Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 11th May)

The Rome Masters continues on Monday and this is the last big week on the Tour before the French Open.

Players will take part in events next week, but the majority of the top names will feel that the groundwork has been laid ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season.

Some of the leading contenders on both the ATP and WTA Tours are still going strong in Rome, which is an event played in conditions much more familiar to those who will be playing in Paris compared with the Madrid Masters. Personally it has also felt like the Rome Masters is more of an indicative tournament as to the kind of successes that could be had in Paris and could form part of a staking plan.

The opening selections from the tournament both came through in largely comfortable fashion and on Monday there are three Picks that can be read below.

Coco Gauff - 4.5 games v Iva Jovic: Two American players meet in the Fourth Round in Rome and the experience of Coco Gauff should be a telling factor in the outcome of the contest.

There is no doubting the excitement around Iva Jovic and the potential she has, but the 18 year old is still going to be learning her trade on the clay courts. That is especially the case at this level having reached the French Open Doubles Final in her time in the Junior ranks, while Iva Jovic has only had one win against a player Ranked higher than Number 47 on the surface this season.

The two wins in Rome have been against compatriots, but neither McCartney Kessler nor Taylor Townsend can bring the credentials that Coco Gauff takes onto the court.

Coco Gauff is the defending French Open Champion and she has been amongst the best clay courters in the world on the WTA Tour.

Vulnerabilities remain with the second serve, but Gauff is very comfortable on the surface and she has won at least 50% of return points played on clay courts since the beginning of the 2024 season. That puts a huge amount of pressure on any opponent she faces and Iva Jovic is still going to be working on the serve and how to make the best use of that shot on this surface compared to the hard courts.

Every one of these kind of matches will help Jovic develop, but Coco Gauff should have enough to remind everyone of her threat to win the French Open again by producing a strong, solid win on Monday.

Mirra Andreeva - 4.5 games v Elise Mertens: This portion of the clay court season is relatively short and so you can't always take numbers being produced by players on their own without any context.

Someone like Elise Mertens has been playing well all season and has the kind of tennis that should work on all surfaces- she has previously had solid runs on the clay courts and so has to be respected.

However, the numbers from the six matches played on the surface this season are so much higher than previous years that you do have to wonder if she can maintain current levels. Elise Mertens has beaten home favourite Jasmine Paolini in her run to the Fourth Round in Rome, but Paolini has been struggling for consistency and this match is against a player that has really strong clay court form since she joined the Tour.

Mirra Andreeva lost in the Madrid Final at the last 1000 tournament, but she has won a clay court title in 2026 and reached the Semi Final in Stuttgart at another big event.

The 19 year old now has an 82-19 career record on the clay and Mirra Andreeva has not been slowed down by taking part in the bigger events on the Tour.

The serve continues to be an important weapon for Mirra Andreeva, although she has to be working on her return to take the next step on this surface. Her best Grand Slam results have been at the French Open where she has reached the Semi Final and the Quarter Final in the last couple of years, but Andreeva knows that is when you need to step up even more if wanting a place in the Final and then to pick up the title in Paris.

The World Number 22 will cause problems, but the Elise Mertens second serve can become vulnerable and that may be the edge that helps Mirra Andreeva win outright and perhaps narrowly cover this spread.

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 games v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: You cannot ignore the fact that both of these players can be pretty erratic on the court, but the lack of recent tennis played by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has to be a factor.

He does have a terrible record against Andrey Rublev, but the last clay court meeting ended in a win for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Barcelona last year.

The Spaniard had not played since the Miami Masters and went 1-1 in Madrid at the last tournament, while Davidovich Fokina has already won a match here in Rome. However, it is a considerable challenge against someone like Andrey Rublev who reached the Final in Barcelona in April and who has long been pretty comfortable on the clay courts.

A lack of match competitiveness cannot be ignored, while Andrey Rublev holds wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Madrid Masters and Rome Masters in previous years.

Over the last twelve months, there have been signs that Andrey Rublev is getting back to something like his best tennis and he can battle through this Third Round match.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Mirra Andreeva - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Rome Update: 2-0, + 1.57 Units (2 Units Staked, + 78.50% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 8 Picks 2026 (Tuesday 24th March)

Day 7 was not an impressive one for the Tennis Picks, but there was a little bit of misfortune around some of the selections.

Ugo Humbert, Aryna Sabalenka and Jakub Mensik all came very close to doing enough to cover, but a Break of serve here or a poor service game there proved costly.

However, overall it has been a solid tournament and there is every hope that Day 7 is only a slight setback.

It is another busy day coming up on Tuesday with the ATP Fourth Round completed and the opening two WTA Quarter Final matches also scheduled to be played.

The weather is continuing to play ball with the tournament, which is a good thing, and there are five selections on Day 8, which can be read below and with the Miami totals updated.

Sebastian Korda - 3.5 games v Martin Landaluce: Upsets have opened this portion of the ATP Miami draw and a big opportunity comes up for both Sebastian Korda and Martin Landaluce to reach the business end of a 1000 level event.

They have not taken advantage of others doing the hard work so there is going to be a lot of confidence in both camps.

Sebastian Korda has the biggest win after coming through against World Number 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Third Round- he should have won in straight sets, but all credit should be given to Korda for overcoming the disappointment in the middle of the match and still finding a way to fight through in three sets.

The American is plenty experienced and is a former top 20 Ranked player so it is no surprise that Sebastian Korda is the favourite in this Fourth Round match.

However, he has to be very aware of the fact that Martin Landaluce has already beaten two opponents Ranked higher than Korda in making his way through to the Fourth Round here having begun his tournament in the Qualifying Rounds. The 20 year old has beaten four top 100 Ranked players in Miami and all of his wins have been against players Ranked higher than himself, and it is a run that will have surprised Martin Landaluce's team as much as anyone else.

Over the last twelve months, Martin Landaluce has put together some solid hard court numbers against top 100 Ranked opponents and that will have to be respected. The serve has been a huge weapon in Miami and the numbers have been considerably stronger than his overall hard court serving numbers and so you do have to wonder how long he can keep this going.

Following up an important win can be tough, but Sebastian Korda will point out that he has won eighteen of the twenty-two hard court matches played against opponents Ranked outside the top 50 over the last twelve month period. However, he will have to be careful in this Fourth Round match as all four of those defeats have been disappointing ones facing players Ranked outside the top 100, even if the numbers have remained relatively strong.

This is a big spread, but Sebastian Korda may do enough to edge past the handicap mark set against an opponent who will be edging back towards his career best World Ranking after an unexpectedly strong run here.

Tommy Paul - 3.5 games v Tomas Martin Etcheverry: Finding enough consistency to push on with improving his career high World Ranking has been difficult for Tomas Martin Etcheverry and the numbers have been steady on all surfaces.

The clay court season feels like it will be important for Etcheverry and he may be entering that part of the 2026 year with more confidence having put a solid run together here in Miami.

He is going to be the underdog in this Fourth Round match against Tommy Paul, but Tomas Martin Etcheverry is a solid enough hard court player to feel he has every chance of earning the upset. However, the Argentinian player has not beaten a player Ranked in the top 20 on this surface over the last twelve months and, in fact, Tomas Martin Etcheverry has been beaten in all four of those matches played.

The problem has been that he has struggled to impose his serve on those matches, while the return game has simply not been good enough to make up for that fact.

Tommy Paul has dropped out of the top 20 of the World Rankings, but he needs one or two more wins to push back into that elite portion of the Tour. The hard court results have perhaps not been as good as the overall performances, but Tommy Paul will have taken plenty of belief out of the two wins he has had in Miami having had to dig deep to win both in three sets.

There has been little wrong with the serving, but Tommy Paul will know there is room for improvement when it comes to the return- those numbers have not been as strong as they were in 2025, and Paul will be looking to be a bit more effective in that side of his tennis to push forward.

The 28 year old is pretty effective on all surfaces so the next several months is a chance to rebuild some of the confidence, as well as the World Ranking, while Tommy Paul may feel his current return level is still enough to find the opportunities to win this Fourth Round match.

Covering the handicap will be challenging on recent form, but Tomas Martin Etcheverry has just had a bit of a struggle for consistency and that may give Tommy Paul the opportunity to produce a solid victory in this match.

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 games v Alex Michelsen: The two hard court wins that Jannik Sinner holds over Alex Michelsen were both played in 2024, and both are improved since those matches.

However, it is Sinner who has improved that much more and his hard court numbers over the last two years are very special.

He is on for the Sunshine Double, which has not been completed by many players previously, and Carlos Alcaraz already exiting the tournament only strengthens Jannik Sinner's position as favourite.

Alex Michelsen is going to be under pressure to serve at his very best.

Anything below that level will give Jannik Sinner all of the momentum, especially as Michelsen has only broken in 8% of return games played against the World Number 2 in those previous matches. His return can still be something of a weakness, especially against the elite players on the Tour and the two losses to Daniil Medvedev earlier this season back that up.

It is a wide spread, but Jannik Sinner is playing with some supreme confidence after picking up the title in Indian Wells and he will be looking to push much closer to the World Number 1, if not overtake him in the World Rankings, over the next six weeks.

Frances Tiafoe - 2.5 games v Terence Atmane: The World Number 20 has tremendous grit and determination and that has to be respected, but Frances Tiafoe is rarely backed to cover any spread on these pages.

Why? The main reason is that his numbers are always pretty average and that means he is rarely winning matches with much confidence for those watching on.

Even in a recent run to the Final in Acapulco, Frances Tiafoe came through a couple of very tight matches before being fortunate to beat Brandon Nakashima in the Semi Final before finally coming up short- he was a little lucky to get through his Third Round match here in Miami on Monday too.

However, Terence Atmane can say the same after upsetting Felix Auger Aliassime and the Frenchman has much poorer overall numbers compared with his opponet in the Fourth Round here.

Terence Atmane had won just four of twelve hard court matches prior to his arrival in Miami and his Hold and Break percentages are considerably lower than those Frances Tiafoe has put together.

They actually played one another last month in Dallas and it was Atmane who won the opening set before Frances Tiafoe rallied and coasted through the next two.

On that day, the difference in the serving efficiency was evident and that may be the case again, although you do have to hope Frances Tiafoe has recovered from spending an hour longer on the court than the World Number 53 in their respective Third Round wins.

Karolina Muchova v Victoria Mboko: This is the second time these two are meeting in a big spot having contested the WTA 1000 Final in Doha last month.

This time a Semi Final spot is on the line for Victoria Mboko and Karolina Muchova and both have been producing strong hard court tennis all season.

The older player has been set as the narrow underdog, but Karolina Muchova will take confidence from the fact she has won a big title on the surface and her three defeats have been one apiece to the current top three in the World Rankings.

Victoria Mboko has perhaps passed Mirra Andreeva as the leading teenager capable of winning a Major after the development over the last twelve months- she was beaten in the Fourth Round at the Australian Open to the current World Number 1, but that has not dented any of the confidence and Victoria Mboko has reached at least the Quarter Final in every other hard court event played.

She will have learnt a lot from the defeat to Karolina Muchova in the Middle East, but the experience of the latter and the slightly stronger performances on the surface in 2026 suggests the World Number 14 can edge through here.

MY PICKS: Sebastian Korda - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Tommy Paul - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Frances Tiafoe - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Karolina Muchova @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 14-9, + 4.30 Units (22 Units Staked, + 19.55% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 7 Picks 2026 (Monday 23rd March)

The Miami Masters continues at a pace on Monday with the entire WTA Fourth Round scheduled to be played alongside the remaining half of the ATP Third Round matches.

We are reaching the business end of the tournaments at a rapid pace and the upset of Carlos Alcaraz in the Third Round will have opened the door for a surprising player to make it through to the Final here and pick up some very valuable Ranking Points.

For the World Number 1, the early exit offers him a chance to go home and reset ahead of the clay court season beginning in a couple of weeks time, but he will be disappointed.

The WTA event looks largely intact going into the latter stages of that event, and it should mean an interesting end to the first half of the hard court season next weekend.

The Tennis Picks at Miami have bounced back from the poor Indian Wells returns, but there is still a long week of work to get through before the final totals will be placed in the books.

Focus is key and keeping things as tight as possible with the selection criteria.

On Day 7, time has been a factor and so only the selections will be posted below without the full analysis that has accompanied those for much of the 2026 season.

MY PICKS: Ugo Humbert - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Karolina Muchova - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 12-5, + 6.67 Units (16 Units Staked, + 41.69% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 8 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 11th March)

The last couple of years have proven to be a little difficult in terms of reading the Indian Wells Masters and the 2026 tournament looks to be no different.

There has been some meat left on the table with a couple of selections coming up short of the criteria and producing the winners that have been lacking so far this week.

On Wednesday, the Fourth Round is concluded at this Masters event and there are some very good looking matches heading out onto the courts, but it would be greatly appreciated if at least two of the three selections enter the Winners' Enclosure and start pulling things back as we approach the business end of the first of two big events to be played in March.

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 games v Alex Michelsen: The Fourth Round defeat at the Australian Open not only hurt because it came relatively early in the draw, but the manner in which Daniil Medvedev was beaten would have stung.

There may have been something of a hangover after that tournament with early defeats in Rotterdam and Doha on the board, but Daniil Medvedev cruised through the draw at the ATP 500 event in Dubai and won the title.

The World Number 11 concluded the title win just hours after the Middle East erupted into a war that meant airspace was closed and that also meant Daniil Medvedev arrived in Indian Wells a little later than planned. However, that has not impacted the confidence that he would have picked up from that run in Dubai and Daniil Medvedev has impressed through the first two wins at the opening ATP 1000 event of the season.

Another strong run will help Daniil Medvedev move back into the top ten of the World Rankings and it will also offer him a boost as he looks to find a way to bridge the gap between himself and the top two players in the world.

Once again Daniil Medvedev is producing some strong numbers on the hard courts and he is backing up his serve by keeping opponents under pressure on the return.

The returning side of his tennis will be tested by Alex Michelsen who had been struggling for consistency since reaching the Semi Final in Brisbane and before he arrived in Indian Wells. The American had not won consecutive matches since Brisbane, but Michelsen is back on track with three wins at this tournament and that will give him some belief.

Adding to the confidence is the fact he was able to beat Taylor Fritz in the Third Round and Alex Michelsen is already moving his World Ranking back in the right direction with the run he is putting together here.

Reaching the Fourth Round is already the best run he has produced at Indian Wells and he is really making the best use out of the serve in the conditions.

Alex Michelsen is going to be well aware that he needs to continue serving well if he is going to beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time having been beaten in all three previous matches.

Two have been on the hard courts, including here in Indian Wells last year in a match that lasted just two games and the other in the Brisbane Semi Final in January and Alex Michelsen has really struggled to impose his serve on this opponent.

Putting the very short match here at Indian Wells aside, it should be noted that Alex Michelsen only won 53% of points behind serve when facing Daniil Medvedev in Brisbane and he was broken four times in that match. He did create chances against the Medvedev serve, but the biggest points were won by the higher Ranked player and that could be the outcome in this Fourth Round match too.

Daniil Medvedev will recognise that his opponent is playing with some confidence, but the World Number 11 has been in really good nick for a couple of weeks now and he may have the superior returning numbers to edge to a cover of this handicap mark set.

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 games v Katerina Siniakova: The emotion came pouring out of Katerina Siniakova after her Third Round win over defending Champion Mirra Andreeva- she admitted in the post match interview that she had very little left in the tank as the match was concluded and Tuesday is an important recovery day.

Three wins have been produced in Indian Wells, but the World Number 44 has battled for everything earned.

These days the majority of the successes that Katerina Siniakova has is on a Doubles court, but she has long been an effective and awkward Singles player to beat and most of the top players know that. However, prior to the tournament in Indian Wells, Siniakova had not won consecutive Singles matches within an event and she had put together a 2-5 record on the hard courts.

All three wins have been in three sets this week and Katerina Siniakova eight hours on the court.

It is going to add up and take a toll and this is a tough match up for the lower Ranked player against Elina Svitolina who tends to give little away.

All four previous matches between the players have been won by the Ukrainian, including two years ago right here in Indian Wells.

Elina Svitolina is not someone who will take anything for granted when noting that all of those four previous head to head matches have needed to go the distance before the current World Number 9 has found a way through. The numbers have been skewed in favour of Svitolina in those head to head matches, but she will know that she needs to be focused and has to give Katerina Siniakova little encouragement.

The wins have been piling up in 2026, but Elina Svitolina plays with fine margins and that has meant she has sometimes been pushed a bit more than she would have expected within matches. That happened in the Second Round at this latest WTA 1000 event, but Svitolina was comfortable in the Third Round and should have far too much energy for her opponent, which will ultimately show up on the scoreboard.

Iga Swiatek - 2.5 games v Karolina Muchova: The Covid pandemic meant the Indian Wells tournament was moved out of its usual spot in the calendar, but it has been restored to the month of March in recent times.

In four editions of the tournament back in its normal place, Iga Swiatek has manaed to win the title twice and she has been a Semi Finalist in the other two appearances here.

Over the last twelve months, Iga Swiatek has remained a solid force on the hard courts, but Quarter Final runs at the Australian Open and in Doha are underwhelming returns for the World Number 2.

The Pole has been in good nick through the first couple of matches in Indian Wells, but this is a big step up in level when taking on Karolina Muchova, who has won all eight matches played since her Fourth Round loss at the Australian Open. That run has secured one title and Karolina Muchova could soon move back inside the top ten of the World Rankings if she can maintain current form.

She is an all-court player and Muchova has long been seen as someone who can upset the odds and win a Major, but her head to head with Iga Swiatek has been a problem.

In 2026, Karolina Muchova's serve on the hard courts continues to be a big weapon, but Iga Swiatek has matched those numbers and it is the latter who has been a little more effective when it comes to the return of serve.

That has really shown up when it comes to the head to head and it is Iga Swiatek who has won all three previous hard court matches- while the World Number 2 has been broken five times across those matches, Swiatek has broken the Karolina Muchova serve fourteen times and has a real advantage when it comes to the returning numbers produced.

Just twelve months ago they met here at Indian Wells at the same stage of the tournament and Karolina Muchova was able to win just two games as she was brushed aside.

It is very hard to believe she struggles as much as that considering how well she has been playing, but Karolina Muchova may end up being edged out in the opening two sets and that should be enough for Iga Swiatek to get the better of this handicap line.

This is the toughest test that Iga Swiatek will have faced in the tournament, but she is playing well enough to maintain her current advantages over Karolina Muchova and can end the winning run being produced by the latter.

MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 7-11, - 5.20 Units (18 Units Staked, - 28.89% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 7 Picks 2026 (Tuesday 10th March)

It has been an inconsistent opening week as the Tennis Picks have taken one step forwards and then two steps back, but that is just the nature of the Tour at times.

There have been moments when it has looked like there has been some momentum behind the selections, but Madison Keys failed to build on a 6-2 first set in losing her match on Monday evening and that meant another 2-2 day.

Tuesday looks a much more difficult day with the matches being competitively priced, but there are two more Picks from the day, which can be read below.

Felix Auger Aliassime - 1.5 games v Arthur Fils: Don't expect this to be a match filled with rallies considering the serving powers of both Arthur Fils and Felix Auger Aliassime.

That proved to be the difference in favour of Felix Auger Aliassime when he beat the Frenchman in Montpellier last month, although that was also a match played on an indoor hard court. Playing in outdoor conditions is always going to be a little different and especially in a tournament like the one held in Indian Wells where it can be that much more challenging, although Auger Aliassime is playing with enough confidence to back up that previous win over this opponent.

In that Quarter Final match last month, Felix Auger Aliassime dominated behind serve and it ended up putting pressure on Arthur Fils to respond.

Felix Auger Aliassime won 90% of service points played compared with Arthur Fils at 58% and the higher Ranked player will be confident in having the edge again.

Things will feel a little different as that event in Montpellier was the first Arthur Fils was competing in this season, but he has since reached the Final of an ATP 500 event held in Doha and the World Number 32 has impressed in his two wins in Indian Wells.

Confidence can be such a big factor and Arthur Fils is playing with a lot of that right now- his serve is still an important weapon and Fils is also showing plenty of athleticism around the court on his return, although that aspect of his tennis going to be severely tested by Felix Auger Aliassime.

The first month of the season was massively disappointing for Felix Auger Aliassime and included a First Round loss in Melbourne, but he has been flying since then.

Winning the title in Montpellier was followed by a run to the Final in Rotterdam and Semi Final in Dubai and the Canadian has been serving very well.

However, that has always been a strength of the Auger Aliassime game and it is the 18% Break percentage that actually stands out the most- he has not always been the best return player on the hard courts, but Felix Auger Aliassime is applying pressure on that side of the net and it may be a key reason that he can edge past Arthur Fils and most likely in straight sets.

He has needed to go three sets in both wins in Indian Wells, but there has been little wrong with the serve and Felix Auger Aliassime has continued to find the Breaks that he has needed and he can do something similar in this Fourth Round match up.

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 games v Joao Fonseca: There are some huge expectations on the shoulders of 19 year old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, but that has perhaps contributed to the player struggling to have the kind of impact people may have wanted to see from him.

Third Round runs at the French Open and Wimbledon helped push him close to the top 20 of the World Rankings at the end of the 2025 season, but Joao Fonseca arrived at Indian Wells as the World Number 35.

The numbers being produced over the last twelve months overall have been very solid and shows the growing presence around this player, but there has been little hard court action taken in this season.

With that said, Joao Fonseca has done very well to win three matches here and move through to this big Fourth Round match.

Joao Fonseca showed tremendous character to do just enough to edge past Karen Khachanov in the Second Round, but was so much more impressive in crushing Tommy Paul for the loss of five games last time out. In that win, Fonseca backed up his serve by keeping the home player under pressure on the return, but everyone around the teenager will be reminding him of the step up in level he will be facing in the Fourth Round.

That is because the Brazilian will be playing the World Number 2 and one of the top hard court players in the world in Jannik Sinner.

The latter has only played a couple of tournaments so far this season and will have been disappointed to have lost in the Semi Final at the Australian Open and the Quarter Final in Doha. That doesn't mean the Jannik Sinner numbers have dipped with him continuing to produce at an exceptionally high level on the hard courts, but he will be looking to build up some momentum.

Over the next couple of months, Sinner has little to defend in terms of Ranking Points and will be expecting to push up a lot closer to Carlos Alcaraz, but he will also want to win some titles and look to get something positive going ahead of the clay court season.

Jannik Sinner has looked a man on a mission with his two very convincing wins to open his time at Indian Wells and he did reach the Semi Final in his last appearance at this tournament two years ago.

He will certainly feel he serves well enough to contain much of the threat that will be posed by the youngster on the other side of the net, and Jannik Sinner exerts plenty of pressure on the return.

It means Joao Fonseca will have to serve really well to keep this one competitive and there are still levels for the Brazilian to develop to really get into a position to compete with the top two players on the Tour.

There is little doubt that Fonseca can have successes for a while, but maintaining the level needed to beat Jannik Sinner is going to be very difficult to achieve. One of the sets will be competitive, but it also would not be a big surprise if there is a period when the World Number 2 is able to string the games together and that can push Jannik Sinner into a position to cover the wide line set for the match.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger Aliassime - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 7-9, - 3.20 Units (16 Units Staked, - 20% Yield)

UK Open Darts Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 6th March)

The second Ranking tournament on the PDC Calendar is being played in Minehead over the weekend and the UK Open has long been described as the 'FA Cup of Darts'.

Much like the football competition, the top Seeds are held out until the Fourth Round of the competition, which is played in the Evening Session on Day 1 of the tournament.

And just like the FA Cup, the UK Open Darts tournament is an open draw that takes place after each Round following the opening three Rounds, which are played on Day 1 during the Day Session in a best of eleven Leg format.

That becomes best of nineteen in the Fourth Round and the markets will be priced up after the draw is made on Friday afternoon- an open draw means we could see some big matches immediately.

Round Five is set to be played in the Day Session on Day 2, while the Sixth Round will be played in the Evening Session on the same day.

Most top Darts players will be used to the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final played on the Sunday, although the longer format does make it more challenging and increases the importance of trying to get through matches without having to face too much emotional drama.

Picks from the Day 1 Evening Session should be added here around 6pm (assuming markets are put together pretty quickly) and there is no doubting the intensity of all participants with big prize money and strong Ranking Points to be earned.

Gian van Veen to win & over 4.5 180s v Rob Cross: It has been a tough year for Rob Cross who has slipped out of the top 20 in the World Rankings, but he has been producing some decent stuff on the floor.

More will be needed if he is going to get the better of a player who replaced him in the Premier League in 2026.

Gian van Veen has found a consistent level in the Premier League, but has also shown he is a very competitive match player at the World Championship and World Masters.

The Dutchman should have enough to progress past Rob Cross and the expectation is that he will hit at least five maximums in what could be a match that needs at least fifteen Legs before finding Gian van Veen in a position to win and take his place in the draw for the next Round.

Michael Smith - 2.5 legs v Leon Weber: The underdog has come through a couple of Rounds at the UK Open and was hitting some big maximums in those wins.

However, Leon Weber has invested a lot already today with eleven Legs needed in both wins and his average has been far from impressive.

Now while Michael Smith has not been near his best level over the last twelve months, he has shown on the floor and in Qualifying for European Tour events that he is still a level above what he should see in this Fourth Round match.

In a best of nineteen format, Bully Boy should be able to come through with some room to spare.

Luke Humphries to win & most 180s v Luke Woodhouse: If the World Masters meeting is anything to go by, this is going to be one of the ties of the Round in the Fourth Round at the UK Open.

Luke Woodhouse is improving all of the time, but he fell short against Luke Humphries in the World Masters and that is likely going to be the case again.

Set play can make scores that much closer, but Humphries won eleven of the eighteen Legs played at the World Masters and he has still been playing at a level that could be too much for most to handle.

One concern is that Luke Humphries has struggled to maintain standards within matches and he will need to make a fast start- he has been scoring well, but the doubling has been letting him down at times.

As long as he can look after that side of his darts, Luke Humphries may have one or two more maximums in a winning effort.

Gary Anderson - 1.5 legs v Dirk van Duijvenbode: This should be a big hitting match, but Gary Anderson has found a way past the Dutchman in the last three meetings on the Tour.

They only met once last year, but Anderson found that relatively comfortable and he has been playing with a bit more consistency on the floor.

Dirk van Duijvenbode is always capable of producing an upset with his power scoring, but Gary Anderson can match that side of his darts and may use the fan support to find a way to something like a 10-7 win.

Josh Rock - 2.5 legs v William O'Connor: The Premier League has proven to be a really difficult step for Josh Rock, but the actual performances are not as bad as the results being produced.

He is going to be pushed by William O'Connor, who was receiving plenty of support in the Day Session, but Rocky has handled the darts thrown at him from this opponent.

They met in Krakow a couple of weeks ago and Josh Rock averaged 10 points higher than O'Connor, which was reflected in the 6-1 win.

Confidence might have been dented by the opening five weeks in the Premier League, but Josh Rock can use the best of nineteen leg format to warm up to the task and eventually pull away in this one.

Nathan Aspinall v Michael van Gerwen: This was a Premier League level match last year and Nathan Aspinall has to be really disappointed that he was not invited back into that tournament.

He has been playing some very good darts to open 2026, but it has been a couple of weeks since we last saw him at the Polish Open.

A huge amount of respect is given to Michael van Gerwen, but Nathan Aspinall may be playing the Dutchman at a good time.

Illness has slowed the early form and van Gerwen has lost his last three matches, while also suffering an early exit at the World Masters. He was not himself on Thursday night at the Premier League and Aspinall had enough wins over him in the Premier League last season to have the confidence to get over the line.

His scoring will need to be on point, but Nathan Aspinall can outlast Michael van Gerwen in this one.

MY PICKS: Gian van Veen to Win & Over 4.5 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael Smith - 2.5 Legs @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Humphries to Win & Most 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gary Anderson - 1.5 Legs @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock - 2.5 Legs @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 17-23, - 2.78 Units (39 Units Staked, - 7.13% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 9 Picks 2026 (Monday 26th January)

Day 8 at the Australian Open was clearly the worst one of the week, but a 2-4 return could have been a lot worse and the overall numbers remain in a very strong position.

However, things can unravel pretty quickly in the coming days and it is important to remain focused and make sure this opening Grand Slam of the 2026 season (and opening tournament covered) sets a solid foundation for the remainder of the year.

Giving away such a positive start would be a real disappointment.

On Day 9, the Quarter Final lineup for both Men's and Women's tournaments will be set and that means another busy day of action.

However, the matches look pretty competitive on Monday and so there are 'only' three selections from the play to come, which can be read below.

Taylor Fritz v Lorenzo Musetti: The 2024 Wimbledon Quarter Final between Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz was an entertaining five setter which was surprisingly won by the underdog Italian.

The odds are much tighter when they meet in the 2026 Australian Open with a place in the Quarter Final on the line.

We still have Taylor Fritz down as favourite in this Fourth Round match, which is not a surprise on the hard courts, but Lorenzo Musetti is being given a lot of respect. The World Number 5 actually is the higher Seed compared with Fritz, but there is little doubt that the latter is at his most comfortable on the hard courts.

Last year we did see Lorenzo Musetti pick up his level on this surface and that is backed up by the run to the US Open Quarter Final- his numbers were much improved on the hard courts and Musetti was able to compete at the Tour Finals for the first time in his career, which was another big achievement having broken through at Grand Slam level in Paris and New York City.

He has impressed here this week, but Musetti needed four and a half hours to get through his Third Round match and in very tough conditions- this has to have an impact on the gas tank, even with a day of rest between matches.

His opponent also needed to dig in to win his match, but Taylor Fritz did not need nearly as long out on the court and that is going to be important for him.

The American has also won both previous hard court matches against Lorenzo Musetti, including beating him a couple of months ago at the Tour Finals. That would have been a win in hostile surroundings, but Taylor Fritz is very experienced and his serve can be the big weapon in this match.

Over the first three matches here, Taylor Fritz has held 89% of his service games played compared with Musetti's 81% mark.

No one will be surprised that Lorenzo Musetti has produced the stronger returning numbers this week, but the conditions should be favourable to Taylor Fritz with the first strike very important here at Melbourne Park.

Taylor Fritz will take confidence from the win that was produced in Turin in November, albeit on an indoor hard court, although he will expect Lorenzo Musetti to offer plenty of resistance.

However, the longer this match goes, the more it should favour Taylor Fritz after the efforts Musetti made to get through his Third Round match, and the World Number 9 can reach his second Quarter Final at the Australian Open.

Jannik Sinner - 8.5 games v Luciano Darderi: The heat in Melbourne was intense enough on Saturday to have a rule in place that there would not be too much tennis played at the highest point of the day. Some matches were going to cross over and one of those involved Jannik Sinner, who was suffering very badly in the third set as he trailed by a break.

The upset at that point looked on course, but Jannik Sinner was perhaps fortunate to have the organisers decide that was the moment they would bring the players off the court and allow the organisers to put the roof in place to control conditions.

The World Number 2 was cramping and his team were highly concerned, but being able to head off the court and just take in the pickle juice and electrolytes to rebuild his strength proved to be crucial. While never being completely comfortable, Jannik Sinner was able to come through in four sets and the defending Champion will be hoping he can now really settle into the tournament.

It was the case when the won the title at Wimbledon back in July- he was trailing 2-0 in sets when Grigor Dimitrov picked up an injury that forced him to withdraw when looking the much stronger player and Jannik Sinner benefited by going on to win the event in SW19.

Jannik Sinner will feel there is room for improvement on the serve, which is going to be important in the second half of this tournament, but he is returning very well and that should give him the edge in this Fourth Round match. The fitness should not be an issue for Sinner after coming through some testing moments and he will have something of a mental edge against a compatriot.

An unexpected run to the Fourth Round will have given Luciano Darderi confidence, but it is still very difficult to ignore the overall record on the hard courts over the last couple of years.

Luciano Darderi has been serving well in Melbourne, but this is an opponent who will present a very difficult test for him.

It also means the World Number 25 will be under pressure to try and get into the Sinner service games if he is being put under the cosh on his own serve and this is a considerable increase in level of opponent compared with the players Luciano Darderi has beaten at the Australian Open.

When he played Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open in the Third Round, Luciano Darderi was not able to maintain a level to give the eventual Champion something to think about.

He was good enough to be competitive within a set, but Luciano Darderi may struggle to stick with Jannik Sinner much as he did against Alcaraz and the top Italian player on the ATP Tour can cover a big line.

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Xinyu Wang: This will be the fourth time Amanda Anisimova will be competing in the Fourth Round at the Australian Open, but the American has yet to make it through to the Quarter Final.

Despite reaching the last two Grand Slam Finals, Amanda Anisimova will be fairly comfortable that the attention of the sports writers for the women's tournament in Melbourne have focused on other names. The World Number 4 will be happy to continue her surge in the tournament without having to deal with additional pressure and Amanda Anisimova is playing at a decent level.

Peaking too early in a Grand Slam event is always a concern for players, but it does feel like Amanda Anisimova has some gears to go through, although she may not necessarily need them in this Fourth Round clash.

At the end of this tournament, Xinyu Wang will be back inside the top 40 of the World Rankings and another upset in the Fourth Round would mean setting a new career best mark.

She beat the World Number 13 in the Third Round, but over the last twelve months, Xinyu Wang has come up short when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts. To her credit, she did give Elina Svitolina something to think about in losing the Auckland Final before getting the better of Linda Noskova in the last Round at this tournament, but Wang had been pretty well beaten in other matches against top 20 Ranked opponents in the months prior to these last results.

Recent form cannot be dismissed and Xinyu Wang is dangerous playing with her current level of confidence, although the second serve is a vulnerability.

This has also been something of an issue for Amanda Anisimova in her three wins at the Australian Open, although the higher Ranked player has been very convincing when her first serve has landed. She has also been seeing the ball very well as proven by the strong returning numbers produced and that may give her the edge in this Fourth Round match and a chance to pull away and cover a big spread.

A competitive set will also be expected where Xinyu Wang is able to get enough from her own first serve, but the overall expectation is that Amanda Anisimova is able to exert her strengths on the Fourth Round match and she can find the breaks of serve that she will need to get over this line.

MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jannik Sinner - 8.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Vctor (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 29-17, + 12 Units (94 Units Staked, + 12.77% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2026 (Sunday 25th January)

It was not quite the day that would have been hoped, but a slight loss on Day 7 of the Australian Open has not had a massive impact in the overall tournament numbers.

The second week begins in Melbourne on Sunday and it is perhaps fortunate that all of the top names are still fighting it out for the first Grand Slam of the season- both Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner have had to come through real testing matches, but the former one through her quality and the latter was perhaps fortunate that the organisers called for a break in play through the 'heat rule' when he was trailing 3-1 in the third set and barely looking capable of walking, never mind running.

The break worked for the defending Champion, but he will have some questions to answer about his body in the next twenty-four hours.

At least the conditions on Monday look much more manageable when Sinner is next out, but before that we have a full day of action at Melbourne Park with the top half of the Fourth Round draws to be completed.

Picks from the day can be read below as the quality of matches tends to pick up at this stage of any of the big tournaments to be played on the Tour.

Alexander Zverev - 1.5 sets v Francisco Cerundolo: The continued dominance of Cameron Norrie on the professional Tour has helped Alexander Zverev reach the Fourth Round yet again at the Australian Open.

However, there are much bigger ambitions within the German's camp than merely getting to the second week of a Grand Slam and Alexander Zverev's team should be happy with the progress that has been made.

It has not been a perfect run with sets dropped in each of the three matches won, but the time spent on the court has not been too taxing, while Alexander Zverev will be pleased to hear the forecast for Sunday looks much better compared with what could be the brutal heat expected on Saturday. This should help the World Number 3 continue to manage himself and make sure there is plenty left in the tank when he will be expecting to face the top two players in the world to round out this Grand Slam.

The focus cannot be looking down the line and Francisco Cerundolo has plenty of hard court pedigree to deserve to be respected.

Upsetting Andrey Rublev in the Third Round means Cerundolo is unlikely to be overlooked and the World Number 21 has also beaten Alexander Zverev three times since May 2024.

All of those wins have been on the clay courts, including twice last year, but Alexander Zverev has begun to turn the head to head around- he won a match on the hard courts in Canada when Francisco Cerundolo had to withdraw in the second set, but more importantly Zverev has beaten this opponent on another hard court in Davis Cup aciton in November.

There wasn't a lot between the players in that Davis Cup match, but Alexander Zverev had been the slightly stronger server and that is going to be the key weapon in this Fourth Round match.

Experience could also be a factor that gives Alexander Zverev the edge- while he has reached Grand Slam Finals and been a feature of the Quarter Final and beyond, Francisco Cerundolo has only reached the Fourth Round (twice) at the French Open and had only reached the Third Round on a couple of occasions in hard court Grand Slam events, albeit both times here in Melbourne.

Francisco Cerundolo came through in straight sets against Andrey Rublev in the Third Round, but it was a match played on very fine margins.

This time those slight inches could go in favour of Alexander Zverev who will still feel there is more to come from his own serve, but who also has been returning the ball effectively enough to believe in his tennis.

Over the last twelve months, Francisco Cerundolo has lost five of seven hard court matches against top 10 Ranked opponents and his numbers have taken a significant dip in those outings.

He is unlikely to be rolled over easily, but Alexander Zverev can perform as he did in the Davis Cup win over this opponent and can move through in three or, more likely, four sets to take his place in the Quarter Final for the fifth time in seven years at the Australian Open.

Daniil Medvedev-Learner Tien over 37.5 games: Twelve months ago, a young Qualifier moved into the main draw at the Australian Open and upset the then World Number 5 in the Second Round of the tournament.

Learner Tien was Ranked outside the top 100 in the 2025 Australian Open after battling through those Qualifying Rounds, but it has been a memorable twelve months for the 20 year old and more improvement is expected in the weeks and months ahead.

He only won one Grand Slam match at the French Open, Wimbleon and US Open combined, but Learner Tien clearly enjoys playing Down Under having reached the Fourth Round for a second year in a row. This time he is a Seeded player and has not had to win six matches to make the second week and that should mean Learner Tien has plenty in the tank for this big Fourth Round match.

Five sets were needed to avoid another early Grand Slam exit, but the American has won the last two matches with a single set dropped and, importantly, has only spent a few minutes over four hours on the court.

At his age, Learner Tien will have no excuses for being fatigued and the conditions on Sunday look much more comfortable compared with the day before.

On the other side of the court, Daniil Medvedev just about remained unbeaten in 2026 by coming from two sets down to win his Third Round match, although the World Number 12 needed almost four hours before finally getting past Fabian Marozsan.

He will be well aware of the challenge coming up having faced Learner Tien three times in 2025- all on the hard courts- and all of those matches entering a final set decider. The Second Round match between them in Melbourne lasted five sets, while the match in Beijing ended in a final set withdrawal for Medvedev.

However, the most recent match was played at the Shanghai Masters and Daniil Medvedev was finally able to edge past this opponent in a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory.

There has been so little between the players in the three meetings and it would be a surprise if this match was decided in straight sets either way.

Nothing has come easy when Tien and Medvedev have met one another and both have struggled to consistently hold serve, which suggests this could be another match with several swings in momentum.

Both have held 66% of service games played against the other and Learner Tien has won 57% of service points played, while Daniil Medvedev is at 59%.

You have to give the narrowest of edges to Daniil Medvedev, even after the gruelling Third Round win, but this is likely to be a Fourth Round match that goes pretty long and that could see the players end up combining to surpass the total set.

Alexander Bublik-Alex De Minaur over 38.5 games: He has never hidden his disdain for playing on the hard courts, but something has clicked for Alexander Bublik.

Having only previously been beyond the Second Round once in eleven hard court Grand Slam tournaments played, Alexander Bublik reached the Fourth Round at the US Open in 2025. This surprised himself, but Bublik has had a very strong twelve months on the Tour and entered the tournament in Melbourne as the World Number 10, while keeping expectations at a minimum.

He won a title in the warm up to the Australian Open, but Alexander Bublik had never been beyond the Second Round here and had lost three straight First Round matches at this opening Grand Slam of the year.

Out of all of the Grand Slams played, Alexander Bublik particularly disliked the Australian Open, but he is feeling better about things. There were even some positive words said about the event, but he may not be so happy when having to deal with an opponent and the crowd as expected to be the case in this Fourth Round match.

Alexander Bublik has not dropped a set at the tournament and that is largely down to an improved serve that has produced holds in 93% of service games played. He has been able to back that up with some aggressive returning and Bublik looks a dangerous test for home favourite Alex De Minaur.

The World Number 6 has only dropped a single set at the tournament as he looks to at least match the Quarter Final run from 2025 and Alex De Minaur has impressed with the dominant wins that have been put on the board.

Like his opponent in the Fourth Round, Alex De Minaur has held in 93% of service games played at the tournament and has only faced 9 Break Points in the event.

However, the real difference has been the way in which the Australian has returned serve, which has always been a strength, and he has broken in 40% of return games played. He will be the first to admit that he has not faced a server as strong as Alexander Bublik, but Alex De Minaur has to be confident he can at least get himself into rallies and wear down this opponent.

That looked to be the case when Alex De Minaur led Alexander Bublik 2-0 in sets at the French Open, but the latter dug in and upset the Australian in five sets.

They met again at the Paris Masters at the end of the 2025 season and that was another huge battle, which was eventually won by Alexander Bublik in three sets. Both players won at least 67% of points behind serve in that match on an indoor hard court and the conditions at Melbourne Park have been pretty quick, which makes the serve hugely important to both players.

Overall the edge has to be with the home favourite who can use the crowd to keep him going when things get tough.

Alex De Minaur's return edge could also play out over the best of five set format, but you would expect both to win a set and the serving power of the two players could see this total games number surpassed.

There is a fragility around Alexander Bublik, which could show up at any time, so a fast start will be needed to just give himself confidence in what is going to be a tough environment. As long as he can serve as well as he has this month, Bublik can make this a tough test for Alex De Minaur and both players can put on a very strong match.

Carlos Alcaraz - 6.5 games v Tommy Paul: The World Number 1 clearly admires Tommy Paul and admitted that he is expecting a very tough battle against this opponent in the Fourth Round at the Australian Open.

They have matched up well with one another, but Carlos Alcaraz may be playing with a bit more confidence in his physicality compared with Paul, who has only recently stated that his foot is feeling much more like it did when fully healthy.

Tommy Paul is a very good hard court player and he has actually beaten Carlos Alcaraz twice in four meetings on the surface.

The most recent hard court match was at the Cincinnati Masters in August 2023 and Tommy Paul was able to take a set from Alcaraz on that day too, although this time the Spaniard had enough to win the decider in that tournament.

The numbers have been very similar in the hard court meetings between the players and that makes this a potentially awkward match for the top Seed.

However, Carlos Alcaraz has beaten Tommy Paul at Grand Slam events at Wimbledon and the French Open with the last of those being played several months ago in Paris. It is another surface on which Paul has played well, but those two Grand Slam defeats have seen the American struggle to stay with Carlos Alcaraz in the best of five set format and something similar may happen on Day 8 of this tournament.

Both players will recognise that this is the toughest obstacle they have faced at the Australian Open by some distance, but the edge remains with Carlos Alcaraz.

This will not be an easy match to win, but Carlos Alcaraz can wear down Tommy Paul and it does feel like the World Number 1 will be able to extract a little more out of his serve to earn the edges needed.

Covering is not goign to be easy either, but Carlos Alcaraz has managed to do that in the two Grand Slam wins over this opponent and may just be able to pull away in the latter stages of the contest.

Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 games v Elina Svitolina: There is no doubt that the Ukrainian players on the Tour are finding it easy to be motivated to take on Russian and Belarusian opponents- some would like to separate politics and sports, but it is not always possible and you can see that extra intensity in the matches involving players representing those nations.

A veteran like Elina Svitolina has made her feelings clear about the war in Eastern Europe and she has a very strong record against Russian players since returning to the Tour and being very vocal about events affecting her homeland.

It was on display in the Third Round as Svitolina moved past Diana Shnaider in straight sets, but beating this special teenage talent is going to need more than the heart.

Mirra Andreeva is still only 18 years old, but she is a top 10 Ranked player and it really does feel like it is only a matter of time before she wins a Grand Slam title. That could open the door for multiple more successes and Andreeva has looked pretty comfortable in the conditions in Melbourne.

Even a hostile crowd was not able to put her off her game in the win over Maria Sakkari, while Mirra Andreeva beat Elina Svitolina in straight sets in Indian Wells last year.

On that day she was clearly the superior server as the younger player held Elina Svitolina to just 23% return points won.

The World Number 12 has yet to drop a set in her run to the Fourth Round, but Elina Svitolina did not have things all of her own way in the Third Round and this is a considerable leap in level of opponent too.

Elina Svitolina is experienced and a player that will not give up, but she is 2-3 when facing top 10 Ranked players on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

If she serves well, she will have a chance of the upset, but it feels like Mirra Andreeva is playing at a high enough level to eventually break down this opponent much like she did on the North American hard courts in 2025 and she can reach her first Quarter Final at the Australian Open.

Coco Gauff - 3.5 games v Karolina Muchova: It may 'only' be the Fourth Round at the Australian Open, but this is a contest between two players who will have genuine aspirations of winning the first Major of the 2026 season.

Both Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova are very comfortable on the hard courts and have enjoyed a solid month of tennis, while they have each dropped just a single set in three matches at the Australian Open.

Out of the two players, you would have to say that Coco Gauff has been a little more convincing than the 29 year old opponent she is facing, but there will be a lot of respect for the quality of tennis that Karolina Muchova can produce.

One of the remaining issues for Coco Gauff is the problems with the serve that continues to see her throw far too many Double Faults, and that is a hugely contributory factor in the poor second serve percentage of points won. It does put some pressure on the American to make sure she is getting plenty of first serves in play, but there is a belief that Gauff can actually protect the second serve pretty well too when she is not gift-wrapping free points.

The World Number 3 continues to be a very effective return player on the surface as well and that is where Coco Gauff may be able to work through some problems and progress past Karolina Muchova.

The latter is the World Number 19 and just crushed Magda Linette for the loss of just two games in the Third Round, but Karolina Muchova has not been as convincing as Gauff in the opening two wins.

Karolina Muchova should have the edge when it comes to the serving consistency, but this has not been a very good match up for her in the past.

All four professional matches between the players have been won by Coco Gauff and all of those have been on the hard courts- the last meeting came a little over twelve months ago in the United Cup building up to the 2025 Australian Open, but that was yet another one-sided win for the younger player.

They met in the US Open Semi Final in 2023 and that ended in a straight sets win for Coco Gauff, albeit in two tight sets- the other three wins have also been in straight sets, but in much more routine fashion, and this looks like a match up that works for Gauff as she can match the athleticism of Karolina Muchova.

It is Coco Gauff who tends to get a bit more out of the first serve when these two have faced off and that could be the key to this Fourth Round match.

Covering is not going to be easy against a player of Karolina Muchova's quality, but if Coco Gauff can stick around the 64% mark of first serves in play, she should have enough to contain the threats and ultimately find the breaks needed to make relatively serene progress into the Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev-Learner Tien Over 37.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Alexander Bublik-Alex De Minaur Over 38.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 27-13, + 16.74 Units (82 Units Staked, + 20.41% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 9 Picks 2025 (Monday 1st September)

It has been a busy day, but the focus is to get the Day 9 Picks out from the US Open.

The top players have continued to find their way into the business end of the tournament and that has to be exciting for all fans of the sport in the final Grand Slam of the year.

The drama will continue on Monday when the Quarter Final lineup is completed, but some of the matches have been priced up right on a tough margin and that leaves us with just two selections from the Day 9 schedule.

Jannik Sinner - 6.5 games v Alexander Bublik: There are not many players that can say they have given Jannik Sinner much to think about on a hard court, but Denis Shapovalov may have woken up with some regret having been moving into a position to secure an upset.

At 1-1 in sets, the Canadian moved into a 3-0 lead in the third set, but sparked Jannik Sinner into life and the World Number 1 won six straight games and continued the momentum into the fourth set.

In any Grand Slam run, even the very best players will have those matches that could easily derail them, but it is rare for those to have multiple lacklustre performances and expect to win a tournament.

With that in mind, Jannik Sinner should be a lot better in this Fourth Round match.

He will also be a little more focused knowing how awkward Alexander Bublik can be, especially as Jannik Sinner was beaten by the World Number 24 on the grass courts of Halle before the Italian won the Wimbledon title.

Alexander Bublik had an unexpected run at the French Open when reaching the Quarter Final and he will remember that it was Jannik Sinner who got the better of him on that day.

However, it should be noted that Alexander Bublik has used that run as motivation for plenty of successes in the last couple of months. Titles won on the clay courts over the last several weeks will have given him further confidence in the performances he is producing, and to the extent that Bublik has reached the Fourth Round at the US Open.

He has previously made it pretty clear that he does not enjoy the North American hard courts and Bublik skipped both Masters events in the build up to the US Open, but that has not slowed the momentum.

All five sets were needed for Alexander Bublik to finally get the better of Tommy Paul in the Third Round and that could be a potential problem. It wasn't a particularly long match, but it is the emotional back and forth that those five setters represent and the accumulation of fatigue that can see players struggle.

Prior to the US Open beginning, Alexander Bublik had a 7-10 record on the hard courts and his numbers will have to be far better than his usual level if he is going to push the top Seed and defending Champion.

The two wins that Alexander Bublik has over Jannik Sinner will give him some belief, but both were on grass courts that Sinner had not always been at his best before his own success at Wimbledon.

On this surface, Jannik Sinner should have too much for Alexander Bublik and he can cover what is a potentially awkward line.

Felix Auger-Aliassime-Andrey Rublev over 41.5 games: The upset of Alexander Zverev has just opened up a pathway to the US Open Semi Final and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be under the pressure of backing up that victory over the World Number 3.

There were signs of the confidence that Felix Auger-Aliassime is playing with in his run at Cincinnati, but even then, the manner of his loss to Jannik Sinner would have meant few people backing the Canadian to have a big impact in New York City.

He has dropped down the World Rankings, which means there are increased chances of having to face some of the top names earlier in the Grand Slam draw than would have been hoped. Credit has to be given to Felix Auger-Aliassime for playing with the intensity he did against Alexander Zverev with the match turning in the second set tie-breaker which was only just won by Auger-Aliassime.

The Fourth Round match is against an opponent who made hard work of his Third Round win, although Andrey Rublev did win.

In recent months the World Number 15 may not have had the mentality to battle through a match where things had not gone his way and so Andrey Rublev has to be ready to reach the Quarter Final at the US Open again.

Both players have very similar numbers on the hard courts, although the mental edge is clearly with Andrey Rublev who has won seven of the previous eight matches between the players. That includes two wins in 2025, one of those being on the hard courts, and so you can understand why the layers have made the Russian a slight favourite, despite similar levels of performance on the surface.

Felix Auger-Aliassime's sole win over Andrey Rublev has been on a hard court, while he will point out how competitive all of those matches have been.

Only one of the five hard courts matches between these two players has been won in straight sets and this has all of the makings of going at least four and potentially five.

Both are capable of rolling through the service games on the hard courts against the opponent they are facing and backing this Fourth Round match to surpass the total line looks the right approach.

Tie-breakers cannot be ruled out during this contest and just one of those would put the match on the way to a cover as long as each player takes a set, which looks pretty likely on current form.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Felix Auger-Aliassime-Andrey Rublev Over 41.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)