World Matchplay Darts Day 7 Picks 2026 (Friday 24th July)

It is going to take a monumental effort for anyone to beat Luke Littler in the form the defending Champion has produced this week and you have to imagine he is going to be entering the remaining World Ranking events as a short price favourite.

We are not quite at the Phil Taylor level of dominating and that is largely down to what Luke Humphries can produce, but we are getting closer and closer to those kind of outright prices. The more Luke Littler continues to win the big TV tournaments, the more people are going to have him down as a strong favourite to win any event he enters.

This week there is no Humphries in the draw to try and slow down the momentum that Luke Littler has picked up at major events- his record in longer format matches is quite simply ridiculous and Littler is going to be a big favourite to win a third straight World Championship later in the year and into the early part of 2027.

On Friday we will be a step closer to seeing who may eventually be standing opposed to Luke Littler in any Final as the bottom half as the two Quarter Final matches scheduled.

Both have a huge amount of potential on paper, but darts are still played up on a stage and it is all about which of the players can hold themselves together the best on the night.

The one disadvantage for those in the bottom half is that there are no more rest days between matches and that does mean a bit more pressure to avoid being dragged into a slog of a contest to drain energy ahead of the weekend.

Ross Smith-Gerwyn Price both over 7.5 180s & 1+ 100+ checkout: It was Ross Smith standing behind Cameron Menzies and helping his fellow professional out when the Scot fainted and felt very ill in the Second Round.

Ultimately that led to a withdrawal and Smith made it through to the Quarter Final after playing just three Legs.

He had shown he was feeling pretty good having thrown three maximums in that time on the stage, but this is going to be a different test for Ross Smith in the last eight. This time Ross Smith may feel like the underdog and under some pressure to deliver the big scoring to try and stay with Gerwyn Price in what is only the second meeting in two years.

Of course Ross Smith should take a lot of confidence from the fact that he beat Gerwyn Price 11-9 here two years ago, but he is going to have to be better for longer in this Quarter Final format.

Ross Smith can do that and he is very capable of delivering at least eight maximums and one big checkout during the course of this match.

At the same time, Ross Smith will be well aware that the Gerwyn Price that crushed Rob Cross in the Second Round looked to be in much better form than the one that scraped through the First Round against Martin Schindler.

The scoring was much better in the Second Round and Gerwyn Price also showed composure with his doubles and that is why he is set as the favourite in this match.

However, it is expected to be a close one with the sole meeting this year ending in a Price 8-6 win on the European Tour as he picked up another title. He can match those numbers that are expected of Ross Smith in what is expected to be a competitive match right to the end and one in which we are focusing on the stats rather than trying to pick a winner.

Gian van Veen 2+ 100+ checkouts & over 26.5 total legs v James Wade: These two players produced a very good Quarter Final at the World Matchplay twelve months ago, which was eventually won 16-13 by James Wade, but Gian van Veen will feel he was the better player on the day.

After rallying to beat Wessel Nijman, Gian van Veen will be a slight favourite to get the better of James Wade in the 2026 Quarter Final, although the Dutchman will be aware that he needs to lift his level.

Recent weeks has seen the form fluctuate and that will not get the job done against someone like James Wade who is playing some top class darts.

Despite what he may have said himself, James Wade put together a really good performance to see off Ryan Searle in the Second Round and averaged just shy of triple digits. That is a level that will make things very difficult for any player, barring perhaps Luke Littler, and James Wade has always enjoyed playing at this venue and at this tournament.

Nothing will come easy for either player, but the expectation is that Gian van Veen is going to have to continue to find some big finishes to keep himself pushing forward in this Quarter Final.

He has five 100+ checkouts already in the tournament and the combination finishing remains a real strength for Gian van Veen.

James Wade is never going to go away easily and especially not at this tournament so we should see both players reach at least eleven Legs each and putting this selection together does offer up a decent price without having to back either player to win in what should be another close, competitive Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Ross Smith-Gerwyn Price Both Over 7.5 180s & 1+ 100+ Checkout @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gian van Veen 2+ 100+ Checkouts & Over 26.5 Total Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Matchplay: 10-13, - 1.80 Units (23 Units Staked, - 7.82% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 24th July)

We are into the Semi Finals in Kitzbuhel, but in the main, Friday is Quarter Final day at the tournaments being played across the ATP and WTA.

It has been a relatively quiet week for the Tennis Picks, but this looks to be the busiest day with a number of selections being made from the tournaments in Prague and Estoril.

The thoughts behind those selections can be read below with matches taking place throughout the day.

Hugo Gaston - 3.5 games v Tiago Torres: The Quarter Final lineup at the ATP tournament in Estoril will underline the status of some of the events taking place this week, but don't say that to Hugo Gaston and Tiago Torres.

This is a big opportunity for those Ranked lower down than the elite players on the Tour and a Semi Final run at any ATP 250 event will offer a big leap for the winner of this one.

No matter how this tournament ends from here, Tiago Torres will be playing at a new career high World Ranking mark and that is a boost for this young player who has been playing his College Tennis in the United States. A Wild Card was given to him by the Estoril organisers and Tiago Torres should be given a lot of respect for the way he has handled himself with wins over Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alejandro Tabilo already on the board.

Those are victories that will give Torres a lot of confidence, but those have both been surprising wins when you consider he has limited experience at this level and has suffered pretty one-sided losses to Roman Safiullon and Jaime Faria on this surface in 2026.

However, Tiago Torres will be confident after the wins produced this week and now takes on Hugo Gaston, who can be erratic to say the least.

The 25 year old has had a difficult time trying to regain his place amongst the top 100 in the World Rankings, but Hugo Gaston has shown he is comfortable facing this level of opponent.

In 2026, Hugo Gaston has a 10-3 record when facing a player Ranked lower than himself on the clay courts and the lefty is a pretty effective returner on this surface. He will be looking to put the pressure on Tiago Torres and Hugo Gaston had a really strong performance in the Second Round which, if replicated, would make him very hard to beat.

Both players will be expecting the return to be a big part of the outcome of this Quarter Final, but Hugo Gaston may be able to get a little more out of the serve and that could end up being a decisive part of the match.

The spread is a wide one if this is a match that features plenty of breaks of serve, but the two losses to the higher level opponents faced by Tiago Torres have both ended without covering this line set. Hugo Gaston may not be as strong as Roman Safiullon or Jaime Faria, but he is very capable of beating those he should and he has usually been able to do that with some degree of comfort on the final scoreboard.

Roman Andres Burruchaga v Alexander Blockx: After withdrawing at the French Open, Alexander Blockx won for the first time since Paris when getting through his Second Round match in three sets.

He was perhaps fortunate on the day and the Belgian looks to be a vulnerable favourite in this Quarter Final.

Alexander Blockx has had some very strong runs on the clay courts this season and at a significantly higher level than this ATP 250 tournament brings, but he still needs to show a bit more improvement on the return of serve. His own serve has been a big weapon, but Blockx faced seventeen Break Points in the Second Round and is coming up against a pretty comfortable red dirt player.

This is a Quarter Final in which Roman Andres Burruchaga is the lower Ranked player and he is the underdog, but the World Number 60 should be battle-hardened having come through in three sets to beat both Stan Wawrinka and Nuno Borges. Both players would have had the large majority of the support, if not all of the support, while the real credit that Roman Andres Burruchaga deserves is the fact he dropped the second set each time and STILL rallied to win.

Last week Burruchaga reached the Semi Final in Umag, but the majority of his successes have been at Challenger level and so there is a gap to bridge.

Roman Andres Burruchaga should take a lot of confidence from the fact he has beaten Alexander Blockx in both previous meetings, albeit in 2024 and when it was Burruchaga who was Ranked higher than Alexander Blockx.

This is a much tougher looking challenge, but Blockx struggled in the Second Round and Roman Andres Burruchaga may have enough clay court nous to edge through.

Daria Snigur - 3.5 games v Lanlana Tararudee: Credit has to be given to Lanlana Tararudee who won a lower level event on the hard courts last week and has used the momentum to maintain her winning run in Prague.

She recovered from a really difficult position earn her spot in the Quarter Final and that means Lanlana Tararudee is set to reach a new career high World Ranking, although she will also be very keen to continue the run.

Next up is a very tough match against Daria Snigur who is also improving her career high World Ranking mark from week to week.

The 24 year old has been crushing the competition at a lower level than the main WTA Tour, but that is the kind of level in which Daria Snigur may have run into Lanlana Tararudee.

Her numbers have been really impressive on the hard court, albeit at that lower level, and Daria Snigur should be the much fresher player, while she has also been in really solid form in winning both matches here in Prague.

Both players are strong returners, but Daria Snigur may be able to get through a couple more service games with holds thanks to her freshness compared with Lanlana Tararudee who needed over three hours to win on Thursday. That comes after winning the title last weekend and then travelling over to Prague and all of that could add up to a difficult obstacle to overcome in this Quarter Final.

Marie Bouzkova - 2.5 games v Tereza Valentova: Earlier this month, the Ladies Final at Wimbledon was a reminder of the kind of talent that is being produced by Czechia on both the ATP and WTA Tour.

This tournament in Prague is a big opportunity for a home player to pick up the title and we are guaranteed to see one Czech player in the Semi Final at the end of this Quarter Final match.

It is a repeat of the Semi Final of 2025 when Marie Bouzkova and Tereza Valentova meet on Friday and credit has to be given to both of these players that they are much higher in the World Rankings in 2026 compared with twelve months ago. Out of the two, 19 year old Tereza Valentova needs the win more to avoid dropping in the World Rankings, but Marie Bouzkova has looked pretty comfortable here this week.

There is very little between them in the numbers, but Marie Bouzkova will have the mental advantage after winning the Semi Final last year and also beating Tereza Valentova in straight sets on the grass of Nottingham last month.

Matches between compatriots can have that 'pecking order' feel to them and that may be the case for Marie Bouzkova and Tereza Valentova when they step onto the court.

Marie Bouzkova has been the stronger return player in the head to head and that may end up being the factor that separates the two when they face off in this Quarter Final.

Sara Bejlek - 2.5 games v Lilli Tagger: Two very young players are meeting for the second week in a row on the WTA Tour and Sara Bejlek may feel home advantage can help her make she gets the better of Lilli Tagger once again.

Last week in Athens, Sara Bejlek beat this opponent for the loss of four games, although matching that kind of dominant win will be difficult now that Lilli Tagger has some experience of what to expect.

Sara Bejlek was beaten in the Prague Quarter Final last year, and she was beaten in the Quarter Final in Athens last week, but the performances through the opening couple of Rounds will give her a lot of belief.

Both of these players have strong hard court numbers, but Sara Bejlek has a slight edge in those, while Lilli Tagger is trying to turn things around against players Ranked higher than herself. While she has a 4-5 record on the hard courts in 2026 in that situation, Lilli Tagger's numbers have taken a significant dip.

At the same time, Sara Bejlek has a 10-2 record on the hard courts when facing opponents Ranked outside of the top 50 in the World Rankings, while she is 7-1 when facing a lower Ranked opponent. The numbers have been really impressive in those spots and the home crowd can keep the 20 year old focused enough to earn a spot in the Semi Final behind a strong win over Lilli Tagger for a second week in a row.

MY PICKS: Hugo Gaston - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Roman Andres Burruchaga @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Daria Snigur - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Marie Bouzkova - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Sara Bejlek - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-2, + 0.41 Units (5 Units Staked, + 8.20% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2023 (July 24th)

The last two tournaments have not been what I expect from the Tennis Picks, but those have brought plenty of frustration.

You can make adjustments when matches are blow outs going against the selections, but this has been a month where players have been in solid positions to win and then lost all form and played poor tennis at key times.

It is annoying, but it is also part of a long season on the Tour.

This week the tournaments move onto another few clay court stops in Europe, but there are a couple of hard court events being played as the run up towards the US Open officially begins in Atlanta. The big Masters events are due to go in August ahead of the tournament in New York City, but it has been confirmed that Novak Djokovic will not play the Canadian Masters as he looks to give himself more time to rest and recover.

The ATP Hamburg event is a pretty big one as an ATP 500 tournament, and the Tennis Picks are largely going to concentrate on that tournament this week. Monday tends to be a quieter day with Qualifiers being completed and some of the markets not produced for all of the matches that are set to be played, while I am looking for a stronger return all around after another poor week.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry - 1.5 games v Laslo Djere: A disappointing loss in Bastad will have hurt, but Tomas Martin Etcheverry can make up for that by earning a spot in the Second Round in Hamburg.

It has been a strong season on the clay courts with the notable result being his run to the Quarter Final at the French Open, and that was a run that helped Tomas Martin Etcheverry reach a career high World Ranking last month. With a couple more solid performances over the next four weeks, Etcheverry has to be thinking about being Seeded for the US Open, which may give him an opportunity to pick up some more World Rankings.

Things have not always been smooth for the Argentine and the defeat last week in Bastad means his post-Wimbledon performances on the clay courts over the last twelve months have not been that impressive. Last year he was beaten in the First Round in all three clay court events played in the European summer, but the first serve has looked a more efficient weapon for Tomas Martin Etcheverry this year and this could be a key for him in this First Round match.

His opponent is someone that has to be respected- Laslo Djere is very capable at his best, but he is also never that far away from a really poor outing, which is perhaps why his numbers are average on the clay courts. Last week he was beaten in very poor fashion by Zizou Bergs in Gstaad, but overall Laslo Djere has played well against opponents outside of the top 20 on the clay courts and has a 12-6 record against them on this surface in 2023.

The numbers are much stronger in those matches and Djere is someone who can serve well on the clay, while the Serb's return game has to be respected too.

However, Tomas Martin Etcheverry has been a little better all around on the surface over the last seven months and the feeling is that he will have enough quality to get the better of a tough opponent.

Both have similar service numbers against players Ranked outside the top 20, but Etcheverry has been slightly superior on the return and that could be shown up in this First Round contest that may be played under the Hamburg main court roof.

Jil Teichmann - 3.5 games v Erika Andreeva: It is always going to be tough to perform on the Tour when your younger sister is seen as the more talented up and comer and a potential multiple time Grand Slam Champion in the making.

This did not stop Venus Williams from making a huge impact of her own on the Tour even when her father was speaking about the potential of Serena, and that is something that Erika Andreeva is going to have to show.

She has not really been able to find the strong results that Mirra has done, while Erika's World Ranking has slipped back outside of the top 150.

Things can quickly turn around, but it can also be very difficult to crack the top 100 once you slip out of those positions. Jil Teichmann is a great example of that having lost form in a twelve month period and the Swiss player is struggling to put the results together to end her slide.

A Quarter Final run last week will help, but that was in a WTA 125 tournament and this is a big week for the home player. The fans are going to be behind Teichmann, which will help the lefty, while a strong win over Erika Andreeva a few weeks ago will give the favourite more confidence to take into the match.

Erika Andreeva has flashed some of her potential, but her serve is still vulnerable and Jil Teichmann should be able to take advantage and frank the win she holds over her. While she is not playing at the level that took Teichmann into World Number 21 in July 2022, she does hold a 6-2 record against players not Ranked inside the top 100 on the clay courts and that includes that win over Andreeva.

For all of her potential, Erika Andreeva is just 4-6 in matches against players outside of the top 100 on the red dirt in 2023 and she has suffered some comfortable defeats in those matches.

MY PICKS: Tomas Martin Etcheverry - 1.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jil Teichmann - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Olympic Tennis Day 1 Picks 2021 (July 24th)

After a strong Wimbledon to bounce back somewhat from what has been a disappointing start to the 2021 season for the Tennis Picks.

I decided that the next tournament of note would be the Olympic Games Tennis Tournament before the move onto the North American hard courts in the build up for the US Open. There should be plenty of motivation for players to produce their best tennis back on the hard courts with the chance to Medal for their country, but there is also the move from the clay and grass courts to consider with this being the first hard court event of note since the Miami Masters back in March.

The First Round begins on Saturday which is Day 1 of the tournament and the Tennis event will run through the week. I will have another thread up for the Sunday matches, but I am looking for these selections to get the tournament off to a good start and build on the successes from Wimbledon.

Heather Watson - 2.5 games v Anna Lena Friedsam: It might be a year later than planned, some of the big names might have opted out of travelling, and the stands are going to be empty, but the Tokyo Olympics have gotten underway. The Tennis tournament is perhaps not one of the more popular portions of the Olympic Games, but any time an athlete can win a Gold Medal it is going to be very easy to be motivated.

Withdrawals in the women's draw means the run to the Gold Medal is perhaps not as filled with obstacles as the Grand Slam tournaments have been, but even then I would imagine there are plenty of players who believe they can win this event. Big name players have won the Gold Medal since the return of Tennis to the Olympic Games in 1988, but the likes of Elena Dementieva and Monica Puig have also won the Gold Medal but the former retired without a Grand Slam success and the latter has not really reached the heights of Rio again.

Those wins should offer encouragement to Anna Lena Friedsam and Heather Watson who meet in the First Round, although it would be a massive surprise if either was involved in the Medal shake up at the end of this week.

You can only take things one match at a time and I do think both players involved in this First Round match will be confident they can progress to the Second Round. Heather Watson has really struggled over the last twelve months, but Anna Lena Friedsam has not been much better despite largely taking on lower Ranked players and I do think this will be a competitive match.

Both players have terrible 3-6 records on the hard courts so far in 2021 and will be heading into another set of hard court tournaments in preparation for the US Open which begins later next month. However, those two records are vastly different in terms of the quality of opponent with Friedsam only playing one player inside the top 100 so far on this surface, while Heather Watson has played five top 100 Ranked players.

The second serve of both players is vulnerable and neither Friedsam nor Watson have returned as well as they would have liked on the surface. I expect both to have success returning in this one considering the serve they are facing, but Heather Watson might have the superior first serve and that could see the match swing in her favour after a relatively disappointing grass court season.

Two years ago Heather Watson beat Anna Lena Friedsam in straight sets on the hard courts in North America and I do think she can do the same here in Tokyo. It is going to be a hot day which may make it tough for the players, but Heather Watson should have enough to earn a victory and a cover of this handicap mark on her way through to the Second Round.

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 games v Anett Kontaveit: It is perhaps not a major surprise that Maria Sakkari had a disappointing Wimbledon hot on the heels of her run at the French Open.

At Roland Garros, Maria Sakkari reached the Semi Final where she was eventually beaten 9-7 in the final set by Barbora Krejcikova, the eventual French Open Champion. The Greek player will have felt she had enough chances to beat Krejcikova in that Semi Final and there will have been some regret felt which can be very difficult to overcome on a Tour where players are expected to move on swiftly.

Moving back onto the hard courts may not be a bad thing for Maria Sakkari who has shown improvement on this surface in recent seasons and who had some very strong results on the surface earlier this season. Another tight loss saw Sakkari beaten in the Semi Final of the Miami Masters and she has reached three Semi Finals on the hard courts already this season which should see her go into this Olympic draw feeling pretty confident.

The serve is an important weapon for Maria Sakkari and she is also being much more effective on the return which has made her dangerous on the hard courts. However, one of her losses on the surface has come at the hands of Anett Kontaveit as these two players meet for the tenth time on the professional Tour.

The Estonian beat Sakkari in a Champions Tie-Breaker at the Grampians Trophy in the Semi Final, but it is the latter who will feel like she deserved more from that match. It does mean Anett Kontaveit has won the last two hard court meetings between these players and they have split the six hard court meetings 3-3, but Maria Sakkari will feel she has been the stronger player more often than not and it is about taking the chances being created and playing the big points stronger than she has in those hard court matches.

Anett Kontaveit is also coming in off a disappointing Wimbledon where she was beaten in the First Round days after reaching the Eastbourne Final. Like her opponent in the First Round, Kontaveit has played well on the hard courts and she has produced similar numbers to Maria Sakkari with strong serving backed up by aggressive returning.

It makes it feel like a match that could easily go the distance, but their head to head matches on the hard courts has seen Maria Sakkari look the more likely to create break point chances. That returning edge may see her get past a tough opponent in the First Round and Maria Sakkari can just about cover this mark on her way to the Second Round.

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 games v Alexander Bublik: A Quarter Final run at the French Open and a Fourth Round run at Wimbledon sandwiching another title win would be a pretty solid run for most professional Tennis players, but the World Number 2 Daniil Medvedev may feel he has come up a little short. The defeat at the French Open was perhaps more predictable, but an irritated Medvedev blew a 2-1 lead over Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon on a surface he will feel he should be going further in the draw than those tournaments on the clay courts.

The Russian will be operating under a different flag at the Olympic Games, but the chance to win a Gold Medal is still a big deal and the tournament being played on the hard courts should benefit Daniil Medvedev. He reached the Australian Open Final earlier this season and Daniil Medvedev has also reached the Final at the US Open, while he has also made it clear that the hard courts are his favourite surface.

His numbers on this surface from the 2019 season to now are as good as any other ATP player on the Tour and that is hugely encouraging for the World Number 2. Daniil Medvedev will certainly be amongst the favourites in this tournament as well as the upcoming Masters and Grand Slam events in North America and this is a player who has not only served really well on the hard courts, but also been one of the more effective return players.

That will be encouraging ahead of this match against Alexander Bublik who has been in solid form over the last twelve months, but also a touch inconsistent. Alexander Bublik has reached the Final of a couple of hard court events already this season, but even his numbers underline the inconsistency I have written about and I think that is a problem for the Kazakhstani player when going up against someone as good as Daniil Medvedev.

A confidence booster for Alexander Bublik is that he does have a 2-1 win-loss record against top ten players on the hard courts in 2021, although the numbers have been pretty tight. He is going to need to serve really well if he is going to get the better of Daniil Medvedev though and the head to head is not as encouraging as his record against top ten players.

Daniil Medvedev has won all three previous matches between the players including a straight sets win at the French Open a couple of months ago. The two hard court meetings came back in 2016 and both of these players will feel they are much improved since those days, although it is Daniil Medvedev that has played at a consistently higher level than Alexander Bublik.

In their previous matches, the World Number 2 has a significant advantage when it comes to the return performances and I think that may be the case in Tokyo too. This is a big handicap mark and especially if Alexander Bublik serves at his best level, but I think Daniil Medvedev is a very strong return player on the hard courts and that is where he can start to exert plenty of pressure and break down an opponent who can throw in a couple of erratic service games when feeling he needs to go for more than what he is comfortable with.

The big handicap mark is one that Daniil Medvedev is more than capable of covering and I think he will find the breaks of serve to do that.

Aslan Karatsev - 3.5 games v Tommy Paul: A surprising run at the Australian Open was only ended by Novak Djokovic in the Semi Final, but Aslan Karatsev dealt with his new found fame by winning the title in Dubai on the hard courts after the first Grand Slam of the season was in the books. The move onto the clay and grass courts has seen a more mixed set of results being produced by Aslan Karatsev, but he will be looking to build some momentum again now the Tour has moved back onto the hard courts.

If the Olympic Games had taken place twelve months ago in their original spot in the sporting calendar, Aslan Karatsev is unlikely to have taken part. That underlines the kind of progress and results the Russian player has produced over the last twelve months and he will certainly believe there is still more to come.

The serve is an important weapon for Karatsev, but he is also very dangerous when it comes to the returning part of the match and that is where he has really made hay on this surface. In 2020 Aslan Karatsev was largely successful on the Challenger Tour, but his performances in the early hard court tournaments has seen him build on that and he is going to be able to put some pressure on Tommy Paul.

His American opponent in the First Round has not played since the French Open, although Tommy Paul is going to feel similar to Aslan Karatsev in being much happier getting back onto the hard courts. Ultimately Tommy Paul has not been as consistent as Karatsev on this surface and a 5-6 record on the hard courts in 2021 underlines the point.

Tommy Paul's serve has been a little more vulnerable than he would like and I think that is something that will encourage an aggressive Aslan Karatsev to try and get after the return and put his opponent under immense pressure. The problem for Paul has been the fact that his serve is a very important part of his tennis on the hard courts and he has not been able to get his teeth into return games to make up for the vulnerability shown on the serve.

It should give Aslan Karatsev a chance to get on top of this match and find the breaks of serve needed in the First Round to progress in the draw and also cover this handicap mark. Things might be dicey at times if Karatsev throws in a couple of sub-par service games, but I think his pressure on the return of serve will be the key to the outcome of the match and Aslan Karatsev can move through with at least one more break of serve in each set than Tommy Paul.

MY PICKS: Heather Watson - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Aslan Karatsev - 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Miomir Kecmanovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Pablo Carreno Busta - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Viktorija Golubic - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2019 (July 24th)

I won't lie, I do feel I left a few options out there on Tuesday and that felt pretty rubbish when the one and only Tennis Pick made was as poor as it was. At the end of the day the reason my season totals have been as strong as they are is because I have removed matches that have created some doubt, although picking Philipp Kohlschreiber and Tommy Robredo this week have not felt like great calls.

There was enough to believe in both players, but it has been the part of a frustration week through the first couple of days at the events being played. Hopefully things can begin to be turned around on Wednesday as we move through to the Second Round of the draws as I look to keep the positive run going after the conclusion of Wimbledon.


Casper Ruud - 1.5 games v Andrey Rublev: Two young players on the Tour are looking to use their week in Hamburg as a chance to add some significant World Ranking points to boost their current standings in the top 100. Wins in the First Round have put Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud on a collision course on Wednesday and the layers are having some difficulty separating these two.

I can see why that would be the case with Rublev having had the more successful set of results in his career than Ruud, but I like the latter in this match as I consider him the superior clay courter.

Earlier this year Casper Ruud had some real successes at the South American Golden Swing, and followed that up with a Third Round run at the Rome Masters and French Open. The serve is beginning to be a strong weapon for the 20 year old and Casper Ruud has been holding 80% of his service games played on the clay courts in 2019. The Norwegian player has also found a way to break serve in 27% of return games played and he is very comfortable on the surface and especially more than Andrey Rublev has been in his career.

That is not to say that Rublev is not capable of performing on the clay courts, but he does have a losing record on the main Tour on this surface. Andrey Rublev has to be respected considering he has won more points than he has lost on the clay courts in 2019, although his numbers are generally slightly weaker than Casper Ruud's.

The Russian has held 73% of his service games played on the clay and has broken in 28% of return games and I do think the Casper Ruud serve can prove to be a difference maker on the day.

I don't think it will be an easy match for either player and it may even need three sets to decide it, but my edge goes to Casper Ruud. I thought he might be a slightly stronger favourite than what are seeing here, and I am going to back the younger player to edge through and with a cover of this handicap mark.


Dominic Thiem - 4.5 games v Marton Fucsovics: 2019 has not been the kind of year that Dominic Thiem has usually enjoyed on the clay courts, but he did reach the Final of the French Open for a second year in a row. His numbers have taken a slight decline from the last couple of years on the Tour, but Thiem remains amongst the best tennis players in the world when it comes to playing on the clay.

He is a big favourite to see off Marton Fucsovics after Dominic Thiem produced a relatively straight-forward win over Pablo Cuevas in the First Round. Opponent Fucsovics was also an impressive winner as he saw off Philipp Kohlschreiber for the loss of just three games.

However I still can't ignore the fact that Fucsovics has had a mixed time on the clay courts and now has to face an elite player on the surface. The Hungarian snapped a four match losing run on the clay with his win in the First Round, but I still think it will be difficult to back that up when you consider the general troubles he has had on the serve.

I can be critical of where Dominic Thiem stands when it comes to the return on any surface, but he has produced his best return numbers on the clay courts. That might not be a surprise when you think of the longer rallies that players tend to have to play when on this surface and I do think the Austrian will feel he can out-rally the majority of players he faces.

He is someone whose own serve can be important with over 80% of his service games being held and that is going to put some pressure on Marton Fucsovics. Dominic Thiem has won 40% of points played against his opponent's serve on the clay courts in 2019 and he should be able to get into the Fucsovics' service games which will give him the chance to find the breaks of serve he will need to cover this number on the handicap.

Marton Fucsovics has only produced a 1-6 record against top 20 opponents on the clay courts and his numbers take a slight dent on his overall figures on the clay in 2019. He can be a quality operator on his day, but Dominic Thiem should be the player with the majority of chances in this one and I expect he will be able to take them.


Juan Ignacio Londero - 1.5 games v Nikoloz Basilashvili: These two players met at the French Open back in May and it was Juan Ignacio Londero who stunned Nikiloz Basilashvili with a very comfortable straight sets win. On that day Londero held 92% of the service games he played and he had Basilashvili under constant pressure having won almost 49% of points played on the Georgian's serve.

The surroundings should be more comfortable for Basilashvili who won the title in Hamburg twelve months ago, but he is not someone who has been able to find his consistent best tennis on the clay. His win over Hugo Dellien in the First Round means Nikoloz Basilashvili has improved his record to 6-6 on the clay, but he will need significant improvement to retain his title here this week.

The one consistency that Basilashvili has had is the struggles to win points on his serve and he has not won more than 59% of points behind serve in any of the last five years on the Tour. This year Basilashvili is only holding 74% of service games played on the surface and that does put some pressure on his return of serve.

We already saw that issue when these two players met in Paris a couple of months ago, but Juan Ignacio Londero is coming off a long week in Bastad when he reached the Final. The Argentinian was a comfortable winner in the First Round and he is holding in 81% of service games played on the clay in 2019.

It does have to be said that there is room for improvement for Londero when it comes to the return of serve, but he has broken in 25% of return games compared with Basilashvili whose number is 23% in the same category.

With a superior serve I do think Londero can come through this match, although he has played a lot of tennis over the last ten days. Nikoloz Basilashvili has the motivation of being a defending Champion here, but I think his reign could come to an end on Wednesday as I look for the lower Ranked player to win and cover.

MY PICKS: Casper Ruud - 1.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Dominic Thiem - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Juan Ignacio Londero - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-3, - 4.18 Units (8 Units Staked, - 52.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (July 24th)

There may be a lot of First Round matches to be played across the five tournaments being played this week, but finding angles to play have been far from straight forward.

I expect to see more potential plays coming up as the tournaments get into the Second Round and beyond, but for Tuesday I have just a couple of Picks and both come from the same ATP Gstaad event.

Time constraints mean I will add the two Picks from the Tuesday matches below.


MY PICKS: Denis Istomin + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Matteo Berrettini - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2017 (July 24th)

Another week is in the books in the 2017 Tennis season and the final grass court event of the year came to an end in Rhode Island on Sunday.

This week there are five more tournaments being played with three of those on the clay courts and two on the hard courts. One of those takes place in Atlanta where the first of the North American hard court events that counts towards the US Series begins on Monday.

Next week will be an ATP 500 event in Washington before back to back Masters tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati as we will quickly move into the US Open. It will be interesting to see the kind of names that perhaps pull out of the US Open with doubts about both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, while we will all wait to see when Maria Sharapova is going to be back in action who will be needing a Wild Card to enter the US Open main draw.

The news story run by the US Open itself suggests Sharapova will be welcomed into the Qualifiers, which she has the Ranking for, but I'd be surprised if she is given a Wild Card into the main draw. That's for another day though and the focus this week is on the tournaments being played in Atlanta, Bastad, Gstaad, Hamburg and Nanchang.

Last week was a decent one for the picks, although not a really strong one like I would have wanted. A winning week is a winning week, but I am looking to put some momentum behind the picks to head into the bigger tournaments ahead this summer before the US Open gets underway.


Facundo Bagnis v Yannick Hanfmann: Two really impressive wins in the Qualifiers from Yannick Hanfmann has helped him enter the main draw in Gstaad, but I am not sure why he is the favourite to win this match. He is playing a clay court specialist in Facundo Bagnis who is considerably higher up in the World Rankings, but the numbers seem to favour Bagnis too.

There has been a lack of tennis played by Hanfmann at the main ATP level but he has gone 3-2 in those matches this year, 2-1 on the clay courts. That's not bad, but you can't ignore the fact that Hanfmann doesn't play the better players on the Tour regularly, although he may feel this match against Bagnis is more in line with the type of competition he faces.

This year has not been a great one for Bagnis in terms of the results, but his numbers have generally been quite steady despite the wins not coming as frequently as they did in 2016. Hanfmann has been able to look after his serve effectively which makes him dangerous in this one, especially when you see how much the players at the Challenger Tour have had difficulties against him.

The return game hasn't been bad either, but I think Bagnis is more than capable of earning the 'upset' in a match where I may have slightly favoured him to be honest. It will likely be a close match and I do think Hanfmann is capable, but I just wouldn't have him as the favourite and I think Bagnis can do enough to make these odds against quotes count with a victory on Monday.

MY PICKS: Facundo Bagnis @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Season 2017: - 32.36 Units (1460 Units Staked, - 2.22% Yield)

Season 2016: - 5.64 Units (2013 Units Staked, - 0.00% Yield)

Season 2015: - 21.81 Units (1812 Units Staked, - 1% Yield)
Season 2014: + 45.05 Units (1586.5 Units Staked, + 2.84% Yield)

Season 2013: + 21.74 Units (1251.5 Units Staked, + 1.73% Yield)

Season 2012: + 49.21 Units (855 Units Staked, + 5.76% Yield)

Season 2011: + 82.02 Units

Tennis Picks 2016 (July 24th)

The tennis Tour will be moving on to Canada this week, but first we have to complete the tournaments that have been played over the last seven days. Kitzbuhel came to a close on Saturday, but the other six tournaments will have their Finals played on Sunday and so it will still be a busy day, perhaps busier than a usual Sunday.

After a really poor start to this week, things have turned around over the last few days and I am hoping another strong day will help put a third successful week in a row in the books. It is a slow grind turning around the season, but I am happy to take off the negative piece by piece in what has been a tough 2016 so far to follow a poor ending to 2015 which knocked that season down.


Robin Haase + 2.5 games v Feliciano Lopez: This has been an important week for Robin Haase as he looks to prevent a slip outside of the top 100 in the World Rankings, but for now he can concentrate on simply winning another title on the clay. He is a significant underdog against Feliciano Lopez, which has surprised me, and I am happy taking the games with the Dutchman in this one.

It has been a good week for Lopez too who can potentially move back into the top 20 of the World Rankings, although wins over Jan Mertl, Elias Ymer and Dustin Brown is not the most taxing way through to a Final. The clay courts have not really suited Lopez through his career with the way he approaches the game, but Lopez has recorded the most wins in a season on the surface since 2011.

I do think Haase will present the toughest test for Lopez through this week and it can't be ignored that the former has won all three of their previous matches on the clay. Each time Haase has been able to come back from a set down to win the match and he has been serving well enough this week to give Lopez enough issues through this Final.

I have a gut feeling that Haase might actually win the title here, but this could also be an important amount of games for him to be getting in a losing effort. If both players can take a set in this one, Haase can use his big serve to at least keep this very competitive and I will take the games.


Fabio Fognini - 4.5 games v Andrej Martin: This is the first career meeting between Fabio Fognini and Andrej Martin and it might be considered a surprise Final in Umag considering some of the other players in the draw. Fognini is capable of producing really strong form on the clay so his appearance is less of an upset, but Martin has been mainly playing on the Challenger circuit and has some impressive wins under the belt this week.

Perhaps it should not be as much of a surprise as I think it is as Martin did reach the Third Round at the French Open, but some of his losses on the Challenger circuit since then would not have had many rushing him to reach an ATP level Final.

This is going to be a real test for Martin as Fognini looks to be in really good form in Umag. He has looked focused and has been returning well and I think the Italian is going to be a little too good on the day as long as he can maintain his focus.

We can't underestimate how easy it is for Fognini to drop his focus, but I will back the Italian to win his fourth career title and first since 2014 with an impressive 63, 64 victory.


Lauren Davis + 2.5 games v Yanina Wickmayer: Looking at a head to head between players doesn't really give you the full tale of the tape when researching matches. Sometimes a player is performing on a better surface for themselves, while other times the physical effort used in matches also has to be a factor as well as recent form.

Match ups are still important though and it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Lauren Davis has won all three previous matches against Yanina Wickmayer including their two matches in 2016. It has not been a good season for the American overall, but a run to the Final in Washington will have given Davis a chance of getting back into the top 100 of the World Rankings as she moves into what is likely her best time of the season.

Davis doesn't have a lot of points to defend over the next few weeks and she has the game that can extract mistakes from the Wickmayer game. The Belgian does have the power to hammer the Davis serve, although my one issue would be whether she can mentally keep going for the lines as she has been this week.

I can see both players having their opportunities in this one with Wickmayer having the power and Davis the defensive strength which should make it a fascinating match. The mental edge has to be given to Davis considering she has beaten Wickmayer twice already in 2016 and she can make use of the games she is being given after building up some momentum through the week in Washington.

If Wickmayer is firmly on her game, she might be tough to stop, but I will look for the lower Ranked player to keep it tight through to the end even if she doesn't quite have enough to win the title.

MY PICKS: Robin Haase + 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Fabio Fognini - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Lauren Davis + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 22-15, + 8.08 Units (74 Units Staked, + 10.92% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2015 (July 24th)

What... A... Week(!)

I am completely done with this week and it is one that I don't want to go through again where it felt like I had literally picked matches that had players going out of their way to irritate me. I am not one of these people that think tennis players are machines so I obviously won't be venting my disgust to any of the players personally because I am not an idiot and have learned to take the rough with the smooth.

Unfortunately it has been incredibly rough this week as I have had virtually no fortune at all which has been highlighted by some of the ways the picks have fallen through and I think it is better to call it a day for the week.

Looking back at some of the results this week, I really wish I had Biff's Sports Almanac from Back to the Future because that is the only way I would believe what I was seeing. Players constantly getting into a position to win matches and somehow throwing them away and all the statistics pointing to the picks being correct, but simply not falling my way.


Making picks while completely 'pissed off', pardon my French, is simply not smart and I haven't lost faith that matches I picked were wrong considering how strong the season had been.

Don't be foolish in thinking that I don't appreciate there have been some bad picks too... The picks on Lukas Rosol and Federico Delbonis had alarm bells attached prior to being made and I should have paid more attention those.

But let me break down some of the other results and I think it will be clear that there has been almost nothing going my way.


It all began on Monday as the first pick of the week fell through the crack- I had backed Fernando Verdasco who somehow lost the first set despite having at least one break point in all but one Nicolas Almagro service game. He then won the second set easily enough and was serving to get into a final set tie-break only to then hand Almagro a break and winning the match.

Almagro only had break points in four games but broke three times, while Verdasco had break points in double the games and broke just three times himself. If that match went into a tie-breaker, Verdasco would have covered and thus set the tone for the rest of the week.

Later that day Matthew Ebden won the first set in his match 61, but then fell apart to lose and fail to cover a small number of games himself.


Moving on to Wednesday, Andrey Rublev became the third player I had picked this week that would have brought in a winner if he had won a final set in his match, but was beaten.

That had come after Thomaz Bellucci won more than half of the points on his opponent's serve but failed to covert a 0-40 situation and was broken in both the games he gave up break points in the match to miss the cover by a single game. On another day he wins 62, 62 but another day won't work for me this week.


So Thursday couldn't have that kind of misfortune could it? Well Julia Goerges became the latest player to lose a final set after dominating her match in the first two sets and failing to get the job done when she should have.

Alize Cornet won the first set of her match 62, but fell apart like so many others in another final set defeat and Martin Klizan was a set up in both sets but was still beaten in straight sets.

Jerzy Janowicz might have lost easily on paper, but he had had break points in every one of Steve Darcis' first three service games and couldn't convert which quickly saw him fall apart by the end of the match.


There are at least six matches there that could have easily gone my way with even a slight bounce of the ball falling for the players I had picked at the big moments. That might have actually made this a winning week rather than an embarrassing one that has crushed the season stats in three days.

The picks are still up, but it has been a devastating blow and I would much rather make a few tweaks and leave the tennis until the next set of tournaments. This is simply an ugly week where nothing is going to go right and I don't want any more part of it truth be told!

Some times it is better to say the battle is lost but try and win the war and that is what a long season on the tennis Tour is. You have some bad weeks, but trying to avoid these horrific weeks can be difficult when it really rolls on you.

I would have much rather have seen the picks get nowhere near winning at times because then you can make adjustments as to how they have been made- however, it is much more difficult to be critical of the methods to making picks when they have been as close as those have that I described above where the matches went almost exactly as anticipated except for the players putting the period on the sentence. 


So that will be it for the week as I will update the season statistics when making my next set of picks as the new tournaments begin on Monday. I feel disappointed for the readers this week who might have followed and had a rough week of their own, but I think the chance to refresh and start again on Monday is the best policy when the week has been as 'cursed' as this one has.

Hopefully a few days off will just reset whatever has gone wrong this week and next week is a much stronger return.

Tennis Picks 2014 (July 24th)

The tennis has been spread out over a number of hours through the three ATP events taking place this week and that also means the layers are taking a different amount of time in pricing up the full markets.

That has meant putting up the different picks at different times too with the ones from Gstaad and Umag coming out before the ones in Atlanta.

On Thursday we have reached the conclusion of the Second Round at the events to set up the business end of the events over the weekend. So far the outright picks are both still in their respective tournaments, although John Isner is making his first appearance in Atlanta on Thursday.


So far the picks have been a mixed bag through the week so I am looking for more positive momentum in the last few days.


Robin Haase - 4.5 games v Henri Laaksonen: Growing up as a young Swiss tennis player can't have been easy for Henri Laaksonen in recent years with the standard being set by Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. Laaksonen hasn't been at his best in 2014 as he struggles to improve his Ranking, but he took advantage of the Wild Card into Gstaad by winning in the First Round.

The points earned are important to him, but it might be tough to back that up against Robin Haase, even if the Dutchman looks set for his worst season on the Tour since 2010. The next two weeks are vital for Haase to prevent his Ranking falling heavily as he reached the Final here last season and also the Semi Final in Kitzbuhel which takes place next week.

It has been a tough season for Haase who hasn't been beyond the Second Round of any event since Bucharest back in April and that was only the second time he had achieved that aim all season. Now he has the chance to get into the Quarter Final with the draw looking a good one, although mentally Haase can certainly lose his way.

However, I would think he has enough experience to know what he is dealing with in Laaksonen and Haase actually crushed him last season in a qualifier so won't be overly surprised by what the youngster brings to the court. I would expect Haase to find a 63, 64 win in this one.


Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: It has been a poor few weeks for Jan-Lennard Struff who only saw his losing run end at four matches when his First Round opponent had to retire with an injury.

The clay courts have been a surface that Struff has been accustomed to, but I think Fernando Verdasco will have a little too much for him, even if the Spaniard is coming off back to back disappointing losses.

Verdasco's best results have come on the clay over the last three years as his abilities as a Singles players have diminished. He could conceivably have his best Singles season since 2011, but Verdasco has become more like the player he was in his early part of his career as someone who drops silly sets and loses matches unexpectedly.

These players met last year in Bastad when Verdasco used his power to complete a comfortable straight sets win, but I expect this to be closer although one that the Spaniard wins 64, 64.


Horacio Zeballos - 2.5 games v Borna Coric: Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen one 17 year old make waves on the Tour and now Borna Coric looks to do the same as he was given a Wild Card into the event in Umag.

Coric came through his First Round match in surprisingly routine fashion against Edouard Roger-Vasselin, but he now plays a clay court specialist in Horacio Zeballos. However, the latter is now outside the top 100 in the World Rankings and all the memories of his fabulous run at the beginning of last season that saw Zeballos win a title by beating Rafael Nadal on the surface have now faded for casual fans.

Even with that in mind, Zeballos has won three qualifiers here and beat Ante Pavic in the First Round so I would think his confidence is going to be in a very good place. Zeballos also beat Coric here in the First Round last season and I think he is perhaps being under-rated in this one.

While the match went three sets last season, Zeballos dominated the final set and I think he will prove a little too good in this one too in a 46, 63, 64 win.


Fabio Fognini - 3.5 games v Albert Montanes: Last summer was dominated by the performances of Fabio Fognini on the clay courts as he reached the Final of three consecutive events, winning two of them.

That was always going to be a tough feat to repeat for Fognini, but it has to be considered a disappointment that he has reached one Semi Final and one Second Round so far this time around. The Italian can be so frustrating to watch with his attitude not always the greatest, but he is only five wins short of matching his tally from 2013 on clay.

The match up with Albert Montanes is awkward with the Spaniard very comfortable on clay too, but Montanes hasn't been in the best of form despite a solid First Round win. Montanes had lost four in a row on clay before that win and I am beginning to feel that 2013 was an exception for a player in the last throes of his career.

Expect a few breaks of serve for both men on Thursday, but I think Fognini will eventually prevail 64, 64 as long as he keeps his mind focused in the match. Another early defeat is likely to see Fognini drop out of the World Top 20 in the Rankings, although that is a better reflection of where he stands in the men's game.


John Isner - 3.5 games v Robby Ginepri: John Isner gets his tournament in Atlanta underway on Thursday and I would think he is going to be too good for Robby Ginepri who has seen his best days on the Tour.

Ginepri has not been in great form in recent weeks and even the win over Sergiy Stakhovsky in the First Round could be put down to the fact that the latter won a Challenger title last week. There were some tiredness issues with Stakhovsky and I don't think Ginepri will benefit from that against Isner who is very comfortable here in Atlanta.

The defending Champion has a fair few points to defend before the US Open which may prevent Isner moving into the top 10 of the World Rankings, but the form has been pretty consistent through 2014 with some disappointing results too.

The serve gives Isner a real opportunity on the hard courts against anyone and that pressure may break Ginepri as it did when the latter lost to Ivo Karlovic in Newport. A 63, 76 win for Isner looks on the cards in this one.


Marinko Matosevic - 3.5 games v Tim Smyczek: He might not like the 'Mad Dog' tag that has been given to him, but Marinko Matosevic sometimes deserves the moniker with his attitude on the court. He plays an aggressive brand of tennis with his groundstrokes and the body language, but can quickly get down on himself if he starts making consistent errors.

He had an easy First Round win over Victor Estrella who perhaps was a little tired from reaching the Bogota Semi Final last week and I expect Tim Smyczek to give him more of an examination in this one.

Smyczek plays the majority of his tennis on the hard courts and has been competing a lot more than Matosevic in recent weeks with the latter making his first appearance since Wimbledon.

However, Smyczek has had a tough season to this point and I think Matosevic can bully his way through for a 64, 64 win.

MY PICKS: Robin Haase - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Horacio Zeballos - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Fabio Fognini - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Pinnacle (2 Units)
John Isner - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Marinko Matosevic - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 5-6, - 2.46 Units (22 Units Staked, - 11.18% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2013 (July 24th)

The tennis will continue coming thick and fast this week as we move into the middle of the tournaments that are being played throughout the Tours.

It is time for Second Round action on Wednesday and hopefully the weather will hold out to keep the tournaments on schedule.

Mikhail Youzhny v Pablo Andujar: After some of the abuse that Pablo Andujar has been receiving on the social network sites, I was glad to see the Spaniard end his six match losing run that had begun in Nice back in May.

However, I don't believe Andujar will be able to back that win up against Mikhail Youzhny, a player that plays every match as hard as he can and one who can certainly mentally tough out a win against someone whose confidence may be a little low.

Andujar is certainly a very capable player on the clay courts with two Semi Finals to his name this season, but he is also a player that can struggle to get out of bad runs of form and even the win over Victor Crivoi hasn't convinced me that he has turned a corner mentally.

These two met at the French Open and ended with a fairly comfortably win for Youzhny and I think he can back that up with another win over Andujar here.

Feliciano Lopez - 3.5 games v Andrey Kuznetsov: Feliciano Lopez had missed a large chunk of the Tour earlier this season, but he is certainly making up for lost time in the last two months- in that time, Lopez has reached the Third Round at both the French Open and Wimbledon, while going on long winning runs at Queens and Eastbourne where he won the title.

While the clay courts are not his best surface, Lopez is capable of beating players when he serves well and he has been playing some good tennis to keep confidence high.

He is up against an opponent in Andrey Kuznetsov that won a lot of titles at Challenger level on the clay courts, but one who is still trying to find the consistency to turn that form to the main ATP events.

Kuznetsov gutted out a tough First Round win over Sergiy Stakhovsky and this is clearly a surface he feels comfortable on, but Lopez could put some scoreboard pressure on him if he serves well. The Russian's serve can also be attacked and I think that is why Lopez will find a way to win this one in straight sets with a break more in either set.

Stanislas Wawrinka - 4.5 games v Daniel Gimeno-Traver: This is potentially the best season that Stanislas Wawrinka has ever had on the ATP Tour and he will be looking to make an impact in Gstaad, although this is a venue where he has struggled in the past.

Wawrinka will be playing his first match since being beaten in the First Round at Wimbledon, but he has been very strong on the clay courts this season and could make his return to the Tour with a big performance.

The Swiss Number 2 has one title on the clay this season, while he has reached the Final of a couple of other tournaments and was also a Quarter Finalist at Roland Garros. He has been serving much more effectively this season, while he is a lot more consistent off the ground and that is making Wawrinka a much more dangerous player on the slower surfaces.

Meeting Gimeno-Traver looks a nice way to get going in the tournament, especially as the Spaniard only just snapped a six match losing run with his win in the First Round.

Gimeno-Traver can be a tough out on his day, but his serve can be vulnerable and I definitely think Wawrinka will get chances to break serve on a number of occasions. If Wawrinka serves well, he should be able to come through with a 75, 63 win.


Gael Monfils - 3.5 games v Blaz Kavcic: I didn't get to watch the highlights from Umag yesterday so I have no idea what happened to Florian Mayer after the first set against Blaz Kavcic, but there was a significant drop off of form from that moment.

It might be a little more difficult for Kavcic in this Second Round match against Gael Monfils, a player that has the ability to scramble and force his opponent to play one more shot. That ability can certainly make life easier for the Frenchman when it comes to playing opponents that are not in the top 20 in the World Rankings as it is their lack of real consistency that prevents them moving up the Rankings.

Against a player outside of the top 100, making them play one more shot can be the ultimate difference in the match and I expect Monfils to make Kavcic earn as many points as he can.

Monfils will need to serve better than he did yesterday if he is to clear this spread, but he has a decent first serve that should set him up to win the points a little more comfortably and I expect the former top 10 player to come through, after a few breaks of serve, 64, 64.


Fabio Fognini - 3.5 games v Thiemo De Bakker: At what point will all this tennis catch up with Fabio Fognini? The Italian has won back to back tournaments to move into the top 20 in the World Rankings and confidence has got to be sky high as he finally produces consistent tennis and wins titles (his first two at the main ATP level).

He is playing some special tennis at the moment and even the big-serving Thiemo De Bakker could be put under pressure by Fognini's return of serve.

Fognini is returning very effectively at the moment, mixing aggression with depth, and that is going to give the Dutchman a few problems as his own consistency off the ground does not match up well against Fognini at the moment.

As I said, there is bound to come a moment when it is one match too far for Fognini, but he is playing with the confidence that Juan Martin Del Potro displayed in 2008 when he went on a long winning run during the Summer months (winning four straight tournaments) and I think Fognini can continue that for at least one more match and he still looks the man to beat this week in Umag.

MY PICKS: Mikhail Youzhny @ 1.73 Pinnacle (2 Units)

Feliciano Lopez - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)

Stanislas Wawrinka - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Gael Monfils - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Fabio Fognini - 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)
James Blake @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units) Rain Delay postponed match until Wednesday

Weekly Update: 3-4, - 2.44 Units (14 Units Staked, - 17.43% Yield)