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 (Thursday 20th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jessica Pegula  @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 19th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 18th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 17th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sorana Cirstea  @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

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

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

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 16th August)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)