Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 23rd August)

Three wins from the four Semi Final matches played will have just given the Cincinnati results a boost, but two more matches remain and two winners are the goal.

Both favourites look capable of doing that in the ATP and WTA Finals to be played on Sunday, but you can read the selections and the reasons for them below.

Arthur Fils - 2.5 games v Frances Tiafoe: The likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may have been missing, but there were plenty of big names playing in Cincinnati over the last week and so credit has to be given to both Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe for navigating the draw and reaching the Final.

It is a big match for both, especially ahead of what could be a wide open US Open.

Both have earned top 10 wins to reach the Final and so they have gotten through some hard work to reach this stage, but it is Arthur Fils who has impressed that much more than Frances Tiafoe.

His numbers have been really impressive in Cincinnati and Arthur Fils has previously beaten Frances Tiafoe on a United States hard court and there is every reason to believe he can do that again.

The serve has been important for both players, but there had been one or two signs in the Semi Final that Tiafoe has perhaps begun to be worn down after a long week.

Arthur Fils remained impressive in his straight sets win over Flavio Cobolli and his current level looks like it is going to be guiding right to the biggest title he has earned in his young career.

Coco Gauff- 1.5 games v Jessica Pegula: Two compatriots, and very good friends, will compete for the Cincinnati title and this is a chance to lay down the perfect marker ahead of the US Open.

Both Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have enjoyed considerable success at the home Grand Slam, which begins next weekend, and they will be expecting to go very close to winning the title in New York City.

Coco Gauff has done that before, while Jessica Pegula has come up narrowly short and the top of the draw looks pretty wide open with these two firmly amongst the favourites.

It is Jessica Pegula who has the head to head lead, but Coco Gauff has won three of the last four matches, including a big Wimbledon Quarter Final win.

Jessica Pegula had won the first three hard court matches between the pair, but Coco Gauff rallied for consecutive wins before the former came through a competitive match in Riyadh at the WTA Finals last November.

Tactics have been switched up by Coco Gauff here with a desire to get to the net where she can and it is the World Number 4 who has produced the stronger numbers in Cincinnati.

However, Jessica Pegula can state she has come through the tougher path to reach the Final, although you do have to wonder if the three set Semi Final win in a match that lasted almost three hours will be a factor here. That makes it consecutive tough wins for Jessica Pegula and with the limited rest, it could just give Coco Gauff the edge to secure this title.

It should be noted that Gauff played the last of the four Semi Final matches on Saturday, but it turned into a pretty routine win in a little over an hour and recent head to heads between the players have just been edged by the lower Ranked of these two high-quality players.

MY PICKS: Arthur Fils - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 20-20, - 3.18 Units (36 Units Staked, - 8.83% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 22nd August)

The last couple of days at the Cincinnati Masters are to be concluded this weekend and the Semi Final selections can be read below.

It has been a difficult tournament, but there is still hope for a flying end to take some momentum into the US Open after a rough month for the Tennis Picks.

Arthur Fils - 3.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: While one of these players looks to be peaking towards the end of the Cincinnati Masters, the other is scrambling in earning his place in the Semi Final.

You cannot use that as a stick to beat someone, but Flavio Cobolli has to know that the level needs to be lifted if he is going to beat Arthur Fils for the first time.

Flavio Cobolli has won all four matches in a third set, so there is no doubt that he has played a lot of tennis this week already. In the last two Rounds he has had to dig deep and come from behind to win both matches played and the Italian has spent eight hours on the court to earn his spot in the Semi Final.

However, it should be noted that the numbers have dipped in each of the last three wins compared with the victory before and Cobolli has been on the right side of some fine inches within matches.

On the other side, Arthur Fils has improved in each of the last three Rounds compared to the one before and the Frenchman crushed Thiago Agustin Tirante in the Quarter Final.

There is so much to like about the Arthur Fils style, but it is an aggressive one that can lead to mistakes when he is slightly off and that is perhaps a reason he has not reached the second week of any Grand Slam on more than the sole occasion it happened at Wimbledon in 2024.

It is also a concern at the back of the mind when backing Fils and this is a wide spread.

That aside, Arthur Fils has been crushing the serve and has really piled on the pressure on the return and that could be the case in a match against an opponent he has beaten twice before. There is also a difference between the players when it comes to overall hard court performances in 2026 and Arthur Fils looks capable of going one better than he did in Miami earlier in the year and that is reaching a maiden Masters Final.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Jessica Pegula: Winning matches is what tennis players want to do, but Iga Swiatek will not have wanted to beat Elena Rybakina in the manner the Quarter Final ended.

A potentially serious injury was picked up by Elena Rybakina, which leaves her participation in the US Open in doubt, but Iga Swiatek has to move on and she is now two wins away from winning both the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters.

This will arguably place Iga Swiatek as favourite to win the US Open and there is a suggestion that she could be facing a compromised Jessica Pegula.

It certainly looked the case as she struggled in the second set against Amanda Anisimova in the Quarter Final and some felt Jessica Pegula may even be contemplating withdrawing from the match. She then moved a double break up in the final set decider, but Pegula threw that away before rallying in a competitive tie-breaker and ultimately getting the better of her compatriot yet again.

Jessica Pegula did tell the press that she had been feeling better the longer she was on court, but the issue could have flared up before the Semi Final and this has always been a tough match up.

She has plenty of wins over Iga Swiatek, but also a number of defeats including a one-sided Quarter Final defeat on the clay courts of Rome earlier this season. Jessica Pegula has won three of the last five hard court matches, including stunning Iga Swiatek at the US Open two years ago, but the Pole has been in fine form over the last two weeks and will be the fresher player.

This is an important factor and it may just give Iga Swiatek the edge in the sets that ultimately will lead to a cover of this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Arthur Fils - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Frances Tiafoe @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 17-19, - 4.81 Units (32 Units Staked, - 15.03% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 21st August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 18th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 16th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 15th August)

The Cincinnati Masters was beginning at the same time as the Canadian Masters was coming to a conclusion and the decision was made to skip the First Round at this next 1000 event and then get back into the preparation for the US Open once the Seeded players entered the tournament.

On Saturday, those Seeded players are getting their tournaments underway in both ATP and WTA events being played here over the next week.

Most of the top names will be looking to lay down a marker for the US Open, but conditions in Cincinnati tend to be faster than most during this portion of the hard court season and so it is a challenge for all competing right after the tournaments in Canada.

Despite that, players will not be looking to make excuses, but instead show they are ready to compete at the last Grand Slam of the season, which is getting underway at the end of the month.

Alexandra Eala - 3.5 games v Elena Gabriela Ruse: After winning the title in Washington, Alexandra Eala put together a decent run in Toronto at the Canadian Masters, but looked like she was running on fumes by the end of her time at that event.

The Fourth Round loss would not have been easily accepted, but it has given Eala a bit of time to rest and recover before taking in this next WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati.

This is the last tournament Alexandra Eala is going to be taking in before the US Open and so she can put everything into matches on the court as she continues to grow on the Tour.

Recent performances will have done Alexandra Eala the world of good and she is expected to have too much for Elena Gabriela Ruse who has struggled when asked to play some of the stronger players on the Tour, especially on the hard courts.

A First Round win will have given Elena Gabriela Ruse a boost, but it has been a season of inconsistency in the hard court results being produced. Credit has to be given to the World Number 77 for winning matches that she will feel she should, but Ruse has a 2-6 record when it come sto facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts.

The second serve numbers and those on the return of serve have taken a serious dent in those tougher matches and Alexandra Eala will feel she can exploit those in this Second Round meeting.

Two years ago, Elena Gabriela Ruse beat Alexandra Eala in the final Qualifying Round at the US Open when both were Ranked outside of the top 100.

It was Ruse who was Ranked the higher of the two in the match and she held a Seeded place in the Qualifying draw, but Alexandra Eala is much more experienced now and can record a strong win in her opening match in Cincinnati in 2026.

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Zeynep Sonmez: Last year, Amanda Anisimova made little impact at the Canadian and Cincinnati WTA 1000 events, but that did not stop her from reaching the US Open Final.

However, Amanda Anisimova had already reached the Wimbledon Final in 2025 and so her confidence would have been in a stronger place than it perhaps is right now.

It has been a decent year all the same, but not with the standout results that the American put on the board last year.

Despite that, Amanda Anisimova has shown time and time again that she can roll through the gears when facing opponents Ranked outside of the elite players and she is facing one of those in Zeynep Sonmez on Saturday in the Second Round.

Credit has to be given to any player who has one main draw win under the belt already, but Zeynep Sonmez has really struggled when she has stepped up a level and that has been reflected in some of the scores produced in her hard court matches in 2026. She will need to serve well to try and put Amanda Anismova under some pressure, but the World Number 10 should be able to contain much of the threat on the other side of the court with her own serve.

It is the higher Ranked player who has the heavier groundstrokes and that can see Amanda Anisimova push through to the Third Round.

MY PICKS: Alexandra Eala - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Maria Sakkari - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Tommy Paul-Hubert Hurkacz Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jiri Lehecka-Matteo Berrettini Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 205-175, + 6.95 Units (565 Units Staked, + 1.23% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 18th August)

You have to believe the organisers of the new look Mixed Doubles tournament at the US Open are just as frustrated with the scheduling of the Masters events this summer as the players and fans.

That tournament was designed to be played in the week leading up to the US Open and the theory behind it is that the top players can all be involved. Looking through the draw, the top names are scheduled to play, but the Cincinnati Final being played on a Monday may mean the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are not able to join their partners in New York City and especially not with the Mixed Doubles set to begin on Tuesday.

They are young enough to play in what will feel like an exhibition setting, but a long Final on Monday may mean rest is more important ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.

The top two ATP players meet on Monday and they are going to be clear favourites to face one another again at the US Open on the final Sunday of that tournament.

It would be the third straight Grand Slam Final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and there would be no doubt that we have entered a new era of Men's tennis if that comes about.

Those two players go out first before the WTA Final featuring Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini and then all eyes will be on the US Open with less than seven days to go before the last Grand Slam of 2025 gets underway.

Jannik Sinner - 2.5 games v Carlos Alcaraz: These two players are clearly the top two on the ATP Tour and it will take a brave person to oppose either winning the next Grand Slam at the US Open.

It was Carlos Alcaraz who beat Jannik Sinner at the French Open and that continued what had been an increasing dominance in the rivalry, but the Italian earned revenge with a very strong win in the Wimbledon Final to prevent Alcaraz from winning for a third straight year at SW19.

After losing five times in a row to Carlos Alcaraz, that win at Wimbledon feels very importsant for Jannik Sinner who has seemingly overwhelmed everyone else barring the Spaniard.

To back up that point, since the start of 2024, Jannik Sinner has lost just THREE hard court matches and he has won all three hard court Slams played in those twenty months. However, TWO of those losses have been against Carlos Alcaraz and the World Number 1 has not beaten him on this surface since October 2023 and so this is another opportunity for Sinner to lay down a marker to his fiercest rival ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.

Despite the head to head record, Jannik Sinner's win at Wimbledon will be one that has helped him overcome the mental hurdle, especially considering he had Championship Points before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open Final.

The match up is clearly a tough one, but Sinner is playing at an incredible level right now and it may be one that is difficult for Carlos Alcaraz to reach on a consistent basis.

There is nothing wrong with the way that Carlos Alcaraz is playing here in Cincinnati and on the hard courts in general, but the match feels more about what Sinner is able to do.

If the World Number 1 serves as well as he has been, he should have the majority of the Break Point chances in this Final and that is key to winning the match. Last year Carlos Alcaraz was the superior return player in the two matches played on the hard courts against Jannik Sinner and the World Number 2 will be inspired to try and lay down a marker ahead of the US Open, but Jannik Sinner showed again in Melbourne how much he has improved and he may just have the momentum to back up the win at Wimbledon by snapping the hard court run of defeats against this opponent.

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: This is a big spread for the WTA Cincinnati Final, but Iga Swiatek has come out of the tougher half of the draw and has looked much more convincing overall compared with Jasmine Paolini.

They did play out a competitive match on the hard courts at the end of last season, although that was after Iga Swiatek had served a suspension and it perhaps meant her rhythm was not quite where she would have expected.

Despite that, Iga Swiatek did end up with the victory and she has since crushed Paolini on the grass courts in the build up to Wimbledon, which was surprisingly won by Iga Swiatek too.

After the early loss in Montreal, Jasmine Paolini may not have arrived with a huge burden of expectation to carry, but this is a player who is willing to dig in and fight for everything she achieves. 2025 has not been as memorable as 2024, at least not yet, but Paolini still entered this tournament as a top ten Ranked player and wins over the likes of Coco Gauff will give her plenty of confidence.

The 29 year old had not been showing a lot of positive form on the hard courts prior to the Cincinnati event beginning- the key this week has been the success behind theserve and Jasmine Paolini is going to have to serve well to keep Iga Swiatek at bay.

That is a huge challenge considering how well the soon to be World Number 2 is playing, although this is a different kind of test for Iga Swiatek. Previous matches have seen her get the better of bigger hitters than Jasmine Paolini, but it is the movement of the Italian that makes her tough to beat, even on a faster hard court.

Iga Swiatek is serving with more authority though and that can see her set up a few more 'easier' points and that can help ease the scoreboard pressure. Instead it may be Paolini who has to deal with that and it also will not be lost on the latter that she has struggled in the majority of matches against Swiatek.

Back to back matches of over two hours is another factor considering the ease in which Iga Swiatek has made her way through the draw and one of the real contenders to win the US Open can head to New York City with a big title in the bag. Covering will not be easy against this handicap mark, but the expectation is that Iga Swiatek will have enough Break Point chances to do that if she maintains current serving levels against an opponent that has struggled to deal with the Pole on the Tour.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 6-8, - 2.63 Units (14 Units Staked, - 18.79% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 17th August)

The scheduling at the end of this Cincinnati Masters is clearly a work in progress and it would not be a major surprise if the organisers listen to the players and change things for next year.

It is bizarre that both Men's Semi Final matches have been scheduled for Saturday and the two Women's last four matches on Sunday, especially as they are likely to have the WTA Final played first on Monday.

Things just haven't made much sense in the back to back Masters tournaments played in the build up to the US Open, and the players have voiced their criticisms, which is something that should really be taken into consideration.

The two Men's Semi Final matches look tough to call on Saturday, but there is one play from the WTA Semi Final matches to be played on Sunday.

Iga Swiatek - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: The defending Champion at the US Open is Aryna Sabalenka, but both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina may be looking to lay down a marker about their intent by winning the Cincinnati Masters.

The winner of this Semi Final is going to be a big favourite to do that, but first they have to overcome a significant test.

Elena Rybakina has to also overcome a mental hurdle having suffered a number of Semi Final defeats this season, including last time out in Montreal. She has not played poorly in these matches, but ultimately it will play on the mind that she has suffered so many defeats at this stage of a tournament.

An impressive win over Aryna Sabalenka has to give Elena Rybakina a lot of confidence going into a match against the player who will be going into the US Open as the Number 2 Seed.

The one surprise about the 2025 season is how underwhelming the Iga Swiatek clay court season turned out to be, but she has been performing at a very good level on the hard courts. At the Australian Open, it took an inspired Madison Keys to win the Semi Final against Iga Swiatek, but the latter is a former US Open Champion and has been putting some fine tennis on display in Cincinnati.

Everyone will feel the power edge is with Elena Rybakina, but Iga Swiatek has an underrated serve and that can put plenty of pressure on the former.

Three straight wins on the hard courts against Elena Rybakina backs that statement up, and Iga Swiatek has dominated the number of Break Points created.

There is no doubting how well Elena Rybakina is playing, but the numbers produced by Iga Swiatek at this tournament are very impressive. A strength has been the consistency that Swiatek has found on her return of serve and that could be the key to the outcome of this match and help the Pole beat this opponent for the fourth time in a row.

If Elena Rybakina is able to bring her very best serving onto the court, she will cause problems, but Iga Swiatek has been playing well enough to win this Semi Final and cover the handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 5-8, - 3.43 Units (13 Units Staked, - 26.38% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 15th August)

The scheduling for the end of this tournament has been a little bizarre- the entire Fourth Round of the ATP event was played on Wednesday, but that was not the case for the WTA draw although Ben Shelton's match was carried over from the previous day. His Fourth Round match against Jiri Lehecka will be played on Thursday, while the tournament has once again scheduled a split that was in place earlier in the event and I am not entirely sure why the change for Wednesday?

We still have to become used to the midweek Finals that have been scheduled both here in Cincinnati and the previous Canadian Masters, but all attention will soon turn to the final Grand Slam of the season.

For the first time, the US Open will begin on Sunday, like two of the other three Majors, and that tournament in New York City is now a little over a week away from getting underway.

There were no selections from the tough Thursday schedule, but one of the Quarter Final matches scheduled to be played on Friday has some appeal.

Potentially one more selection will be added, depending on the outcome of the Ben Shelton vs Jiri Lehecka Fourth Round match, but for now this thread will be posted with the one match that has fallen within the parameters set for the season selections in 2025.

The tournament started as poorly as it could have for the Tennis Picks and the momentum from the Canadian Masters was not carried over, but three wins in four have just turned things around.

Keeping that going through the remainder of the tournament and then into the US Open is the ambition.

All four WTA Quarter Finals have ended up being scheduled for Friday, which again feels bizarre, so a couple of extra selections have been added to the day's Picks below.

Carlos Alcaraz - 3.5 games v Andrey Rublev: The conditions in Cincinnati have been particularly tough this year and that has perhaps contributed to what was a slow start to the event for Carlos Alcaraz. The World Number 2 feels much better about his game following the Fourth Round win over Luca Nardi and Carlos Alcaraz described that as his best performance of the tournament so far.

Nothing is wrong with the strong numbers that Carlos Alcaraz has built up on the hard courts and he skipped Toronto in a bid to be ready for this Masters event and then the US Open, which is now fast approaching.

However, the numbers should have led to more titles and the Spaniard has suffered some disappointing defeats in Melbourne, Indian Wells and Miami and he will enter the US Open as a significant second favourite compared with Jannik Sinner.

Winning the title in Cincinnati could change some of the narrative and Alcaraz will be very happy with his level considering he has not been in competitive action since the Wimbledon Final.

He beat Andrey Rublev on his way to another Final in SW19 and it is the World Number 11 who stands in his way here.

Andrey Rublev has to be happy with the wins he has produced at this tournament, but this is going to be a significant test for a player who has just slipped from the standards he has set in his career. The numbers remain pretty impressive, but Rublev has struggled for consistency when it comes to facing those players that are Ranked higher than himself.

He has served well enough in those matches on the hard courts, but over the last twelve months, Andrey Rublev has really had problems getting into the return games, and that has also been the case in consecutive losses to Carlos Alcaraz. Being able to serve well enough to contain the top players on the Tour, while failing to have an impact the other way, puts Rublev under too much pressure and ultimately that has shown up on the scoreboard.

Last week it was Taylor Fritz who was getting the better of Andrey Rublev and there is every chance that Carlos Alcaraz not only wins this match, but covers the line set.

Andrey Rublev does hold a surprising win over Carlos Alcaraz on the clay courts, but the three non-clay matches have all ended in defeat and the World Number 2 would have covered this line set in all of those victories. The higher Ranked player did have one or two issues against the Rublev serve at Wimbledon, but still created 11 Break Points across the four sets played and Carlos Alcaraz should have control of the scoreboard in this Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Veronika Kudermetova - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-6, - 2.28 Units (10 Units Staked, - 22.80% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 13th August)

The Tennis Gods must have read my complaints about the number of players retiring when about to bring in a winning selection for these pages after Jakub Mensik withdrew from his match when well on the way to losing on Tuesday.

The imbalance is still there, but it made a change after what has been happening over the last few days and Mensik was clearly not going to be able to compete any better than those who have decided to retire mid-match.

Conditions have been very tough in Cincinnati and that has impacted some of the quality of tennis- Tuesday night ended with a deluge of rain and Wednesday is supposed to be another potentially wet day, which will help, although it is still very hot in this part of the world and the temperatures will be very high over the weekend into the Monday scheduled Final.

We have seen players struggling with the North American heat at this event and at the US Open in the past and that obviously makes it tougher to make Picks- you just don't always know who will handle the heat the best and be able to put their best tennis on the court on any given day, especially when conditions have been as brutal as they have at this Masters event.

Wednesday was supposed to have all of the ATP Fourth Round matches played on one day, and so the winner of the Alexander Zverev-Brandon Nakashima match will have to play twice, rain permitting. They conclude the match earlier in the day with Zverev needing to serve out the match, but the break in play will have snapped the momentum he had picked up.

The total from the tournament will be added to the Thursday thread once the final two selections are completed- Zverev needs to serve out the match to ensure a profitable return from the day, while Jessica Pegula needs a 6-2 or better set to cover her own handicap mark having won the second set after losing an opening tie-breaker.

There is one selection from the matches that have been scheduled for the day and that is from the ATP Masters Fourth Round.

Felix Auger-Aliassime - 2.5 games v Benjamin Bonzi: There has not been much to write home about when it comes to the hard court tournaments played by Benjamin Bonzi this year, but that is not the case in Cincinnati.

After coming through a couple of tight matches and perhaps being on the right side of some fortune, Bonzi produced his best match against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Backing that up is the challenge as he prepares to face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has quietly moved through the draw and deserves to be set as a favourite in this Fourth Round match.

The Canadian was clearly the better player against Arthur Rinderknech in the last Round, even if the latter was struggling the conditions, and the Felix Auger-Aliassime serve should be the difference maker in this match up. He was wasteful when it came to converting the Break Point chances, as was Tsitsipas against Benjamin Bonzi in the last Round, but the sheer number of opportunities eventually was beginning to tell on the scoreboard.

Doing the same here should give the higher Ranked player the edge and his overall hard court performances through the course of the year suggest Felix Auger-Aliassime should be able to move through to the Quarter Final.

Benjamin Bonzi is playing with confidence, which will help, but he is likely to be put under pressure by the Auger-Aliassime serve and that could eventually see his own game snap at key times.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger-Aliassime - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Tuesday 12th August)

You can only feel frustrated with some of the ways the selections have fallen this week, but that becomes all the harder to take when yet another retirement prevents one winner coming in.

It is the fourth one since the start of the Canadian Masters and all when the winning selection was literally a handful of games away from securing that return.

Making it worse is when the player you backed is clearly struggling, but soldiers on to lose (Cameron Norrie earlier this week)... It is a shame the likes of Marta Kostyuk, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Rinderknech have not had the same mentality, especially as the former two were both back in action this week just a few days after being unable to continue.

So it has been a tough week and Tuesday may be key to the remainder of the tournament- some fortune will be nice and a positive return to rebuild momentum is key.

Without that, the thoughts may already turn to the US Open, which begins a week on Sunday especially if there is the misfortune piles up on Tuesday... Losing selections isn't the only factor, but losing from a position of winning or having players refuse to take losses mid-match would not really be good enough.

One of the selections from Tuesday has full reasoning, but the others from the ATP tournament are added to the 'MY PICKS' section below with the post being put out later than usual.

Jessica Pegula - 5.5 games v Magda Linette: The two defeats in Washington and Montreal have to be considered disappointments for Jessica Pegula and especially as to how early she was eliminated from both tournaments.

This is a player that will still believe she can win a Major title and the upcoming US Open may represent the best opportunity to do that.

The World Number 4 is still playing at a good level on the hard courts and she was a Finalist at the Miami Masters earlier this year, while also winning a title in Austin. Playing in the United States should be a real motivation for Jessica Pegula who reached the Final in New York City last year before finding Aryna Sabalenka a little too good in each set of a straight sets defeat.

A strong win over Kimberley Birrell will have given Jessica Pegula belief to take further into the Cincinnati tournament and she has to be considered a strong favourite to beat Magda Linette in the Third Round.

The 33 year old is a declining force on the hard courts, although she is scrappy and that means that respect is owed to Magda Linette in this match.

Finding consistency on the hard courts has been challenging for Magda Linette and she is another player who has suffered early losses on the surface over the last month. The serve can sometimes get Linette out of trouble, but this has proven to be a tough match up for her and Jessica Pegula should be comfortable in what she needs to do in order to win.

She has been able to attack the Magda Linette second serve with a lot of success in those prior meetings and the World Number 40 has not been able to get into the Pegula service games as well as she has needed.

There will be moments when Magda Linette is having her way, but over the course of this match, Jessica Pegula should be keeping the pressure on the lower Ranked player and she may have the return game to help cover this big line.

MY PICKS: Jessica Pegula - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Karen Khachanov - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 1-5, - 3.80 Units (6 Units Staked, - 63.33% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 11th August)

The heat in Cincinnati has been a big factor at the tournament and the conditions remain incredibly tough for all who are scheduled to play Third Round matches on Monday.

A 1-1 return on Sunday produced the slightest of improvement on the weekly totals, which have been updated below, but it has still been a poor start to this Masters event.

Three selections have been identified from the matches to be played on Monday and those can be read below.

Felix Auger-Aliassime - 2.5 games v Arthur Rinderknech: He is certainly a player that can be tough to back with any confidence having fallen out of the top 20 of the World Rankings through inconsistency.

However, Felix Auger-Aliassime has put up some decent numbers on the hard courts in 2025 and he should have all of the qualities needed to beat Arthur Rinderknech.

The latter upset Casper Ruud, and me, with a strong win in the Second Round and is obviously playing with some confidence having struggled on the surface for much of the year. Things have been different in Cincinnati where Arthur Rinderknech has won two matches, the first time he has won two in a row on the hard courts since the Paris Masters last October, and that will give him belief.

Serving well will be key, but Felix Auger-Aliassime is unlikely to fall away as dramatically as Casper Ruud did in the last Round.

It was Auger-Aliassime who dominated when these players met on the grass in June and the Canadian has always been a pretty solid hard court player. Two titles have been won on the hard courts and the World Number 28 is likely going to serve with more consistency than Casper Ruud in the last Round and that should put him in a position to win and cover.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 3.5 games v Benjamin Bonzi: After losing at Wimbledon and then facing plenty of criticism from his Coach, Stefanos Tsitsipas has gone back to basics and hopes that will spark a turnaround in his career.

He has enjoyed Grand Slam successes in the past, although Stefanos Tsitsipas will be disappointed he has yet to win a Major, but these days he is clinging onto a top 30 World Ranking. The inconsistent performances have been a concern, and Tsitsipas has gone back to having his father take over the coaching duties, while an on-off relationship with Paula Badosa looks to have finally ended for good.

Perhaps it will allow Stefanos Tsitsipas to focus ahead of the last Grand Slam of the season, but a disappointing early loss in Toronto will have dented the already fragile confidence. It does make the tournament in Cincinnati feel that much more important and the former World Number 3 earned a solid win in the Second Round, which should give him something to build upon.

The returning numbers continue to hold him back, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has been serving well enough and that could provide him the edge in this Third Round match against Benjamin Bonzi.

If the Tsitsipas form has to be considered inconsistent, prior to the Cincinnati Masters you would only be able to describe Benjamin Bonzi's form has being almost non-existent on the hard courts this season.

The Frenchman had won two and lost five of the seven hard court matches played in 2025, but two consecutive wins will have given Bonzi a boost of his own.

Both have been in upsets against higher Ranked players, although the numbers suggest Benjamin Bonzi has been a little fortunate to come through against Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Musetti. In those two wins, Bonzi has won 7/14 Break Points played, while also saving 19/24 Break Points faced, and those numbers may be tough to sustain considering the World Number 63 has held in 74% of service games played on the hard courts over the course of the year.

These two players have not met on the Tour for a couple of years and so the previous matches won by Stefanos Tsitsipas are perhaps not a big factor.

However, the service edge that Stefanos Tsitsipas should be able to enjoy in this match is hard to ignore and he may come through with a cover of the line set.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Elise Mertens: Semi Final defeats have been a feature of the season for Elena Rybakina, but the real heartbreaker for the former Wimbledon Champion is the manner of some of those losses.

Last week in Montreal, Elena Rybakina served for the match twice in the deciding set, while also missing out on a Match Point, and there was a huge miss in the penultimate service game that seemed to drain her of all confidence.

Even then, Elena Rybakina should have beaten Victoria Mboko and she is getting close to finding a breakthrough, which may spark a resurgence in her career. At the moment she does not look like a player that is ready to win the biggest prizes, but things can change very quickly on the WTA Tour and that will give the Rybakina supporters plenty of hope.

Next up for Rybakina is a match up with Elise Mertens and the World Number 10 can produce a fifth straight win over this opponent.

Elise Mertens has not had a bad year on the hard courts, but it has been tough for her when she has been up against players that are stronger than her.

A 1-5 record against higher Ranked players cannot be ignored, nor can the fact that Elise Mertens has been well beaten in the majority of those defeats. Her hard court numbers have dipped considerably when facing those stronger players and Elise Mertens will not have much confidence with her head to head with Elena Rybakina in mind.

Finding a way to serve well enough to curb the aggressive returning of Elena Rybakina will be tough, but that will also put pressure on Elise Mertens when it comes to impacting the serve that she will be facing.

Since Elena Rybakina has moved past Elise Mertens in the World Rankings, she has won three matches against the Belgian very impressively and another good, solid win can be secured in this Third Round match in Cincinnati.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger-Aliassime - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 1-3, - 1.80 Units (4 Units Staked, - 45% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 10th August)

It has to be considered a really disappointing start to the Cincinnati Masters with both selections barely threatening to return as winners.

The opening two Rounds at the tournament have plenty of matches scheduled, but it has not been easy to find selections that fit the criteria.

There have only been two selections so far at the tournament and there are two more on Sunday as the Second Round is concluded.

Cameron Norrie - 1.5 games v Roberto Bautista Agut: Two veteran players of the ATP Tour meet in the Second Round at the ATP Cincinnati Masters and both should have plenty of belief when it comes to beating the other.

Of course it is Cameron Norrie who has won all four previous Tour matches against Roberto Bautista Agut and so will be justified to have a bit more confidence and that includes a four set win at Wimbledon last month. However, that was a really competitive match and Bautista Agut may feel he was the better player on the day, although it was Cameron Norrie who was winning the bigger points.

Neither player has impressed on the hard courts in 2025- Roberto Bautista Agut had a 1-7 record on the surface prior to his First Round win and had just skipped the Canadian Masters, while an early loss in Toronto has seen Cameron Norrie's record slump to 9-11 after previously putting a couple of wins on the board in Washington.

Cameron Norrie may have done more winning on the surface this season,  but the numbers are pretty close between the players and so the expectation is that another closely fought encounter is in the making.

You would have to favour the Norrie lefty serve, but the Roberto Bautista Agut return game is clearly one of his strengths, even if he has not been at his best on that side of his tennis over the last several months.

There has also felt like a longer-term decline in the tennis being produced by the Spaniard and that may show up in this Second Round match. Mentally he has to deal with facing an opponent that has regularly found a way to win the big points to edge the matches in his own favour and all of that suggests it may be a bit too challenging for Roberto Bautista Agut to overcome.

In the tight moments, Cameron Norrie does have some wins behind him to build the confidence, while the two victories in Washington will help after a decent, unexpected showing at Wimbledon.

Nothing ever seemingly comes easy for the British player, but he can overcome this spread even if it takes three sets get the better of Roberto Bautista Agut.

Jakub Mensik - 3.5 games v Ethan Quinn: There are two young players making their way on the Tour who represent Czechia, but Jakub Mensik may have moved a step ahead of Tomas Machac as the player with the most potential. He has already won a Masters event on the hard courts when upsetting Novak Djokovic in Miami earlier this year and Jakub Mensik will be heading to New York City with some real expectations of making an impact at the final Grand Slam of the season.

He is pretty solid on all surfaces, but Jakub Mensik has perhaps struggled for consistency since that success in Miami.

At 19 years old, so much more is yet to come from him though and his record on the hard courts this year will give him confidence, despite the early loss in Toronto. It was a defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a player in a purple patch of form, and the Second Round match in Cincinnati should be more manageable.

However, overlooking Ethan Quinn would be a mistake.

This is something you would expect Jakub Mensik to avoid having been pushed by the American on the clay courts earlier this year, while Ethan Quinn has put a win on the board here in Cincinnati. It means he is happy enough with the conditions that will be faced and he has a game that can be dangerous if Ethan Quinn is at his best.

The real struggle for the World Number 82 has been on the return of serve when facing opponents Ranked in the top 100. That has built up some pressure on the serve, although Ethan Quinn will have the confidence of having a 5-5 record against top 100 Ranked opponents on the hard courts in 2025.

He had lost all four matches when the opponent has been Ranked in the top 50, but Ethan Quinn has managed to turn that around with the victory in the First Round. This is one that should aid the confidence ahead of another big test, and so Ethan Quinn deserves plenty of respect.

However, you do have to believe that Jakub Mensik can serve well enough to keep the home hope under some scoreboard pressure and ultimately that could pay off. It is key to his chances to serve well, but that has been a part of the Mensik game that has been pretty reliable and he may end up finding the breaks of serve to ultimately cover a line that perhaps would have felt more comfortable if set at 2.5 rather than 3.5 where it stands.

MY PICKS: Cameron Norrie - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik - 3.5 Games @ 2.20 William Hill (1 Unit)

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 9th August)

It may not have been the best end to the tournaments in Montreal and Toronto, but a strong Canadian Masters showing has pushed the season numbers back in a positive direction ahead of the last Masters event prior to the US Open.

The tournament started in Cincinnati on Thursday, while the Final will be played a week on Monday as the two hard court Masters tournaments prior to the US Open have been extended in terms of days and scheduling.

By then the US Open will be less than a week away from beginning and the players remain pretty unhappy with the change in the format, even if the majority of the biggest names are taking part at the Cincinnati Masters.

Tomas Machac - 2.5 games v Adrian Mannarino: The tennis Tour is constantly evolving and this feels like an opportunity for Tomas Machac to show how far he has come since losing to Adrian Mannarino at Indian Wells in March 2024.

While Tomas Machac has improved and is set for a Seeded spot at the US Open, Adrian Mannarino has slipped from close to the top 20 in the World Rankings eighteen months ago to now clinging onto a top 100 spot. Qualifying for both Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati will help reverse the decline, while the dominant First Round win should give Adrian Mannarino some confidence in what has been a tough year on the surface.

He is 37 years old now so the decline in the form has to be expected, and you always question how much desire will be left for any veteran if they were to fall back outside of the top 100.

With that in mind, Adrian Mannarino's couple of weeks in North America have been important.

In the first half of the year during the original hard court run, Adrian Mannarino had won just two matches on the surface and the losses had been piling up. This summer he has a 5-2 record on the hard courts in the build up to the US Open and one of those defeats came against Ben Shelton who went on to win the Canadian Masters in Toronto.

A couple of top 100 Ranked wins have been secured during this hard court run so Adrian Mannarino won't be lacking for confidence as he bids for the upset.

An early loss in Toronto means Tomas Machac has had time to rest and become accustomed to the conditions in Cincinnati, although the youngster has been struggling for form over the last couple of months. He is at his best and most comfortable on the hard courts, and won a big title in Acapulco earlier this season, although there is a concern with a lingering issue that has resulted in a number of walkover/mid-match retirements since then.

Since the last of those retirements at the French Open, Tomas Machac has a 3-3 record and he was upset by Reilly Opelka in Toronto.

However, this is a different sort of match compared with that one against a big serving player and it may allow Tomas Machac to settle into a better rhythm. He has to respect the career that Adrian Mannarino has had, but the Czechia player does get a lot more out of the serve and that can be crucial in what have been historically fast conditions in Cincinnati.

The 24 year old Tomas Machac has perhaps not reached the level of expectation that has been burdened by him, but this is an important month coming up and he can get off to a good start with a victory here.

Casper Ruud - 2.5 games v Arthur Rinderknech: Two wins in Toronto will have given Casper Ruud a boost in confidence having been out of action for a couple of months, while the defeat to Karen Khachanov does not look as poor considering he finished Runner Up at the Canadian Masters.

The US Open has been good to Casper Ruud and he will be keen to head to New York City with a bit more confidence and that can be built up with more victories out in Cincinnati.

His last three appearances at this Masters event have all ended very early since Casper Ruud reached the Quarter Final, but he may benefit from the Second Round draw. The opponent may have already placed a win in the record books in the First Round, but it has been a tough season for Arthur Rinderknech on the hard courts, while the head to head with Casper Ruud will offer very little encouragement.

All four previous Tour matches played between these players have been won by the Norwegian and Casper Ruud has yet to drop a set in any of those. Two of the wins have been earned this season with one of those on the hard courts and one on the clay courts and the match up should give Ruud the confidence to find a way past the World Number 64.

Prior to the tournament, Arthur Rinderknech had lost six straight hard court matches and he had been beaten in eleven of thirteen matches played on the surface. The Frenchman will be disappointed with his service numbers this season and that has placed additional pressure on what has been a struggling return game.

Arthur Rinderknech has never been the best return player on this surface, but those numbers have taken a significant dip this season and it should be an opportunity for Casper Ruud to progress without too much fuss.

In the previous four matches, Casper Ruud has held 95% of the service games played against Arthur Rinderknech, while also breaking in 30% of return games played. If he can get close to those numbers again, Ruud should be able to cover what looks to be a potentially awkward handicap on paper against a dangerous server.

MY PICKS: Tomas Machac - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Casper Ruud - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

2025 Season: 121-98, + 11.33 Units (270 Units Staked, + 4.19% Yield)