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)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (August 20th)

It was a pretty miserable Thursday which has dented the weekly totals, but the Cincinnati Masters will continue on Friday with plenty of Quarter Final action to come across both the ATP and WTA events.

This is a big chance for players to lay down a marker for the US Open and all sixteen players heading out onto the courts on Friday will feel that is the case. There are some good looking matches to come and I am looking for a much more effective day for the Tennis Picks to try and secure a fourth winning tournament in succession.

Felix Auger-Aliassime + 3.5 games v Stefanos Tsitsipas: Two of the brightest stars on the ATP Tour will meet in a big Quarter Final at the Cincinnati Masters on a day when Rafael Nadal withdrew from the upcoming US Open. Novak Djokovic is yet to return to the court after his two losses at the Olympic Games which left him without a Medal, and that could mean there is a vacuum to be filled at the top of the next Grand Slam.

It is a vacuum that the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be hoping to fill and this is a tournament from which they can gain a huge amount of confidence. Winning a Masters on a fast hard court just days before the US Open gets set to begin would be huge for either player and the performances so far this week have been very impressive.

Both players have dropped a set on their way through the draw, although Stefanos Tsitsipas has had to play one fewer match thanks to his superior World Ranking.

The numbers from both players have been really impressive with Felix Auger-Aliassime holding 88% of his service games played and the young Canadian has faced just two break points on his way to beating Karen Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini. Those are two very good looking wins for Auger-Aliassime who has also got his eyes firmly where he would want them to be when it comes to the return of serve with 30% of those games ending in a break.

It is unlikely that Felix Auger-Aliassime will have things as good as that when he faces the Stefanos Tsitsipas serve. The hold percentage is at 96% for Stefanos Tsitsipas in the faster conditions of Cincinnati, although those same conditions have made it difficult when it comes to the return of serve as Tsitsipas has only managed a break in 15% of those return games faced.

The feeling is that this could become a serve-dominated match, while Stefanos Tsitsipas will feel he has the mental edge having won the last three hard court matches competed against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Only one of those wins has been straight-forward though and Felix Auger-Aliassime has held 84% of his service games compared with Stefanos Tsitsipas' 85% mark in the head to head on the hard courts.

There may not be much between them on the day in this Quarter Final and so it feels like a lot of games for the Canadian to be given as the underdog. I think Felix Auger-Aliassime is playing well enough to maybe steal a set and even the upset cannot be completely ruled out, but taking the games on offer just means a little more leeway for the younger player against a quality opponent like Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Felix Auger-Aliassime has been the stronger returner of the two players so far this week and it may be enough to keep this close.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Casper Ruud: This looks like a really good match on paper as the Olympic Champion takes on a player that won three consecutive titles on the Tour since Wimbledon came to an end. Casper Ruud won those titles on the clay courts, his favoured surface, but he had played well in Toronto and backed that up with another strong week in Cincinnati.

Alexander Zverev did not play in Toronto after winning the Gold Medal in Tokyo behind some exceptional tennis, but he has not missed a beat. The competition early in Cincinnati may not be up to the level that Zverev will see in the remainder of this tournament, but you cannot take anything away from the German who has been dominant in his wins over Lloyd Harris and Guido Pella.

He reached the US Open Final last year and blew a 2-0 lead, but Alexander Zverev will be looking to head to New York City with a lot more momentum behind him. The faster conditions in Cincinnati has seen him yet to face a break point on his serve, while Alexander Zverev has been able to use the scoreboard pressure to aid him in breaking in 31% of return games played over the first two matches in the tournament.

That will mean there is some pressure on Casper Ruud who is on the brink of breaking into the top 10 of the World Rankings and who has had a strong season on the hard courts already. His serve has also been a potent weapon for Ruud on the hard courts, but he has not returned nearly as well as Alexander Zverev with 20% of return games ending in a break of serve.

The Norwegian player has won 33% of return points played compared with Zverev's 39% mark and I do think that is going to be the difference between the players on the day. Both will feel the serve can be a huge weapon for them, but Alexander Zverev looks capable of getting into the return games with a lot more consistency than Casper Ruud.

Casper Ruud was well beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto and, before his win over Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in the Third Round, he had lost five consecutive matches against top 20 Ranked players on the hard courts heading into this tournament. As much as I like Casper Ruud, it is hard to ignore the fact he has yet to beat a top 10 Ranked player on the hard courts and, even worse, he has yet to take a set from them.

I expect Alexander Zverev to have a little too much all around for Ruud in this Quarter Final too and I will back the German to cover the handicap mark as he keeps his winning run going.

Barbora Krejcikova + 4.5 games v Ashleigh Barty: The winners of the last two Grand Slam tournaments are meeting in the Quarter Final in Cincinnati and there will be plenty of people who would be happy to back either Barbora Krejcikova or Ashleigh Barty to add another Major to their trophy cabinet at the US Open.

The rise of Barbora Krejcikova continues to impress and she has become one of the harder players to beat on the WTA Tour. Winning the French Open underlined her progress, but it would have been easy for the Czech player to move in the same direction as so many first time Grand Slam Winners and struggle with the weight of expectation on her shoulders.

That has been far from the case for Barbora Krejcikova who has reached the Fourth Round at Wimbledon and been beaten by the eventual Winner of that tournament as well as the Olympic Gold Medal around another title success in Prague. Her performances this week have been very, very impressive and the serve has been a particularly strong weapon for her.

I do think that will be tested by the World Number 1 and Wimbledon Champion Ashleigh Barty who has comfortably seen off her first two opponents in Cincinnati. The win over Krejcikova on her run to the Wimbledon title will only increase the confidence of the Australian and Ashleigh Barty has also been serving well well in the faster conditions of Cincinnati.

The second serve can be one that is vulnerable and I think that will help Barbora Krejcikova, although Ashleigh Barty has been the superior return player in this tournament. Those return numbers have been consistently stronger than Barbora Krejcikova's on the hard courts and I do think Barty is a deserving favourite, although this could be a tough number of games to cover for the favourite.

When they met at Wimbledon, Ashleigh Barty did beat Barbora Krejcikova by a five game margin, but it was a much more competitive match than that. It was the Czech player who earned the majority of the break points on the day and I think she is playing well enough to at least make this match closer on the scoreboard even if Ashleigh Barty is ultimately able to come through with a win.

Petra Kvitova - 2.5 games v Angelique Kerber: Two veterans of the WTA Tour and multiple time Grand Slam Champions will be looking to keep a strong week going which could set them up to be one of the dark horses for success at the US Open. There isn't much that Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber won't know about one another as they get set for a sixteenth professional match against one another and there hasn't been much to separate them with Kvitova leading 8-7.

They have split one match each in 2021, but those have been played on the clay courts (Petra Kvitova won in straight sets) and on the grass (Angelique Kerber won in three sets).

Both players are very competent on the hard courts which makes this another potentially close match to call, but I do think Petra Kvitova has been playing the superior tennis so far this week. All three matches have been won in dominant straight sets and Petra Kvitova's tennis has been in very good shape in both the serve and return departments.

Angelique Kerber has dropped a set in each of her last two wins and she has had to dig much deeper than Kvitova in her own run to the Quarter Final. No one will be surprised to read that Kerber has been returning effectively in the tournament, but the serve has been vulnerable and the German has faced an astonishing 29 break points in her last two matches.

She was a little fortunate to get past Elina Svitolina in the Second Round and Jelena Ostapenko created the same amount of break points as Angelique Kerber in the Third Round with only the superior tennis at big moments helping Kerber through to the Quarter Final. There is no doubt that Angelique Kerber is going to have to serve a lot better when facing someone like Petra Kvitova who can be very aggressive on the return and will feel the faster conditions allows her to hit through Kerber here in Cincinnati.

It was Angelique Kerber who won their sole meeting in Cincinnati, but that was back in 2012 and it is Petra Kvitova who has won the last two hard court matches these two have competed in. The last of those came in 2019 which makes them largely irrelevant, but you can't ignore the fact that Petra Kvitova has been the stronger hard court player of the two in 2021 in general, while also producing the superior tennis over the last week.

That could be important for the Czech player and I think she gets the better of this southpaw battle in the Quarter Final and can cover the handicap on the way through to the next Round.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger-Aliassime + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Barbora Krejcikova + 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Belinda Bencic - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cincinnati Update: 9-10, - 4.88 Units (38 Units Staked, - 12.84% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (August 19th)

A strong Wednesday in the Second Round has turned this week around into a positive position, but the teeth of this tournament has yet to be negotiated.

The Tennis Picks from Cincinnati can be read below as the Third Round matches are completed on Thursday in the final big event before the US Open.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Grigor Dimitrov: Winning a big tournament in Toronto might have been enough for some players as they begin to turn their attention to the final Grand Slam of the season, but Daniil Medvedev has not reached World Number 2 with that kind of attitude. Instead he came out in Cincinnati and crushed Mackenzie McDonald in the Second Round in under an hour and now Daniil Medvedev is looking for another Quarter Final at a big tournament being played on the hard courts.

The Third Round brings a tough match against Grigor Dimitrov, although the veteran has been struggling for consistency in 2021. His two wins in Cincinnati will have given Dimitrov a boost of confidence to take into the remainder of the tournament, especially as the Bulgarian has seen off Roberto Bautista Agut and Alexander Bublik who can both be effective on the hard courts.

However, Grigor Dimitrov is likely going to be the first to admit that he will have to be a lot better if he is going to compete with someone who has become a permanent feature of the top 10 of the World Rankings. Early losses in Washington and Toronto made it hard to believe that Grigor Dimitrov could enjoy the kind of run he has been on in this tournament, but the conditions may be more to his liking.

In saying that, Grigor Dimitrov is going to be facing a monster serve from the other side of the net and it will be going into a return game that can be erratic at best. Earning break points from Daniil Medvedev on this surface is a huge challenge and that will put pressure on Dimitrov's own serve as he looks to build scoreboard pressure on the higher Ranked opponent.

I do have to expect Daniil Medvedev to use his superior return to do that the other way and once he gets himself into the rallies you do have to believe the big hitting Russian can get on top of Grigor Dimitrov. The backhand is likely going to be targeted and Daniil Medvedev has won the last two matches against this opponent with both of those being played on the hard courts.

Daniil Medvedev beat Grigor Dimitrov at the US Open, but that was two years ago and I do think the former is much improved these days. While this is a big mark, I think Medvedev is capable of finding the breaks of serve to get on top of it as long as he serves to the kind of level he is able to produce.

The quick finish of Mackenzie McDonald can only help Daniil Medvedev in his recovery after the title win in Toronto and he can move through to the Quarter Final with a couple of breaks more than Dimitrov in this Third Round match.

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 games v Gael Monfils: You could see some positive signs coming out of Gael Monfils' tennis in the last month or so after what has been a very difficult 2021. It is important for the veteran to try and keep that going to avoid a massive World Ranking drop in the near future and it is a good time for Monfils to turn his form around with very little to defend in term of points in the next three months before the end of the season.

His win over Alex de Minaur in the Second Round might be as good a victory as Gael Monfils has earned throughout 2021, although it should be noted that the Australian has not really looked himself after a bout of Covid-19. That has hindered Alex de Minaur, but Monfils can only beat what is in front of him and he will be feeling pretty confident off the back of consecutive wins in Cincinnati.

The challenge increases massively from the first two matches as Gael Monfils is set to take on Andrey Rublev in the Third Round. The younger player has moved into the top 10 and long looked more than that on the hard courts, while Andrey Rublev will be feeling pretty good about the manner in which he turned around his Second Round match to overcome another veteran in Marin Cilic on Wednesday.

It has been a disappointing month for Andrey Rublev to this point having lost early in Tokyo and in Toronto, but he has produced some incredibly strong hard court numbers in 2020 and 2021 and it is only a matter of time before he produces another deep run on this surface. This may be the week for Andrey Rublev to do that and I do feel his serve is going to be important in what is usually fast conditions in Cincinnati.

Gael Monfils is capable of being a very effective return player, but his issue is going to be in maintaining concentration when he is serving himself. He has struggled for consistency behind that shot and now Gael Monfils has to take on Andrey Rublev, a player capable of being very aggressive on the return to break down the tennis of his opponent.

Their sole previous meeting was also on a hard court and it was won by Gael Monfils in comfortable fashion, but that was back in 2018 and Andrey Rublev has moved beyond the veteran Frenchman now.

As long as Andrey Rublev serves well, I do think his aggressive return will put Gael Monfils under pressure and the Russian can move through to the Quarter Final with a cover for a second match in succession.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 4.5 games v Lorenzo Sonego: There is no doubting the improvement we have seen from Stefanos Tsitsipas over the last twelve months and the World Number 3 has to be a legitimate contender to win the US Open which will begin later this month. He has yet to win a title on the hard courts in 2021 which may lessen the enthusiasm of those getting behind him to win the final Grand Slam of the season, but Stefanos Tsitsipas can put a strong run on the board in Cincinnati to build some confidence.

He secured a good looking win over Sebastian Korda in the Second Round and Stefanos Tsitsipas is a strong favourite to get past Lorenzo Sonego in the Third Round. The Greek player was a Semi Finalist in Toronto last week before being upset by Reilly Opelka and Stefanos Tsitsipas has had poor runs at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games by the standards he has set for himself to reach a career high World Ranking.

The serve remains a very big weapon for Stefanos Tsitsipas and it is likely to be a huge part of the reason he is able to win this match and reach another Masters Quarter Final. The main reason that Stefanos Tsitipas has found more consistency in his performances is the clear improvement when it comes to the return of serve and that is going to be important when taking on his Italian opponent in the Third Round.

Lorenzo Sonego is also at a career high World Ranking of Number 25 and he has become a pretty consistent threat on all surfaces which has helped that improvement. The Italian upset Carlos Alcarez Garfia in the Second Round, while Lorenzo Sonego has a very strong serve which will always give him a 'get out of jail free' card if facing break points.

That has led to Lorenzo Sonego holding 84% of service games played on the hard courts in 2021, but his main issue has been the struggles to break serve. I fully expect him to have those difficulties in this match against Stefanos Tsitsipas who beat Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets in Miami earlier this year and did not have to face a single break point on the day.

There is no doubt that the margins are going to be tight between these players and Stefanos Tsitsipas is going to have to focus when he does get into the return games. However, the higher Ranked player has shown he is capable of doing that and I think it will see Stefanos Tsitsipas get the bette of Lorenzo Sonego and find the breaks he needs to cover what is a very wide handicap mark on paper.

Matteo Berrettini - 1.5 games v Felix Auger-Aliassime: This is a rematch of a Wimbledon Quarter Final which was won by eventual Runner Up Matteo Berrettini and you do have to wonder if the little tennis between then and now will impact the Italian. He admitted himself that he started slowly in his Second Round win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas, but Matteo Berrettini was rolling by the end and that makes him a deserving favourite in this Third Round match.

He takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime who continues to show a little too much inconsistency on the Tour and that has prevented him from surpassing his career best Number 15 World Ranking. That is a strong World Ranking, but Felix Auger-Aliassime has shown enough to think he should be a regular top ten player in the years ahead, although he has yet to really stamp his authority on the Tour.

Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the Wimbledon Quarter Final, but he has suffered disappointing early losses in Tokyo, Washington and Toronto as he heads towards the US Open. The win over Marton Fucsovics will offer the Canadian some encouragement that he is still on the right track to have a big impact at the final Grand Slam of the season, but Felix Auger-Aliassime has not really reached the heights he had early in the season and the numbers have taken a significant slump since the Australian Open.

While Felix Auger-Aliassime has a 12-8 record overall on the hard courts, he is 5-6 since the Australian Open and the Canadian has seen a significant drop in his service hold percentage and break serve percentage since playing in Melbourne. In recent seasons there has been an inconsistency in the Auger-Aliassime performance on the hard courts and I do think that will offer encouragement for Matteo Berrettini who has won the two previous meetings between the players.

Both of those have come on the grass courts, but the serve has been a big weapon for Matteo Berrettini. That serve has seen the Italian hold over 91% of the service games played on this surface in 2021, and Matteo Berrettini has also found a way to get into return games perhaps aided by the strong serving to build some scoreboard pressure.

I think that will be the direction this Third Round match takes and Matteo Berrettini has had a real serving edge in the head to head with Felix Auger-Aliassime. It may be the case again on Thursday and I will look for Matteo Berrettini to work his way past this opponent and cover the handicap in the victory.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Matteo Berrettini - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Garbine Muguruza @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Petra Kvitova @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cincinnati Update: 7-3, + 5.12 Units (20 Units Staked, + 25.60% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (August 18th)

The Tennis continues at Cincinnati on Wednesday and the Second Round matches are all set to be completed over several hours.

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 games v Marin Cilic: Early defeats in Tokyo and Toronto have been far from ideal for Andrey Rublev, but he will be looking to put down a marker in Cincinnati before the US Open begins in less than two weeks time. The Russian has won a title on the hard courts already this season and he has reached three other Semi Finals, while Andrey Rublev has previously had success at the US Open too and that should offer him plenty of encouragement.

However, with all that being said, Andrey Rublev will be under pressure to put a strong run in the books in Cincinnati to build the confidence for the final Grand Slam of the season. Roger Federer is confirmed to be missing, while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both could be limited and that will mean there is an opportunity for someone like Rublev in what has been the Slam with the most surprising winners during the Big Three era.

It was a close loss in Toronto last week, but Andrey Rublev is going to have to deal with another big-serving opponent in Cincinnati and that will make his life difficult. However, in previous meetings against Marin Cilic, Andrey Rublev has shown enough of an impact in the return games to be encouraged.

His own serve is a big weapon on the hard courts and that should give Andrey Rublev an edge, especially as he has managed to hold 89% of his service games played on the hard courts compared with Marin Cilic's 80% mark.

Andrey Rublev also has the stronger return game, but Marin Cilic is coming in off an upset win over Aslan Karatsev and the former US Open Champion has also been very competitive over the last month with a couple of three set defeats behind him. That competitiveness is going to be important for Marin Cilic if he is going to earn another upset on Wednesday, but the previous matches against this Russian opponent have to be a worry.

It is Andrey Rublev who has won the last three matches between these players and those have all been on the hard courts including in Miami earlier this year. Andrey Rublev has faced five break points in those three matches, but he has created thirty-five opportunities and the Russian holds a clear advantage on the numbers behind both serve and return.

That is important in his first match in Cincinnati in 2021 and I do think Marin Cilic will struggle to deal with the returning pressure. He showed admirable resilience in the win over Aslan Karatsev, but Andrey Rublev may be a level above his compatriot and he can find the breaks of serve to cover this handicap on the way through to the Third Round.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Mackenzie McDonald: Both of these players have already enjoyed some strong successes during the US Open Series and that should mean two confident players are taking to the court on Wednesday.

While Mackenzie McDonald reached the Final in Washington at ATP 500 level, Daniil Medvedev underlined his potential as a Grand Slam winner next month by winning the ATP 1000 event held in Toronto. For a long time Daniil Medvedev has considered the hard courts to be his strongest surface and his win in Toronto after reaching the Australian Open Final earlier this season has to offer the Russian World Number 2 an immense amount of confidence.

He won the Toronto Final on Sunday and there is not a lot of time for recovery as Medvedev arrives in Cincinnati, but this has been a good match up for him and one that can help ease him into the tournament.

Mackenzie McDonald has a First Round win under his belt in Cincinnati, but he was beaten relatively easily by Benoit Paire in Toronto. His run in Washington has to be given a lot of respect considering some of the names that were in the draw, but the American was fortunate to avoid the majority of those and did not face anyone Ranked inside the top 48 in the World before the Final where McDonald was beaten in three sets by Jannik Sinner.

The numbers produced by Mackenzie McDonald on the hard courts have to be respected, but they take a serious dip when he has been presented with a top 50 Ranked opponent. He is 3-5 in those matches on this surface and McDonald's hold percentage drops from 83% to 80%, while the break percentage falls considerably from 25% to 16%.

Now he has to take on Daniil Medvedev who has a serve that is a huge weapon on the hard courts, but also a player that is very capable of getting into the return games to build pressure on opponents. The long run in Toronto is a slight concern with the little time to recover and move onto a new tournament, but Medvedev is used to going deep in Grand Slam events and he has had two full days off before being asked to return to the court.

As mentioned before, the head to head is heavily skewed in favour of Daniil Medvedev who has won all four previous matches against Mackenzie McDonald. Their first meeting was competitive, but Medvedev has won the last three with something to spare including in a straight sets win over McDonald at the Australian Open.

Daniil Medvedev has held 86% of his service games played against Mackenzie McDonald on the hard courts, but the more impressive number is the 46% of return games in which he has broken the serve. Take out the first competitive match, and Daniil Medvedev has broken in 53% of return games against this opponent and I do feel only fatigue can prevent him from winning this one with something to spare too.

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman v Frances Tiafoe: Both of these players looked good coming through First Round matches in Cincinnati, although Diego Sebastian Schwartzman was a favourite to progress and Frances Tiafoe has upset the odds again.

He continues to be one of the more frustrating players to read on the Tour with average numbers producing average results, but Frances Tiafoe is a player that is capable of producing something special on any given day. That helped him deservedly beat Ugo Humbert in the First Round and last week in Toronto he upset Denis Shapovalov, but Tiafoe can sometimes struggle when he feels there is an expectation around him.

Frances Tiafoe has held 80% of service games played on the hard courts in 2021 and he has broken in 21% of the return games he has faced. Those numbers are nothing to write home about, but the service numbers remain steady even when the American faces competition from inside the top 20 of the World Rankings.

The problem for Frances Tiafoe is that his return is erratic at best, although he will feel he can get his teeth into the Diego Sebastian Schwartzman service games.

The Argentinian has had plenty of success on the surface in the past though and Diego Sebastian Schwartzman is also putting together a decent 2021 campaign on the surface. He may be happier on the clay courts, but Schwartzman's numbers certainly look like he could have the edge in this Second Round match in Cincinnati even on what is usually a very quick hard court.

Unsurprisingly it is the Schwartzman return of serve which makes him most dangerous and he will feel he can into the Frances Tiafoe serve in this match too. Diego Sebastian Schwartzman has broken in 36% of return games played on the hard courts and the number actually jumps to 38% when facing a top 50 Ranked opponent on the surface.

It could be the key to the outcome of this match with some swings in momentum expected.

However, I do think Diego Sebastian Schwartzman can scramble through enough service games to be able to apply the pressure on Frances Tiafoe and I will look for him to do enough to move through to the Third Round at the expense of the home player.

MY PICKS: Andrey Rublev - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Garbine Muguruza - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cincinnati Update: 2-2, - 0.68 Units (8 Units Staked, - 8.50% Yield)