but the young Spaniard was perhaps a bit too inexperienced and amped up in facing arguably the best player of all time and feeling like he was going to be in a position to win that match.

The character of Carlos Alcaraz cannot be questioned though and a month later he was beating Novak Djokovic in the Final at Wimbledon in a five set classic.

However, Novak Djokovic has not won 24 Grand Slam titles for no reason and got the better of Carlos Alcaraz in the next two meetings in 2023.

Things seem to have swung back in favour of Alcaraz though and the dismantling straight sets win over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon Final last month makes the Spaniard the favourite to win the Gold Medal. He added the Wimbledon title to a maiden French Open title won in June and Carlos Alcaraz has to be considered the player to beat at the US Open which begins later this month.

He crushed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Semi Final and there remain some doubts about the Novak Djokovic knee, which forced the former World Number 1 to change his tactics and approach to a match with Alcaraz in the Wimbledon Final. Shortening the points, or at least trying to shorten the points, is still possible on a grass court, but that is much more difficult on the clay and Carlos Alcaraz will certainly feel he can outlast Djokovic if the knee is still causing problems.

Novak Djokovic is definitely feeling some kind of impact on his service performance with this lingering issue and that is a concern when facing someone like Carlos Alcaraz who will look to put the pressure on immediately. The Serb was broken five times by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon Final, while Djokovic has dropped serve at least twice in three of his last four matches in this tournament.

Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti will know they missed opportunities to really put Novak Djokovic under pressure, but Carlos Alcaraz may have a different mindset compared with those players. Unlike them, Alcaraz knows he has beaten Novak Djokovic on the biggest stages and the defending French Open Champion is going to be tough to knock off here.

It certainly helps Carlos Alcaraz that he is making the most out of his serve, even on the clay, and that may keep Novak Djokovic under some pressure.

You can never rule out Novak Djokovic and the motivation is going to be at a super high level with this being his last chance to win Olympic Gold and effectively win everything you can on the tennis courts. It may even be argued that winning this Medal would have felt more important than winning an eighth Wimbledon title, but motivation alone is not going to get this done and it would be unwise to underestimate Carlos Alcaraz and his own ambitions considering what he has already achieved in his very young career.

That victory at Wimbledon last month will certainly help the mental edge lean towards Carlos Alcaraz and he can underline his place as the top men's player on the Tour by taking a third big title in succession with another strong victory over a perhaps less than 100% Novak Djokovic.

MY PICK: Carlos Alcaraz - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Paris Olympics Update: 8-10, - 6.76 Units (36 Units Staked, - 18.78% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2018- Sergey Kovalev vs Eleider Alvarez (August 4th)

What a night it was at the O2 Arena last Saturday.

The two Heavyweight clashes that topped the bill lived up to the hype as Dereck Chisora found the huge punch he needed to beat Carlos Takam while Dillian Whyte just about overcame the challenge of Joseph Parker who will be leaving the United Kingdom with more regrets having done the same after his defeat to Anthony Joshua.

It was a strong card too with some top quality fights throughout the evening and a number of the winners have set themselves up for another big night later in 2018.

Later in the evening I was able to find a way to watch the Mikey Garcia-Robert Easter Jr Unification at Lightweight as Garcia won a deserved Decision. The immediate call out of Errol Spence Jr sets Boxing up for another major night potentially before the end of the calendar year, but there has been plenty of other big news this week.


First up was the announcement that Tony Bellew and Oleksandr Usyk are in talks for a clash, although surprisingly that may come at Cruiserweight with the O2 Arena in London or the Echo Arena in Liverpool being targeted for November or December for that bout.

As excited as I am about seeing that one, the fight has quickly taken second billing to what could be a mammoth Heavyweight fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

At first I was a little doubtful that the fight would happen this year, but it does sound like a deal will be struck if Fury is able to beat Francesco Pianeta in the next couple of weeks. That fight would potentially land in November or December too and Wilder is heading over to Belfast to watch Fury live on August 18th which suggests this fight is much closer than the likes of Eddie Hearn would have you believe.

Picking a winner is going to be incredibly tough and I have so much time for both Wilder and Fury that it would be sad to see a loser in the contest.

More interestingly would be if there is the demand for a rematch which could land somewhere around the April date Anthony Joshua and his team have already booked Wembley Stadium for. And all in all a deal struck between Wilder and Fury would not be a good look for the Matchroom team who have been adamant they wanted the fight with the WBC Champion and have tried to desperately deflect all blame to the American's team as to why the two Champions are not in a Unification bout this fall rather than going in different directions.


The World Boxing Super Series was supposed to add a third weight class to Season 2 of what has been a very successful first season of the tournament.

After the Bantamweight and Light Welterweight Divisions were announced the rumour was that the Light Heavyweight Division was going to be next in what is another loaded class.

While nothing has been officially confirmed, Saturday is almost like a World Boxing Super Series with two Champions fighting separate bouts with all the suggestion the winners will face one another either late in 2018 or early 2019.

I am stunned none of the United Kingdom broadcasters have picked up the two Light Heavyweight Title fights taking place in Atlantic City, especially as the same fighters on a similar card back in March were picked up.

It is the second week in a row that the broadcasters have not picked up a big fight and it just means I will have to find other ways to see the card tonight.

Dmitry Bivol vs Isaac Chilemba

The main support in Atlantic City is a WBA Worvold Title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Isaac Chilemba as the Light Heavyweight Division begins to clear up to show who is the man to beat in the Division.

A lot of people would suggest Bivol, the 27 year old WBA Champion from Russia, is the top fighter in the Light Heavyweight Division as he has won all 13 of his fights and stopped 11 of his opponents. The late stoppage of Sullivan Berrera in March meant he went a little better than Andre Ward who beat the same opponent on points, and Bivol gets another chance to lay down a marker against the tough Isaac Chilemba.

Isaac Chilemba has been in with some of the biggest names in and around this Division and his 5 losses have come against the likes of Tony Bellew, Sergey Kovalev, Eleider Alvarez and Oleksandr Gvozdyk who are amongst the very best of fighters in the Light Heavyweight to Cruiserweight weight classes.

Only Gvozdyk was able to break down and stop Chilemba, but even that pull out from Chilemba was down to a broken hand and this is a real test for Bivol despite the huge power he has shown.

Of course Bivol will want to match what Gvozdyk was able to achieve, especially prior to the Ukrainian likely challenging Adonis Stevenson for the WBC Title in this Division. However Chilemba is one tough man to pin down and unload on and I think this may be a learning experience for Bivol who can't expect Chilemba to suffer the same type of injury that forced him out against Gvozdyk.

Bivol is a very good boxer as well as a power puncher and he was comfortably overcoming Sullivan Berrera before stopping him very late on. I think he may have to settle in matching what Bellew, Kovalev and Alvarez have achieved and it does feel a big price for Bivol to win this one on a Decision.

You do have to wonder if Chilemba has a lot left in the tank considering the amount of incredibly tough opponents he has taken on in the last few years and being stopped in his most recent defeat. That could be a worry when making the selection I have, but I think Chilemba can do enough to hear the final bell although coming up short at this level again.

Sergey Kovalev vs Eleider Alvarez

For a long time Eleider Alvarez has been chasing a fight with Adonis Stevenson having become the WBC Mandatory, but failing to agree terms with the notoriously fickle Canadian has meant he began to look elsewhere. Another fighter who has long chased the fight with Stevenson fruitlessly is Sergey Kovalev but he was willing to put his WBO and IBA World Titles on the line against an unbeaten contender.

There are still some questions for Kovalev to answer out of the back to back losses to Andre Ward which punctured his invincibility and his confidence. I did have Kovalev perhaps earning a draw if not winning the first fight with Ward, but the second was more conclusive and I think the talk of the low blows has overshadowed the fact that Kovalev was very hurt and also fatiguing in that fight.

This is the toughest test Kovalev would have faced since the second Ward fight and I do think Eleider Alvarez will pose some problems.

However I am not convinced he has the power to force Kovalev to take a backwards step and the Russian is a better boxer than he is perhaps given credit for. I think he will have enough to hurt Alvarez who has forced his way into the World Title talk with an unbeaten run and becoming the Mandatory for the WBC Title being held hostage by Adonis Stevenson.

The best wins in that time for Alvarez have come against Isaac Chilemba and Jean Pascal and he was perhaps fortunate to win the former of those with Majority Decisions needed for both wins too. Both are former Kovalev victims and I have a feeling the Russian will hurt Alvarez and force him into survival mode through the second half of the fight.

Ultimately I think Kovalev has too much and can keep the ball rolling towards an eventual Unification with Dmitry Bivol, but this may only be the fifth win Kovalev has to have on the cards.

Devon Alexander vs Andre Berto

Two former World Champions are in the last chance saloon as far as their careers go when they face one another at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.

Devon Alexander and Andre Berto can't really be considered genuine potential World Champions in the making at this stage of their careers, but the winner is very likely to get a shot at Welterweight.

In recent years it has looked like Berto doesn't have a lot left at this level, whereas Devon Alexander looked to be on the wrong end of a controversial Majority Decision Draw in his last fight with Victor Ortiz. I thought Alexander had done just enough to earn the Decision in that fight back in February and it could be a bout that is revisited if he wins this one.

Alexander showed enough speed to think he can give Berto some problems in this one and the punch resistance of the latter is not what it once was. However Alexander is not exactly known for the power to stop opponents at this level and instead I think he will do enough to earn the Decision win.

Andre Berto is an interesting character who once had big things projected for him, but who has found himself short at elite level. You have to give Berto a lot of credit for continuing to try and test himself, but I think Alexander is going to be a little too slick for him and will find a way to box himself to the victory as he continues his comeback following problems outside of the ring.

Even with the punch resistance of Berto fading fast, I think Alexander won't take the risks to go for the finish unless it presents itself clearly and instead he will look to win a wide Decision on the cards. I don't think the scorecard will be one that reflects what Alexander thinks he has done in the fight, but he should have enough to earn the nod this time after the Majority Decision Draw with Ortiz.

MY PICKS: Dmitry Bivol Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.75 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sergey Kovalev Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Devon Alexander Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Boxing 2018 Update: 20-39, + 4.64 Units (89 Units Staked, + 5.21% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (August 4th)

This has been a really busy day so I won't have time to write down the full breakdowns for the Tennis Picks today.

I should be back to the normal threads on Saturday and moving into the Canada Masters/Premier Event which will begin on Monday.

MY PICKS: Simona Halep - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Boylesports (2 Units)
Julia Goerges - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Milos Raonic - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)
Kevin Anderson - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Kei Nishikori - 4.5 Games @ 1.73 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekend Football Picks 2017 (August 4-6)

The football season is finally back with a bang this weekend with the lower Leagues in England beginning their fixtures and meaning we are just a week away from the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

I will have a fuller post for the Weekend Football Picks next week, but this week I am going to begin with the first football picks of the new season. Time has been an issue for this thread, but hopefully it will be a good start to the season after a pretty poor showing in 2016/17.


Nottingham Forest v Millwall Pick: The Championship season gets underway this weekend and the long, arduous road to the Premier League begins in what is notoriously a difficult League to contend in.

At this stage positive vibes should exist in most football clubs as they put together some heady ambitions for the coming season. Nottingham Forest are definitely feeling more excited than they have in recent years with a new owner at the helm and Mark Warburton in as manager who has had success with Brentford at this level previously.

Losing Britt Assombalonga is a blow, but Nottingham Forest look a much more well rounded squad and the ambitions are to stop the decline in League finishes which have been occurring in recent years. Moving into a position to contend for a place in the Premier League is the ambition of Evangelos Marinakis, but this might be a season too early to think about that.

Any promotion push has to be fuelled by the form at the City Ground where Nottingham Forest were strong last season having secured 12 wins from 23 League games. 7 of those 12 wins came against teams who finished in the bottom half and Nottingham Forest will be looking to get the new era off to a positive start with a win over Millwall on Friday.

Finishing in the bottom half, but outside the bottom three, is likely to be the limit of the ambitions for Millwall this season having come through the League One Play Offs three months ago. Neil Harris has been successful as manager here, but this is a new challenge for him at the higher level and it could be a tough season for Millwall, especially on their travels considering their difficulties at the League One level away from home.

Millwall did win their last 3 League games at the City Ground, but I think the excitement around Nottingham Forest can be transferred to the players in this opening game. Keep stakes to a minimum with the opening weekend always a difficult one to figure out, but I will be backing Nottingham Forest to open this 2017/18 season under new ownership and management with a win.


Sunderland v Derby County Pick: Simon Grayson has helped Preston North End surpass expectations in the Championship and he may be the right person to guide Sunderland and turn around what has been declining performances from the club in recent season. However, like Aston Villa, it feels like Sunderland are going to need time to consolidate in the Championship before they can make a real assault at getting back into the top flight.

Some big names have left the club already and others are set to follow before the close of the transfer deadline. However it can't come quick enough for some players with a video showing Darron Gibson criticising other members of the squad came out in the evening after a 5-0 defeat to Celtic in a preseason friendly last week.

It does feel like Grayson is going to need time to turn things around at Sunderland by changing the culture of the club. A losing habit is hard to shift (again ask Aston Villa) and Sunderland have gotten used to losing plenty of games.

Things definitely feel more positive for Derby County who have a manager in Gary Rowett who was overachieving with Birmingham City before harshly being sacked. The football may not always be pleasing on the eye, but Derby County are sure to be tough to beat and have signed some quality players even though losing Will Hughes and Tom Ince is tough.

It hasn't been a perfect preseason for Derby County and they did struggle away from home at the back end of last season. However I think the organisation may be better than Sunderland and the players may all be pulling in the same direction more than the home team.

The fans might not be right behind the Sunderland players either and they look a vulnerable favourite. The price on the home win has been on the drift so Derby County are not as attractive a back as they were even two weeks ago, but I do like the chances of The Rams avoiding defeat and potentially even winning here.

I would advise keeping stakes to a minimum because teams who look in disarray can surprise on the opening weekend (think back to Hull City beating Leicester City with a skeleton squad last season), but I will look for Derby County on what is the essentially 'Draw No Bet' market.


Fulham v Norwich City Pick: After a season in which they overachieved from the goals set out, Fulham will go into the 2017/18 season with a lot more expectation on their shoulders. It will be interesting to see how they deal with that, but you can't be surprised that so many are tipping Fulham up for promotion when you think they had the second best record in the Championship over the second half of the season.

Falling short in the Play Offs is a negative and Chris Martin has returned to Derby County, but Fulham are still expected to be there or thereabouts at the end of this season. That is certainly more than most will be expecting of Norwich City who have a new manager and will be employing a new style.

Some key players have left Norwich City this summer as Jacob Murphy and Jonny Howson have moved on, while a new manager can mean a new learning curve. Daniel Farke will be looking to replicate what David Wagner did in English Football after learning his trade at Borussia Dortmund, although it does have to be said that Wagner's methods took half a season to take hold.

Goals weren't a problem for Norwich City last season, but defensively they struggled. The side conceded at least twice in all 7 away games at the teams that finished above them in the table last season and this opening day fixture has the chance of being a high-scoring one too.

Fulham home games and Norwich City away games featured plenty of goals last season and I will be looking for at least three goals to be shared out between them here. Opening day games do mean teams are perhaps not as sharp as they would want to be, but these two should be amongst the most attacking teams in the Championship and can provide plenty of entertainment for the fans at Craven Cottage on Saturday.


Aston Villa v Hull City Pick: Both Aston Villa and Hull City will be feeling that they should still be playing Premier League Football, but there is a tough path to tread to get back into the top flight.

The signing of John Terry has clearly invigorated the Aston Villa support and has to be a reason they are considered the joint favourites to win the Championship this season. I am not sure I am convinced about that until Steve Bruce can get some consistency from his team, but they have definitely been better at home under his guidance.

Being at home on the opening day is important for Aston Villa to try and put some momentum behind them and they look to be facing Hull City at the right time. I thought the same when Leicester City took on Hull City twelve months ago in the Premier League, but on that day Hull City ignored the disarray off the field to secure a win.

They will need to do the same to get the Leonid Slutsky era off to a positive start, but it does feel Hull City are missing numbers and need to do more in the transfer market. They certainly look short of a promotion bid this time around and former manager Steve Bruce can help Aston Villa earn the three points in this one.

Opening day fixtures can be a little haphazard to judge, but I will have an interest in Aston Villa getting the better of Hull City for an eighth time in a row at Villa Park. Aston Villa look more settled than Hull City and I will back them at odds against.


Arsenal v Chelsea Pick: The traditional curtain raiser in England is the Community Shield which is played this Sunday between Arsenal and Chelsea, the two teams who signed off on the 2016/17 season with their match in the FA Cup Final in May. Arsenal were a big underdog that day but managed to earn the 2-1 victory, and they will look for a third consecutive win over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium since August 2015.

The Arsenal fans are still not fully behind Arsene Wenger and the Frenchman cannot afford a slow start in a season where the club will not be playing in the Champions League. Issues in the squad continue to be a problem for Wenger who is adamant that the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez will not be allowed to leave in this transfer window, although the latter continues to be the subject of heavy interest from clubs both at home and abroad.

It is unlikely that Sanchez will be asked to start in this one having recently returned to the club from his Confederations Cup absence and with a Premier League fixture to come next Friday. A lack of investment in the squad won't have impressed the fans and Arsenal will be looking for a morale boosting start to the season like they have achieved in Community Shield wins in 2014 and 2015.

The FA Cup Winners have actually won the last 3 Community Shields.

However Chelsea will feel they can snap that run despite the injuries in the squad and not yet completing their transfer business. They beat Arsenal in a preseason game with relative comfort and the foundations remain strong with the injuries mainly in the forward areas.

They will still likely be able to put a four of Cesc Fabregas, Alvaro Morata, Willian and Michy Batshuayi out on the field and those players are capable of producing the magic Antonio Conte's side may need. An Arsenal team likely to be without Alexis Sanchez don't look as dangerous despite the money they have spent on Alexandre Lacazette and I think Chelsea can take advantage.

This is essentially a glorified friendly so I wouldn't have anything other than a minimum stake on the game. With that in mind, I will look for Chelsea to get the better of Arsenal despite how much the latter have enjoyed playing at Wembley Stadium as I look for The Blues to show a little more defensive strength than the FA Cup Winners.


Celtic v Hearts Pick: At this stage of the season you have to think Brendan Rodgers is only focusing on the Champions League Play Off Round and the upcoming tie against Astana. While he won't want to see his unbeaten record with Celtic in Scotland come to an end, Rodgers is unlikely to risk players who may need a little more time to make sure they are ready for Astana.

They may be playing the right opponent in that respect with Hearts arriving under a cloud having finally decided to get rid of Ian Cathro as manager. The form under Cathro's guidance has been tremendously poor and Hearts really struggled away from home which does not bode well for a trip to Celtic Park.

Even though there are injuries in the Celtic squad, the competitive games played at the level they have been should mean the players in this one are sharper than Hearts. They also dominated Hearts in their 4 meetings in the 2016/17 season and I think the defending Champions can get off to a very positive start.

The layers are expecting a heavy win for Celtic and they did begin last season with plenty of goals being scored. I did consider Celtic winning with a clean sheet, but the defensive injuries put me off, and I do think the home team can produce a solid win on the day.

Covering this Asian Handicap won't be easy, but Celtic have the capability to do that especially at home. Missing Moussa Dembele is a blow, but Hearts come in short of confidence and I will look for Celtic to take advantage of that.

MY PICKS: Nottingham Forest @ 2.05 Betfair Sportsbook (1 Unit)
Derby County + 0 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Fulham-Norwich City Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.80 Sporting Bet (1 Unit)
Aston Villa @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Chelsea @ 2.25 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Celtic - 2 Asian Handicap @ 2.10 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Tennis Picks 2016 (August 4th)

While only the hard core tennis fans will be really interested in the tournaments being played on the Tour this week, most others might be anticipating the draw for the Olympic Games which will be made on Thursday.

The actual tennis tournament will begin on Saturday and go on for nine days through to a week on Sunday although the latest player to pull out of the event was Stan Wawrinka who has a back issue that needs rest. While the Olympic Games is important, Wawrinka made the right decision with two big Ranking events played in August, the latter being the start of the US Open in New York City.

The Swiss team will be missing Wawrinka, Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic while Martina Hingis has been left without a Mixed Doubles partner just days before the tournament was to begin.

I am guessing most players just want to get the tournament going now after the negative headlines regarding the players that won't be in Rio, but one returning player is Rafael Nadal who has announced that he will play in the Olympic Games. I hope that turns out to be the right decision with a sore wrist an issue, especially as any setback would likely see Nadal join Federer in sitting out the remainder of 2016.

After a poor opening couple of days, Wednesday has proved to be a more positive day of picks and I am looking for Thursday to back that up. That would give me some further momentum to take into a very big month of tennis if I can produce another winning week to back up a positive July and keep things ticking over in the direction I want.

Horacio Zeballos - 1.5 games v Tobias Kamke: The tournament in Atlanta is going to give some of the lower Ranked players a chance to earn some important points and both Horacio Zeballos and Tobias Kamke have to be looking at this event in that way. Neither player has a really strong record on the hard courts, but it is Zeballos who is already in a position to Qualify for the US Open directly.

That is because Zeballos has played more tournaments at the main Tour level compared with Kamke who is outside the top 100 in the World Rankings. Like his opponent, Kamke has been spending a lot more time on the clay courts than the hard courts this season but he has already lost here in Atlanta this week and only got into the main draw as a Lucky Loser.

Kamke did beat Sergiy Stakhovsky in the First Round in two tie-breakers which should give him confidence, but Zeballos had a really strong performance in his own win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. If the Argentinian is serving as well as he was a couple of days ago, Kamke is going to have a difficult time getting into position to break serve and that is why I give Zeballos the edge in this Second Round match.

There are some clear limitations to the Zeballos game, but he should have his own chances to break serve against a vulnerable shot that Kamke possesses. I wouldn't be surprised if we do three sets in this one as I am not convinced Zeballos can reach the same level he did in the First Round, but he should eventually come through 46, 64, 63.

Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 games v Julien Benneteau: Only a Protected Ranking has given Julien Benneteau a way into this draw in Atlanta, but there is a lot of work ahead of him to improve his Number 406 World Ranking. The veteran Frenchman has been hit by the injury bug over the last couple of years which has hurt him, but there is still some fire that is burning in his belly to get back to the upper level of the Tour.

This might not be the match up that Benneteau would have wanted as Fernando Verdasco used to get the better of him when the former was in his prime. These players met four times between 2006 and 2013 and Fernando Verdasco won all four while dropping a single set.

You can point out that Verdasco is not the same player as when they last met in 2013, but this summer has been strong for him. He reached the Final in Bastad on the clay courts and Verdasco was dominant in his First Round win over Dusan Lajovic, far more comfortable than the final score might suggest.

If Verdasco is serving as well as he was, he will put Benneteau under pressure although I do have a healthy respect for the Frenchman. The faster surface should suit Verdasco and I think he can just get the better of Benneteau over the course of this match thanks to having a few more break points against a player still trying to find their consistency on a return to the Tour.


Timea Babos - 3.5 games v Ana Bogdan: It does seem strange to be writing about a Semi Final in a tennis tournament for a Thursday, but that is the case in Florianopolis where the organisers want to conclude the event before the Olympic Games tennis tournament begins on Saturday.

The first Semi Final is between Ana Bogdan and Timea Babos and the latter is a significant favourite in the match. I can't argue with that and I do think Babos can get the better of Bogdan on a hard court with the momentum she has built up through the week.

Bogdan spends the majority of her time playing clay court events and this is only the second hard court event she has played this week. However the Romanian has to be respected having played some solid tennis in Stanford before heading to Florianopolis where she beat the Number 1 Seed Jelena Jankovic and is yet to drop a set this week.

However this isn't a player that has had a lot of success at this level on this surface and Babos has played well enough to think she will have her successes in this one. She has a solid serve, even if it wasn't at its best on Wednesday, and Babos has enjoyed some really strong runs on the hard courts at the main Tour level over the last twelve months.

She can battle past Bogdan in this one with a 64, 64 scoreline taking Babos through to the Friday Final.


Monica Puig - 1.5 games v Irina-Camelia Begu: The second Semi Final in Florianopolis at least has a real look of a WTA Semi Final at this level. Both Monica Puig and Irina-Camelia Begu have been in fine form through this week against opponents that have been overmatched, but my lean is towards the favourite.

Out of the two players, Monica Puig has looked much more steady and she has been serving well. Puig has only been broken twice this week and has won at least 69% of the points behind serve in each match which should mean she can put some pressure on Begu in this match.

That pressure will increase if Begu is perhaps not serving as well as she could. Begu has been broken six times this week and twice has lost 41% of the points behind serve and Puig has the game to keep that going and create chances to break serve in this match.

It was Begu who won a very close match against Puig when they played on the clay courts in Charleston, but I do think the latter is a stronger hard court player. It has been feast or famine for Begu on the hard courts in 2016, but Puig has shown a little more consistency while I do think her serving has been in a superior place this week which can give her the edge in this match.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is close, but I am looking for Puig to produce the goods at the big moments and work her way to a 63, 36, 64 win.

MY PICKS: Horacio Zeballos - 1.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Sporting Bet (2 Units)
Timea Babos - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
Monica Puig - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 6-2, + 8.60 Units (16 Units Staked, + 53.75% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (August 4th)

The tournaments this week have been spread across North America and Europe and that means that the markets are not always available when I first put up my post.

The event in Kitzbuhel has put up their markets for the remaining First Round matches that will be played on Tuesday, but any picks from Washington or Stanford will be made at around lunchtime.


Jiri Vesely + 2.5 games v Nicolas Almagro: The layers have not lost faith in Nicolas Almagro just yet, but I have my doubts after watching some of his recent losses. While Jiri Vesely hasn't been producing a lot of wins over the last couple of weeks, his losses to Fabio Fognini and Rafael Nadal in two close matches look much better than the defeats Almagro has suffered against Denis Istomin and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

It hasn't been a great season for Vesely as he is trying to find the consistency on the Tour to improve his World Ranking, but he has played both Fognini and Nadal close.

Vesely has a big serve that can give him a chance to run through games, while I also do feel that Nicolas Almagro has lost half a step around the court. That has seen him struggle to protect his serve and Vesely has every chance of winning at least one set in this match which should give him a chance to make this a close one.

The Spaniard just hasn't looked good over the last few weeks and he will have to show he is willing to dig much deeper than he has looked like doing in his last couple of losses. A couple of years ago I would have made Almagro a healthy favourite to win a match like this, but now I think Vesely has closed the gap to enough of an extent to make this number of games look appealing.


Coco Vandeweghe - 2.5 games v Christina McHale: This is the first time these players are back on the Tour since Wimbledon, although it is perhaps more understandable for Coco Vandeweghe who had a fantastic run in South West London last month.

They would both have now focused on getting ready for the US Open as both Vandeweghe and Christina McHale should be very comfortable on the hard courts in North America. Both will see this as a chance to build some real Ranking points over the next six weeks, but I also think neither would have been that happy of having to face the other in the First Round in Washington.

I think both McHale and Vandeweghe will feel they have underperformed on the hard courts over the last couple of years, although the latter can at least point to a winning record on the surface. There are some similarities with the way they will approach the match as both have decent serves that can set up their holds of serve, but both are also inconsistent off the ground.

This will come down to which player is able to make the most balls with their high risk approach, but I think Vandeweghe has shown more potential to really hit the heights in the women's game. I like what McHale can produce at times, but she doesn't do it for long enough and I fancy Vandeweghe to come through in two tight sets.


Jarmila Gajdosova - 3.5 games v Naomi Broady: It has to be considered something of a surprise to see Naomi Broady in the main draw in Washington after she won a couple of qualifiers as she has never played a hard court match at this level before. The two wins she earned to get into the main draw will make her a threat against the inconsistent Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, although I think the latter is still going to be a little too good for the British player who is Ranked outside the top 200.

The simple fact remains that Broady doesn't usually compete at this level because she has not been good enough and some of her losses in the lower levels back that up. That isn't to say you can just dismiss her chances of the upset because she has those wins in the qualifiers to build confidence and Gajdosova isn't exactly unknown for losing matches she shouldn't.

It is also the first time Gajdosova has had a competitive match in six weeks and that does play a part, but I think the Aussie player has enough power in her shots to give Broady too many problems to deal with.

I'd be surprised if Gajdosova blows Broady away simply because of her lack of competitive matches of late compared with the British player, but I think she comes through 75, 63.


Polona Hercog - 4.5 games v Julia Glushko: Polona Hercog has begun to make a move back up the World Rankings, but she is going into the Washington tournament having played in a couple of European clay court events over the last month. She played well in those tournaments reaching a Semi Final and a Quarter Final in consecutive weeks so Hercog should be coming in with some confidence for the North American hard court swing.

She was beaten in the First Round in Washington last year and hasn't really produced a lot of wins on the hard courts during 2015, but Hercog has shown she is perhaps a little too good for those who have to come through qualifiers.

That is where Julia Glushko has been putting together the wins to get into the main draw and that makes her dangerous simply by knowing what the conditions are offering. However, Glushko isn't having a really strong season and I think she has been found out when reaching the main Tour level of events.

Glushko had lost eight matches in a row on the Singles court prior to her two qualifier wins, but Hercog has the power to push her backwards in this one and has performed better at the highest level. She dominated her in the qualifiers for Cincinnati last season and I expect Hercog to win this one 64, 63.


Marcos Baghdatis - 3.5 games v Guido Pella: The deep run in Atlanta might be the biggest concern for Marcos Baghdatis coming into Washington as the recovery time from Sunday to Tuesday is not exactly that great. He came up short in the Final on Sunday, but Baghdatis has been playing quite well over the last couple of months and I like his chances to win this First Round match.

At one point it looked like Guido Pella was ready to make a real move in the World Rankings, but he has struggled for consistency and he hasn't won a main Tour match since Bogota over twelve months ago. The majority of his time is spent on the clay courts, but Pella has been following the Tour a little more over the last couple of months, even if the wins haven't been forthcoming.

His lefty serve will cause Baghdatis some problems and the long week may have a physical toll on the Cypriot, but I think he is still able to come through after getting to grips with things. The two qualifier wins will have given Pella some confidence to take into this match, but some of his losses on the hard courts this season have been disappointing.

I think Baghdatis will need to serve well to put some pressure on Pella, but the latter's serve is vulnerable and I expect Baghdatis to win 76, 63.

MY PICKS: Jiri Vesely + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Coco Vandeweghe - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Jarmila Gajdosova - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Polona Hercog - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Marcos Baghdatis - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 2-0, + 4.02 Units (4 Units Staked, + 100.50% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2014 (August 4th)

Last week was a miserable one for the picks to the extent that I didn't feel I was getting a good enough read to make picks from the final two days of the tournaments.

There was an interesting finish in Washington where the two top Canadian players will be meeting in the Final at the time of writing- that seems like they have peaked too early to defend the points that both Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil picked up at their home Masters event last season and asking both to dig deep for another long week, at a higher level no less, looks a big task for them going forward.


The Canadian Masters really begins the countdown towards the US Open which is now three weeks away from commencing- the big news last week was that Rafael Nadal was going to miss the two hard court Masters event this summer with a wrist injury and so the markets have priced up Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at very short prices to win this tournament.

They are the most likely winners as far as I am concerned, but a long break from the Tour as well as tough opponents from the very first match meant I took a watching brief this week in both the men's event in Toronto and the women's Premier Event in Montreal.


Serena Williams will be a big favourite having reached the Final in Stanford to remove the doubts about her fitness, although whether she wins that title or not may also have another effect on the prices. Williams is still the player to beat, even in a down year, but again I want to see how players are performing ahead of the US Open rather than backing someone to win a tournament at short prices.


Marin Cilic - 3.5 games v Denis Istomin: I am always surprised that Marin Cilic decides to stay for the European clay court summer tournaments rather than make the move to the hard courts in North America, but I guess the appearance fee from Umag is too much to ignore.

In my opinion, the heavier and more aggressive stance that Cilic has taken since employing Goran Ivanisevic should work very well on the faster surfaces, particularly as the Croatian is a decent return of serve.

His own serve should be more effective on the hard courts and I expect him to get back to winning ways against Denis Istomin. Istomin won their last meeting to snap a four match losing run against Cilic, and he has been in decent nick this summer.

However, Istomin is inconsistent at best and I do believe Cilic forces him to play too many shots in this one with his serve coming back with some interest which should lead to the higher Ranked player coming through. Over the next few weeks, Cilic can really move up the Rankings with nothing to defend from last season and I like him to win this one 63, 76.


Benoit Paire - 2.5 games v Alejandro Falla: Backing Benoit Paire in 2014 hasn't been much fun for his supporters and now he is on the brink of falling out of the top 100 in the World Rankings- it was only eighteen months ago that Paire was being tipped by a French newspaper as a future World Number 1 and that pressure may have contributed to his poor performances since then.

However, I do feel he can get the better of Alejandro Falla, who Paire has beaten twice before, especially as Paire has a couple of qualifier wins under his belt to boost confidence. Add the fact that Falla has struggled mightily in recent weeks and the Frenchman may just have the edge.

My concern for Paire is his erratic nature and the lack of concentration that can see him go on long runs of making errors and losing games.

Even with that in mind, I think Paire's recent matches here in Toronto will help him with the conditions and those wins should give him the belief to come through 64, 76.


Marinko Matosevic - 2.5 games v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez: I hate the 'Lucky Loser' concept when it is clearly being manipulated by the top Seed of the qualifiers pulling out with a retirement in the final round of qualifiers knowing he has a place in the draw.

That was the case for Marinko Matosevic whose 'retirement' allowed a compatriot to move into the main draw here in Toronto and it does leave a slightly bitter taste in the mouth.

However, the ATP have to clamp down on those rules and Matosevic didn't do anything wrong- I fully expect this 'Lucky Loser' to move into the Second Round against a Guillermo Garcia-Lopez who hasn't played a hard court match since March.

The Spaniard is happier on the slower surfaces where is serve isn't the weakness that it is on the faster surfaces- he just doesn't earn the cheap points that many others do and has to work hard to hold on to serve on any surface, but it becomes more of a pressure on the hard courts where one break can sometimes settle a set.

I don't think one break will be enough in this First Round match as Matosevic is erratic himself despite a decent first serve. He double faults far too much and can be over-aggressive, but that should be enough to see off Garcia-Lopez at the end.

It might take three sets, but I like Matosevic to win 63, 46, 64.


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 games v Edouard Roger-Vasselin: These two compatriots have met seven times on the professional circuit and it is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who has won all seven matches including three times this season.

It hasn't been a vintage season for Tsonga who doesn't have the same bite on his groundstrokes as he has had in previous seasons, but he should be able to get the better of Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The latter is more of a Doubles specialist, but he has the French flair to produce on a Singles court too, but might not have the belief he can beat his more renowned compatriot.

Tsonga hasn't been on a competitive court since his loss at Wimbledon to eventual Champion Novak Djokovic, but he has enjoyed this portion of the season and I believe he will be too good for Roger-Vasselin again.


Roberta Vinci - 2.5 games v Barbora Zahlavova Strycova: Barbora Zahlavova Strycova took advantage of Roberta Vinci's poor first six months of the 2014 season to beat the Italian and snap her four match losing run to her.

However, Vinci has definitely picked up her form this summer with back to back Finals reached on the clay of Bucharest and the hard courts of Istanbul and that confidence may see her return to something like her best.

Vinci works hard on the court, but she really has been overachieving the last two years as a Singles player considering the backhand weakness and the over-reliance on the slice. This has been worked out by others on the Tour, but her confidence was also shattered so her revival could see her surprise a few players during this hard court swing through to the US Open.

I also do believe that Zahlavova Strycova is perhaps a little over-rated in this match considering how well she played on the grass courts this season- she hasn't played since her Quarter Final at Wimbledon and may be a little rusty which could give Vinci the edge.

The Italian may just wear her down and record a 75, 64 win.

MY PICKS: Marin Cilic - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Benoit Paire - 2.5 Games @ 1.92 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Marinko Matosevic - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Roberta Vinci - 2.5 Games @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)

Weekly Final: 7-13, - 12.10 Units (40 Units Staked, - 30.25% Yield)

Season 2014: + 36.48 Units (1225.5 Units Staked, + 2.98% Yield)

Season 2013: + 21.74 Units (1251.5 Units Staked, + 1.73% Yield)
Season 2012: + 49.21 Units (855 Units Staked, + 5.76% Yield)
Season 2011: + 82.02 Units

Tennis Picks August 4th (London Olympics Day 8 Picks and Washington)

There are just a couple of days left at the London Olympics for these tennis stars and on Saturday we get the Women's Medals settled with two matches.

None of the players will have much time to enjoy their achievements this week as they head to Montreal for a tournament beginning on Monday in preparation for the US Open which will be beginning at the end of the month.


Victoria Azarenka - 4.5 games v Maria Kirilenko: There wasn't a lot Victoria Azarenka could do against the form Serena Williams displayed in the Semi Final on Friday, but I expect her to end her tournament with a Bronze Medal consolation (she is also going well in the Mixed Doubles where a Gold Medal is a distinct possibility).

Maria Kirilenko is not an easy test on the grass courts, but she too was dismantled in her Semi Final and I think she may find it tough against someone like Azarenka who is normally very consistent.

I think Azarenka has the edge in the rallies and she has the consistency to break down the Kirilenko game. It is no surprise that Azarenka has won the last two matches between the two, even if they were back in 2010, and I think the Belarusian has improved as a player since then and is going to record another win in this one.

This could be tight when it comes to covering this spread, but I wouldn't be surprised if Azarenka is a 6-4, 6-2 winner and takes the Bronze Medal.


Maria Sharapova + 4.5 games v Serena Williams: I already backed Serena Williams to win this tournament in the outright market and I think the American has shown too much over the course of the week to miss out on the Gold Medal now.

In saying that, I still think this spread looks slightly high in a match where we could potentially see a deciding set as well as the chance of a tie-break. Maria Sharapova has also been playing well this week and won't want to roll over as Williams' other opponents have and she can serve well enough to at least keep the score respectable.

However, Serena has a dominating record against Sharapova, winning 8 of their 10 matches including a thumping win in Madrid earlier this season which is the last of a run of 7 consecutive wins against the Russian.

In fact, Williams would have covered this spread in 5 of their last 6 matches, the exception coming on the grass courts here at Wimbledon in 2010 when she won 7-6, 6-4.

That means they are 1-1 on the grass courts in their career, with Williams failing to cover the spread in both of those and I wouldn't be surprised if Serena is a 6-3, 7-6 winner in the Final to take home the Gold Medal and make herself the big favourite to win the final Grand Slam of the season at Flushing Meadows.


MY PICKS: Victoria Azarenka - 4.5 games @ 1.86 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Maria Sharapova + 4.5 games @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)


Weekly Update: 9-8, + 2.60 Units (33 Units Staked)