Tennis Picks 2025 (Tuesday 17th June)

If last week is anything to go by, a good start doesn't mean much more than a positive start.

That is the case in this new week of tennis tournaments with the Monday selections returning a positive number, but building on that is important and there is a long way to go between today and the Final of the big events in Berlin, Halle and Queens.

We also have a WTA tournament being played in Nottingham, but the majority of the top names in action on that Tour have ended up in Berlin, which is highlighted by the fact that Elena Rybakina vs Qinwen Zheng is a First Round match.

That will be played on Tuesday, but the remaining First Round matches in Berlin look to have been priced up pretty well and instead the focus for the selections will be on the ATP 500 events being played.

All three selections were routine winners on Monday and the hope is that another stress-free, comfortable day for the Tennis Picks is had as we move to within two weeks of the start of Wimbledon.

Andrey Rublev - 2.5 games v Sebastian Ofner: It has been a difficult season for Andrey Rublev, but he will be hoping that the move back onto the grass courts can spark some kind of return to form.

The French Open was not a terrible tournament for Andrey Rublev, but he will be well aware that the grass is a much tougher surface for the majority of players on the Tour to deal with.

He has had previous successes on the surface, including reaching the Quarter Final at Wimbledon and the Final in Halle as recently as two years ago, and Andrey Rublev has a big game which does suit the grass.

There is no doubt that Andrey Rublev is going to have to produce some of his strongest tennis as he goes up against Sebastian Ofner, a player who has won two matches in the Qualifying Round to get his grass court season underway. Last year, the Austrian reached the Final in Mallorca in the build up to Wimbledon and Sebastian Ofner will feel his serve gives him a chance to stay in this match.

Andrey Rublev has had plenty of serving success on the grass courts, but the key factor in this First Round match in Halle is that the World Number 14 has found a way to get into return games with a little more consistency compared with Sebastian Ofner.

The latter has had plenty of grass court wins under his belt in recent years, which again has to be respected, but his numbers suffer a significant dip when only considering matches against top 100 Ranked players.

Sebastian Ofner's serve can keep him in the match, but the feeling is that Andrey Rublev will find a way to earn a couple of breaks, and that may be enough for a win and a cover.

Joao Fonseca - 2.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: Very little grass court experience has been had by Joao Fonseca who played six matches on the surface in 2024 and was beaten in four of those.

It is no surprise that the surface is unfamiliar to an 18 year old who has really begun to make a big impact on the Tour, but who has spent his youth in South America where the clay courts are the go-to surface.

Despite the win-loss record, Joao Fonseca played pretty well on the grass in 2024 and the development over the last twelve months could make him much more effective this time around.

Nothing was wrong with the return game in those handful of matches, but Joao Fonseca was not able to get enough out of his serve and that is something that may change when he gets underway in Halle. There is no doubt that the serve is improving for him all of the time and Joao Fonseca can at least put Flavio Cobolli under pressure in this First Round match.

Much like Fonseca, Flavio Cobolli is much more comfortable playing on the clay courts, but the Italian has moved into the top 30 of the World Rankings and is set to be Seeded at Wimbledon.

He may be one of the more vulnerable Seeds in the early Rounds in SW19, but Flavio Cobolli did reach the Eastbourne Quarter Final last year. His 3-4 record on the grass in 2024 is nothing to write home about, but Flavio Cobolli made use of his serve and that is going to be an important factor in this match.

The return needed some work with the ball skidding through the court much more than Flavio Cobolli would be used to, but he served well in his seven matches in 2024.

It will be given another examination by Joao Fonseca and the lower Ranked player may just have enough to get through this match and progress into the Second Round.

MY PICKS: Andrey Rublev - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Joao Fonseca - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-0, + 2.41 Units (3 Units Staked, + 80.33% Yield)

NBA PlayOffs 2024- NBA Finals Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks (June 6th-23rd)

The NBA PlayOffs have had some drama and some very good Series, but the Conference Finals were a massive disappointment.

The East was won in a sweep, while the Western Conference only needed a Game 5 to determine the winning team.

Yes, there was a disappointing lack of drama, but the good news is that we have a NBA Finals that features the two best teams from the last six weeks.

There is some pressure on both the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, but the stories before the Series has begun has set the table and the two teams have performed at a very high level.

Unsurprisingly the Boston Celtics will head into the NBA Finals, as they have been for a long time, but ruling out the Dallas Mavericks would be a mistake having come through as the underdog in each of the last two Series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. They are being led by a star looking to move into the next echelon, while the Boston Celtics have two players still looking to prove themselves by finally being able to call themselves NBA Champions.

It should mean a fun Series for as long as it lasts.

Much like last year, the first two Rounds produced a decent return for the NBA Picks, but the Conference Finals stumped me.

That is something to learn from when the PlayOffs come back around in twelve months time.

The entire NBA Finals coverage will be placed in this thread.

NBA Finals 2024- Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks (June 6th-23rd)

Thursday 6th June

Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 1 Pick: The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, although the wait between the end of the Conference Finals and the start of the Championship Series has not been ideal.

The schedulers cannot be blamed for that- not many would have tipped both Conference Final Series to have been as one-sided as they turned out to be.

It does mean plenty of rest for the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA Finals and that is also good news for the injured players who missed out on the Conference Finals.

Kristaps Porzingis is one beneficiary and he is set to suit up for the Boston Celtics in Game 1, which is a huge boost for the team. They have played well even without him, but the Celtics know they are a different beast with Porzingis in the starting lineup.

He will not be lacking for motivation against one of his former teams, but the Dallas Mavericks will also be suiting up a player with something to prove.

Kyrie Irving might not be the superstar for the Dallas Mavericks, but he has backed up Luka Doncic impressively in his time with the team. His play has been elevated in the post-season and Irving will be ready for Game 1 and the passionate Boston crowd that are going to try and rattle him out of his focus.

After winning a Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving made a big splash by moving to Boston, but his two years with the team were underwhelming. The Celtics decided the team would grow more effectively without him and there was little love lost between the player and the team when he moved to Brooklyn.

Some believed that Kyrie Irving was a pretty poor fit in most places after failing with the Nets, but he has found a good home in Dallas and playing second fiddle to Luka Doncic might aid him.

At the same time, Irving will arrive in this Series with a point to prove and that certainly makes the NBA Finals that much more fascinating. He has played well in the post-season and Dallas are going to need him when facing this Boston Celtics team that could be back at full health and who have shown they can beat you in very different ways.

Defensively they have not played as well as hoped, but the return of Porzingis gives Boston a boost on this side of the court and the Celtics can make it pay in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are playing with the pressure to show they are able to fulfil the potential they have long held, but the supporting cast have been key for Boston. They will likely give Doncic plenty to think about when he is in the uncomfortable position of having to Defend against Derrick White or Jrue Holiday and the depth of this Celtics team is impressive.

Game 1 home favourites are on a strong run in the NBA Finals with the last ten ending 8-2 against the spread, while teams favoured by more than 4.5 points at home are 19-10-1 against the spread in the last thirty in that position.

The Celtics struggled for covers in the Eastern Conference Finals and this Dallas Mavericks team have played at a high level and been able to hang around in games. However, the return of Kristaps Porzingis and the crowd being fired up by seeing Kyrie Irving on the other side of the court feels like it will pump enough energy behind the home players to see them move into a 1-0 lead with a cover of this relatively wide line.

Sunday 9th June

Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 2 Pick: Despite being cleared to take part in Game 1, some fans of the Boston Celtics might have been a little concerned that Kristaps Porzingis was only going to feature from the bench.

Those concerns dissipated very quickly after Porzingis moved onto the court and he showed he is more than ready to take part in the NBA Finals and just gives the Boston Celtics a completely different look and feel.

They might have swept the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals, but Boston were made to work very hard and that meant there were one or two doubters about this time heading into the NBA Finals. However, the return of Kristaps Porzingis makes them that much tougher to defend and the Dallas Mavericks did not have many answers in a Game 1 in which they were down by 29 points during the First Half.

Luka Doncic did his best in the Third Quarter to rally the Mavericks and helped the team reduce that deficit to just 8 points, but the little support from those around him ultimately proved too much for Dallas and Doncic.

Adjustments will be made by Head Coach Jason Kidd and there may even be changes made to the starting lineup to make sure they can close on the Boston three point shooters. It was not a lights out display from beyond the arc, but the Celtics live and die by the three pointer and they threw up 42 of those in Game 1, which is 15 more than the Dallas Mavericks, while Boston also landed 16-7 compared with their visitors.

The reality is it has been tough to stop all season and especially with Porzingis on the court and the bigger adjustment for Dallas may be trying to match the output. They will certainly need more from Kyrie Irving, who heard the chants from a fanbase that have little love lost for him.

Boston felt like they had decided to try and lock down on the top two Dallas players and force others to beat them and that has been a concern for this Mavericks team. They have found a way to get the role players going in the previous Series, but doing so against the Boston Celtics is another challenge and the Dallas Mavericks may struggle to make this one much closer.

It should almost certainly be more competitive after Boston blew open a big lead by the middle of the Second Quarter, but getting much closer at the end of the game will be tough for the Mavericks.

Teams who have been blown out in the NBA Finals have followed up with a 9-18-2 record against the spread in the next outing over the last twenty-nine occasions when a double digit defeat has been suffered.

As mentioned in the Game 1 preview, teams favoured by at least 4.5 points at home are now 20-10-1 against the spread after Boston covered last time out, while home teams are 5-2-1 against the spread in the last eight Game 2 NBA Finals outings.

My concern is that Boston dropped Game 2 at home in the First Round Series and in the Conference Semi Final Series, but they avoided that fate in the Eastern Conference Finals. We have seen how much fight and determination this Dallas Mavericks team have and so they have to be respected, but the Celtics will feel that much stronger with Kristaps Porzingis back and they can back up the Game 1 win with another strong showing.

Wednesday 12th June

Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks Game 3 Pick: It was a much better effort from the Dallas Mavericks, but they were not able to sustain things and the Boston Celtics had moved clear in the Fourth Quarter before holding on for a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

Both wins were at home so the Dallas Mavericks will make the trek back to Texas knowing that this Series is not beyond them, although Game 3 is effectively a 'must win' situation for them.

There was more support for Luka Doncic in Game 2 compared with Game 1, and he had eleven Assists compared with a single Assist. The whole starting lineup managed to get into double digits in terms of points, but the lack of depth was an issue for the Dallas Mavericks, while the continued struggles to hit consistently from the three point arc has proven to be fatal to the chances of earning an upset.

Being back at home should help the role players have a more consistent impact, but the Mavericks have not been dominant here in their run to the NBA Finals. This has to be a concern for Dallas and they will be looking to make a few more adjustments to make sure the players around Luka Doncic are able to have an impact on Game 3.

With a 2-0 lead, you might be forgiven for thinking the Boston Celtics are going to be extremely happy, but this is a team that knows it has yet to really perform to the level they have come to expect from themselves. They were very good in the First Quarter of Game 1, but the Celtics have not really imposed themselves on the NBA Finals and they have struggled to hit their three pointers as they would have liked.

Despite that, Boston have really ramped things up Defensively and they have made it clear that they are going to try and limit Doncic's impact as a playmaker. He has been allowed to make his own shots, but the Celtics are trying to make sure that others are not able to beat them and ultimately it has worked out as planned.

The Celtics have been dominant on the road in the post-season and that makes them dangerous, but Game 3s have tended to land in favour of the hosts and it makes this line a tough one to call. Boston have been the better team, but the Dallas Mavericks have to be highly motivated returning home and it would not surprise anyone if this came down to the final two minutes.

The trend that may continue to pay out is the 'under' with the total line dropping 3.5 points from Game 1.

The 'under' is 21-11-1 against the spread in the last thirty-three games in the NBA Finals and that includes in both games in this NBA Finals. Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be available for the Celtics and has offered a punch from the bench, but shooting has been a struggle for both teams and that may continue.

Friday 14th June

Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks Game 4 Pick: There was a feeling prior to the start of the NBA Finals that the depth of the Boston Celtics would prove to be too much, although plenty of 'experts' picked the Dallas Mavericks to make this a very competitive Series.

After coming through the Western Conference impressively, the Mavericks would have felt confident, but all of their weaknesses have been on display as they have slipped 3-0 behind the Eastern Conference Champions.

Luka Doncic will be looking to rally the troops, but he has been on the end of plenty of sharp criticism after the Game 3 defeat.

His lack of Defensive effort has been the main talking point and you have to believe Doncic is going to have something to prove. It was perhaps ironic that he fouled out of the Game 3 defeat when trying to actually get his body between the ball and the basket, but it came at a bad time for the Mavericks who had rallied from a 21 point deficit and had pulled within 3 points of the Celtics and with time remaining in the Fourth Quarter.

Ultimately losing their best player ended the rally and the Dallas Mavericks have very little time between Game 3 and Game 4 to make adjustments, dust themselves off and look to avoid an embarrassing sweep.

There is no doubt that Luka Doncic will have heard and read all of the words focusing on him, but it has been a tough Series for him. Defensively he has never been the best, but there is only so much Doncic can do on the other side of the court and Boston have made it clear that the role players are not going to have a big impact on the Series.

Kyrie Irving played well in Game 3, but the Celtics are living with their former player and Doncic scoring points and the efforts to shut down the rest have really paid off.

You have to expect more of the same from the Boston Celtics, even if they almost shockingly blew a massive lead in the Game 3 victory. Ultimately that has taken them to the brink of winning a first NBA Championship in sixteen years and will place Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on another level all together.

Both played a big game on the road to help the Celtics win again and they have shown they can cope without Kristaps Porzingis, who had to sit down in Game 3 and has to be considered doubtful with the short turnaround into Game 4.

Boston have shown a couple of times in this Series that once they get hot, they are going to have all of the answers to this Dallas Mavericks Defensive scheme. The Celtics are finding the open man when it comes to setting up the three pointers and they are draining enough of them to really take control of the tempo.

After three games, it is very difficult to see a massive shift in the NBA Finals and the 'under' continues to be the play.

With the win on Wednesday, the 'under' is now 22-11-1 in the NBA Finals, while Game 4s in the Finals are 9-1 in favour of the 'under'.

There is a short turn in the action and that may contribute to another low-scoring game as Boston continue to make things very difficult for the Dallas role players. The Celtics do have the capabilities of putting up big points if they find their three point shooting groove, but Dallas have shown they can at least force some misses and the one point drop in the total may not be enough for the 'over' to come in.

Monday 17th June

Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics Game 5 Pick: Criticisms were heard and there was a real worry that the Dallas Mavericks were going to be swept out of the NBA Finals.

Instead Luka Doncic came out with something to prove and Kyrie Irving's long run of defeats to his former team were ended in emphatic fashion as the Mavericks blew out the Boston Celtics in Game 4.

The game was so far out of hand that the Celtics actually didn't play their starters in the Fourth Quarter and the Mavericks may feel they have some real momentum now. In recent years in the NBA Finals, momentum has certainly been a factor once we get into the latter stages of the Series, and that is something the Dallas Mavericks will lean on as they look to find a way to earn one more home game in the 2023/24 season.

The manner of the defeat on Friday will have been a shock to the Boston Celtics, but this is a team that is unlikely to panic.

It is only the third defeat Boston have suffered in the post-season, but the previous two have been followed up with big wins and they will certainly feel confident of closing this NBA Finals at home. The reality is that the Celtics just had an off-shooting night, as they had in the previous PlayOff defeats, but Boston have shown they can avoid making those nights the norm rather than the exceptions.

At home you have to believe they will shoot the ball that much better than they managed in Game 4 and this is a team that will still be firm in the belief of controlling this NBA Finals.

Kristaps Porzingis was given clearance to play in Game 4, but did not get onto the court- this perhaps indicates that he will be ready to play a part in Game 5 with two days of rest between those two games and that will be a huge boost for the Celtics too.

Game 5 hosts have not had the best record covering the spread in recent NBA Finals, but being a big home favourite is perhaps the exception. Those being asked to lay at least 4.5 points are now 20-10-2 against the spread in the last thirty-two NBA Finals games in that situation and Boston are 1-0-1 against the spread in this Series.

The blowout loss of Game 4 is hard to ignore, but the last three teams that have been beaten by at least 30 points in a NBA Finals game have followed up not only with a win, but a win by double digits. As well as the Dallas Mavericks played in Game 4, they were aided by a poor day in the office from the Boston Celtics and it may be asking too much for that to happen again.

Dallas have made some adjustments that helped, but there is a feeling they could turn back to poor habits if this game begins poorly and the Boston Celtics look ready to be crowned NBA Champions again.

MY PICKS: 06/06 Boston Celtics - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

09/06 Boston Celtics - 7 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

12/06 Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics Under 212.5 Points @ 1.91 Coral (1 Unit)

14/06 Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics Under 211.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

17/06 Boston Celtics - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

NBA Finals: 3-0-1, + 2.73 Units (4 Units Staked, + 68.25% Yield)

Conference Finals: 3-6, - 3.27 Units (9 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)

Conference Semi Finals: 13-11, + 0.87 Units (24 Units Staked, + 3.63% Yield)

First Round: 22-17, + 3.27 Units (38 Units Staked, + 8.61% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2022- Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr (June 18th)

We should have had the return of Jermall Charlo this weekend, but the Middleweight bout against Maciej Sulecki has been postponed.

It will mean that we have not seen Jermall Charlo in the ring for over twelve months as he waited out an opportunity to face Canelo Alvarez, but that doesn't look like coming to fruition any time soon and the American needs to be more active.

His absence has come at a time when twin brother Jermell has become an Undisputed Champion in the Light Middleweight Division and arguably become the more sellable of the two. Considering where the two would have been placed a year ago, you can see how inactivity has hurt Jermall and we will have to wait a little while longer before he is involved in a big fight.

While this is feeling like a quieter weekend of Boxing after some of the solid shows we have had over the last couple of months, there is still a massive Undisputed fight taking place in the Light Heavyweight Division.

Dmitry Bivol has already shown the world the kind of calibre of Champions in this Division when he comfortably beat Canelo Alvarez, but Artur Beterbiev has long been considered the King of the 175ers.

Joe Smith Jr is another popular name and their Unification is going to move the Light Heavyweights that much closer to a Super Fight with all of the belts on the line either later this year or early in 2023.

Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr

Right now you would say there are three Light Heavyweights that will have to duke it out to see who is the best of the best in the 175 pound Division.

More critical people may even suggest it comes down to a straight shoot out between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to decide the King of the Light Heavyweights and that argument could be made when you think Bivol holds a win over Joe Smith Jr, the opponent facing Beterbiev this weekend who also holds one of the World Title Belts.

Gilberto Ramirez and Callum Smith may have something to say about who should be the headliner in the Division, but the reality is that we are likely one fight away from determining the best fighter in this weight class. And that will be the winner of this one on Saturday facing off against Dmitry Bivol with all four World Titles on the line.

I am hopeful we will get there and this Unification on Saturday has all of the makings of a brutal slugfest.

Not many would choose to stand trade with Artur Beterbiev who has yet to hear the final bell in his pro career and who has fought and stopped some solid names. However, one person who shouldn't be too hard to find is Joe Smith Jr, who buzzed Dmitry Bivol late on in what was otherwise a one-sided win for the WBA World Champion.

That power cannot be underestimated and we did see Beterbiev put down by Callum Johnson and look pretty hurt, although that is the only time we have really seen that happen.

There is no doubting the heart that Joe Smith Jr will likely show too, but I cannot help think that he is not going to have faced someone who hits as hard as Artur Beterbiev. Standing in front of the Russian fighter just seems a bad move all around, but Smith Jr only fights one way and I think that is going to lead to a dismantling and an eventual stoppage in favour of Artur Beterbiev.

Joe Smith Jr has to be respected and has some decent wins behind him, but I think a crude, pretty basic style is going to be tailor-made for Artur Beterbiev who hits plenty hard.

Artur Beterbiev is 37 years old now though and you always have to wonder if Father Time will catch up with on any given night. He hasn't had a lot of wear and tear on his body though, but I do think the age has meant he has taken a little longer to perhaps get into his groove and really start digging home with the big shots.

Only two of his first fourteen opponents were able to make it out of the Fifth Round, but each of his last three have lasted at least Nine Rounds. Some of that is down to the increased level of competition, but Adam Deines and Marcus Browne are perhaps a tier or two below Joe Smith Jr in terms of their ability to stick in a fight and I do think the American will not go down easily.

Ultimately everyone has eventually gone down.

Only one fighter has even made it to the last Round against Artur Beterbiev, but I would be surprised if he is able to get Joe Smith Jr out of there much earlier than his last three opponents. Joe Smith Jr was stopped in the Fourth Round early in his career, and there was a feeling that Dmitry Bivol could have forced a stoppage in the second half of their fight before being buzzed late on.

I just don't think Artur Beterbiev is nearly as likely to 'coast' in this one as it felt Dmitry Bivol was doing late on and I think he will get this fight won in the second half of the scheduled Twelve Rounds.

The main undercard bout features stand out amateur Robeisy Ramirez continue his pro career.

He has bounced back from a debut defeat and Ramirez is clearly on a fast track to the top of the Featherweight Division, but this is not going to be an easy test against the undefeated American Abraham Nova.

Both will feel this is a step up in their level of competition, but the feeling is that Ramirez has the skills to edge past Nova in what should be a very good undercard bout. He has made up for that sole loss on the record by beating Adan Gonzalez over Six Rounds, and I just think he will flash at times to impress the judges, although the Boxing Pick will solely come from the main event.

On Friday evening, we have the latest of a series of boxing events that are going to be shown on UK terrestrial television that are being promoted by Wasserman Boxing.

It is the chance to try and build some big local names and two fighters are on the same card in Liverpool looking to put a spark back in their careers.

Both Josh Kelly and Nathan Gorman were earning some big headlines before devastating Knock Out losses on their resumes.

Josh Kelly certainly had a big reputation and looked to be fast tracked into the World Title scene, but after a fifteen month lay off during the Covid pandemic, he was obliterated by David Avanesyan in Six Rounds. The feeling was that the fight was coming too soon, but the manner of the loss would have really hurt and he has not been out since that defeat in February 2021.

He returns having had an opponent pull out of a bout at the last minute last month, but Josh Kelly is now operating at the Light Middleweight limit. You have to expect he is going to be given an opponent that can help shake off some of the ring rust, although they have picked Peter Kramer who has been pulled down from the Middleweight Division.

Peter Kramer has fought a couple of times in the UK over the last ten months and took opponents to the cards on both occasions, although those were over Six Rounds and this has been scheduled for Ten. His two previous stoppages have come pretty early, but one of those was in the Fourth Round against Sam Eggington and it may take Josh Kelly a little bit longer to really get his timing and feeling back in the ring.

The layers expect an early night, but Josh Kelly may need a little longer than that and I think it is worth a small interest in this one getting a few Rounds under his belt before finding a Stoppage somewhere in the middle of the contest.

Nathan Gorman's career has really stalled since his early defeat to Daniel Dubois and this is only his third fight since that defeat all the way back in July 2019.

It has been fifteen months since we last saw Gorman in the ring when he was beating Pavel Sour in the Second Round and he is fighting another Czech on his return.

Tomas Salek has won the Czech Heavyweight Title and defended that in a Ten Rounder on the cards against the aforementioned Sour last time out.

However, Salek should not pose too many problems for Nathan Gorman having been stopped in the Third Round by Kash Ali and I expect the fast hands of the British fighter to get this one done pretty quickly. If his promoters have any sense, Nathan Gorman will be fighting at least two more times in 2022, and perhaps even throwing a third fight, and the boxer himself has talked about getting into the mix in a deepish Heavyweight Division so will know he needs to be as active as possible.

I am not expecting too many problems for Gorman and I will look for this contest to end before the Fourth Round begins.

MY PICKS: Artur Beterbiev to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Josh Kelly to Win Between 5-6 @ 4.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Nathan Gorman-Tomas Salek Under Four Rounds @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2022: 24-36, + 20.86 Units (109 Units Staked, + 19.14% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 17th)

The last few days have been incredibly frustrating with at least one selection a day finding a way to lose a match they should have won.

It has meant a tough set of results being returned, especially when adding in some poor selections.

Things would have looked a lot different with those close calls going my way, but it is how it goes sometimes and there isn't much you can aside from sticking with the process.

Felix Auger-Aliassime - 1.5 games v Hubert Hurkacz: Over the last couple of years, Felix Auger-Aliassime has begun to make more of an impact on the ATP Tour, although I think he has joined up with Toni Nadal to try and bring a little more consistency to his game. He is young, and that is a factor, but losing concentration within matches makes progress through the early Rounds of any tournament a little more haphazard and could potentially mean Felix Auger-Aliassime is not able to produce the energy he needs to really rack up the tournament wins.

An all-around game has been developed by the Canadian and it has pushed him into the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time earlier this season.

Even now, Felix Auger-Aliassime will be heading into Wimbledon as one of the top Seeds and he has shown a very good game that is well suited to the grass courts throughout his career.

He has yet to win a title on the surface, but Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the Quarter Final in Wimbledon and he has made it through to the Semi Final at least in all five warm up events he has ever played on the grass courts. A win on Friday will keep that run going and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be confident even though he is facing an opponent who reached the Wimbledon Semi Final last season.

Hubert Hurkacz has a serve that should be a big weapon on the grass courts and he has always held a very high percentage of service games played on the surface. However, the World Number 12 has regularly struggled when it comes to the return and he has only broken in 11% of return games played on the grass this season.

That is a number that is perhaps lower than expected, but even in his run to the Wimbledon Semi Final, Hubert Hurkacz broke in 20% of his return games played in the tournament. Overall his return numbers need work on this surface and it does put some pressure on him to make sure he serves well and ultimately may be the reason he has a relatively poor win-loss record on the grass, especially taking away that run last year.

Two solid wins in Halle will have given Hubert Hurkacz confidence, but this has not been a great match up for him having lost both previous matches against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Polish player has yet to break the Felix Auger-Aliassime serve, although it should be noted that both matches were competitive and they have earned the same number of break points across those. A slight edge has been with the Canadian's return game, while has shown a bit more consistency on the return on grass courts in general compared with Hubert Hurkacz.

Last year they met in the First Round here in Halle and it resulted in a straight sets win for Felix Auger-Aliassime and I think he can match that in this Quarter Final.

Nick Kyrgios - 3.5 games v Pablo Carreno Busta: There will always be a lot of talk about the danger that Andy Murray will pose at Wimbledon having only just missed out on a Seed, but Nick Kyrgios is going to be right next to the former Champion as the unseeded player that none of the top players will want to face early in the tournament.

The Australian looks much happier in his personal life and that has been seen with a more focused approach to his tennis, although Nick Kyrgios is never that far away from having an argument with the umpire or the crowd.

It makes him a character that is going to be much followed throughout his career, but a focused Nick Kyrgios is a very dangerous opponent and has long shown an affinity with the grass courts. He played some strong tennis to reach the Semi Final in Stuttgart last week before being undone by Andy Murray, and Nick Kyrgios has headed to Halle with confidence that has shown up in his two solid wins here.

Beating Stefanos Tsitsipas from a set behind showed some of the new maturity from Kyrgios which has added to a strong game and he is going to be a big favourite to beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

While most will associate players from Spain with the clay courts, Pablo Carreno Busta has had plenty of success on the hard courts in his career and putting two wins on the board in Halle means he deserves plenty of respect. In reality, the grass has perhaps not been his favoured surface and Pablo Carreno Busta may also have taken advantage of what has looked a pretty kind draw, but this is anything but that.

The Pablo Carreno Busta career numbers on the grass shows that his serve can be a little vulnerable on the surface, but the real problem has been having difficulty getting to grips with how to return. In the two wins this week, Pablo Carreno Busta has been serving pretty well though with 83% of his games being held, but he has also backed that up with breaks in 18% of return games to just edge his way through to this Quarter Final.

My feeling is that it will be much tougher to get into the Nick Kyrgios service games, while there has been an improvement on the return this week as the big points have been played well.

Nick Kyrgios is still a slightly underwhelming return player, but he may feel he can get into more of the Carreno Busta service games. In their two previous matches, Kyrgios has been able to do that by winning 40% of return points played and I do think the more natural grass player of the two will be able to come through with a win and a cover.

Marin Cilic - 2.5 games v Emil Ruusuvuori: The late finish on Wednesday could have an impact on the veteran Marin Cilic in this Quarter Final, but he is very adept at playing on the grass courts and as a former Champion at Queens Club, I am not expecting too many issues in recovery time.

The bigger issue may be facing a very competent opponent in Emil Ruusuvuori who has come through the Qualifiers and won a couple of matches in the main draw. The win over Feliciano Lopez in the Second Qualifying Round means Emil Ruusuvuori is already used to beating former Champions here, although the rest of the draw has worked out pretty well for him.

This is a marked step up in terms of level of opponent too- Feliciano Lopez is very comfortable on the grass courts, but he is very much in the twilight of his career, while Marin Cilic is coming off a run to the French Open Semi Final on what is his weakest surface. The Croatian is a former Finalist at Wimbledon and the grass is a surface that he has always enjoyed having ten matches on it last year.

Marin Cilic has won his two matches in Queens behind an impressive serve and you may even have expected him to have a higher hold percentage than the 88% mark put together when you consider he has won 72% of points behind that shot. I expect that to be a key part of his tennis in the very hot conditions expected in London on Friday, while Marin Cilic has backed that up by breaking his first two opponents at least twice.

We know how experienced Marin Cilic is on the grass, but that is not the same for Emil Ruusuvuori who is enjoying this week. More than half of his career wins on the grass have been earned over the last week, while the Ruusuvuori serve has been working really well on the grass in the two tournaments has competed in over the last couple of weeks.

However, it has to be accepted that some of those numbers can be easily skewed by one or two really strong performances and I think that is the case for the Finnish player. I do think there is a proper player in Emil Ruusuvuori and one we will see competing in big tournaments throughout his career, but he was well beaten by Ilya Ivashka last week in Hertogenbosch and I do think the grass court nous of Marin Cilic is a huge challenge to face.

Both will be reliant on their serves, but the feeling is that Marin Cilic could find one or two more openings in this Quarter Final and that can see him edge to the cover in a tight win. The win over Lopez will give Emil Ruusuvuori belief in his tennis, but Marin Cilic is still playing at a really high level and that can see him play the big points efficiently to move through to another Semi Final on this surface at Queens Club.

MY PICKS: Felix Auger-Aliassime - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Nick Kyrgios - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Oscar Otte-Karen Khachanov Over 23.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Marin Cilic - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Filip Krajinovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Donna Vekic @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Simona Halep - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Shuai Zhang @ 2.30 Bet365 (2 Units)

Veronika Kudermetova @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ons Jabeur - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 16-19, - 10.56 Units (70 Units Staked, - 15.09% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 17th)

The first week on the grass courts was not a great one for the Tennis Picks, but at one stage it was looking a lot worse than it ended up being.

As I have mentioned at the time, the small sample of grass court statistics to back up the selections does make things a little more difficult to read, but that is something I am trying to factor into the Picks from this time of the season. There isn't a lot of time to get into rhythm on a grass court where matches can be won and lost very quickly, which is always a concern when you make any Picks, and it doesn't take a lot of breaks of serves to secure sets.

That is factored into some of the spreads that we will see over the next couple of weeks and it is something to consider.


This week we have the biggest events that are played before Wimbledon on the surface, but it looks like another potentially wet week all around. The usually warm June weather we expect to see in Europe has not materialised as most would have been hoping for and I do think there will be some delays in the days ahead.

In Halle those look like they will be coming later in the week, but in London and Birmingham we could see the early part of the tournament being affected by the weather. It will mean some players will be asked to play twice in a single day to maintain their push through the draw, which can be highly frustrating, but the hope is that better weather is to come by the time Wimbledon rolls around.


Monday does tend to be one of the slow burners at the start of the week in a new tournament, but there are quite a few First Round matches that have been scheduled with Qualifiers completed on Sunday. Below you can see my selections for the day as well as the updated season totals after a poor week for the Tennis Picks.


Steve Johnson v Philipp Kohlschreiber: The tournament being played in Halle comes in a week where a number of the bigger names on the Tour will be looking to get some competitive grass court tennis underneath their legs. Roger Federer is the top Seed in Halle, but it is a competitive draw and the chance for some really important Ranking points to be earned if putting a strong run together.

Both Steve Johnson and Philipp Kohlschreiber have to believe they are capable of performing effectively enough on the grass to have a chance of doing that. The winner is likely going to face Alexander Zverev in the Second Round, but that match looks as winnable as it can with the German being out of consistent form, and both Johnson and Kohlschreiber will have a lot of belief if they can get out of this match.

Neither had the week they would have liked in Stuttgart last week with an opening loss so there is some pressure for them to have a stronger week in Halle where there are more Ranking points available. I have to say I am a touch surprised with the prices and I do think the wrong player is being favoured in this First Round match, although it could be the factor of Kohlschreiber playing at home which is perhaps seeing him edge favouritism.

In their previous meeting on the grass it was Kohlscreiber who won too, but that was back in June 2017 and there has been some improvement in the Johnson game since then. Both players will be very keen to get plenty of first serves in play which will set them up to run through those games effectively, but it is Johnson who looks to be showing the superior returning that can make the difference in this one.

Returning serve on the grass has been ineffective from Kohlschreiber who won just 29% of points against the Miomir Kecmanovic serve last week. In 2017 the German broke in only 12% of return games and in 2018 that number slipped to 11%, while there has been a clear decline in Kohlschreiber's performances on that side of his game.

Over the last twelve months Johnson has broken in 21% of return games played on the grass and he was successful getting into the Gael Monfils service games last week. It won't be easy against the Kohlschreiber serve, but Johnson should have the slight edge when it comes to the return of serve and I think that makes the underdog an appealing player to back in this First Round match.


Gael Monfils - 2.5 games v Pierre-Hugues Herbert: Last week was a little disappointing for Gael Monfils in his Second Round defeat in Stuttgart, but the Frenchman is someone who is capable of playing on the grass courts. He will be expecting a lot better from himself when the Tour moves to Halle, although Monfils could have perhaps been hoping for a better First Round draw than facing compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

You would think Herbert's style would be well suited to the grass with his ambitions of getting to the net and being able to employ serve-volley tactics, but it hasn't really happened for him on the Singles court just yet. He was also beaten in the Second Round last week in his first grass court action of the 2019 season and Herbert needs to find a way to get a little more out of the serve.

In 2017 Herbert was holding just shy of 80% of the service games he played on the grass, but that number slipped a little bit in 2018 and he was broken too many times last week in Hertogenbosch. Breaks of serve on the grass courts should be a rarity if you are on top of your game, but Herbert was broken at least twice in each match played and that puts pressure on what is a limited returning game.

The two matches last week is a very limited sample as Herbert actually had some success on the return, but in the last couple of years it has not been a strength for him on the grass. I do think he could have some joy if Gael Monfils is not able to improve his own standards from what he showed in Stuttgart, but the higher Ranked Frenchman has also shown he can get his teeth in return games and I do think he can make enough balls back in play to put Herbert under pressure.

Last week might have just been a poor week for Monfils whose serve has been much more effective on the grass in 2017 and 2018. I think he should have more chances of getting through those games against an opponent like Herbert and Monfils' return should prove to be a decisive factor in being able to help him through to the Second Round with a good looking win on the board.


Robin Haase-Alexander Zverev over 21.5 games: The final match on the opening Monday in Halle sees the German Number 1 take to the court as Alexander Zverev tries to get his season turned back around. It has been a difficult couple of months for Zverev who has struggled with the kind of consistency we would have come to expect from him.

A defeat to Dustin Brown in Stuttgart last week is not a good look for Zverev as he is just having a difficult moment when the critical point in matches has been reached. He couldn't take the break points that he was creating in that match, but the serve has been a shot that has yet to really push on and give Zverev the chance to keep opponents off of him too.

Alexander Zverev has got plenty out of his serve on the grass courts in the last couple of years, but I would be concerned with the amount of break points Brown was able to earn last week. In this First Round match in Halle Zverev is taking on a limited returner in Robin Haase too which is why he is such a big favourite to progress to the Second Round, but Haase can't be coming into the match without any belief.

The Dutchman is a former title winner on the grass courts and he is someone who has given Zverev plenty to think about in previous matches between these two. In the last eighteen months Haase has won two of the three matches between himself and Zverev, and he has had enough joy in the return of serve to think he has a chance in this match.

Those previous matches have largely been competitive affairs too and I do think Zverev's current form is going to mean he is needing to dig deep to win the match. I would be a touch concerned with the relatively poor service numbers that Robin Haase has produced on the grass courts in recent years, but he is someone who can play very well on the surface when finding his best form and I can see both players being in a position to win the sets.

With every chance of seeing three sets I am going to look for the total games line to be surpassed. Even a competitive straight sets win for either player should see this number of games covered on a grass court and that is going to be my selection from this match.

MY PICKS: Steve Johnson @ 2.37 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Gael Monfils - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Robin Haase-Alexander Zverev Over 21.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Joao Sousa @ 2.20 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Fernando Verdasco + 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)
Marin Cilic - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Johanna Konta - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Season 2019: + 70.87 Units (1002 Units Staked, + 7.07% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (June 17th)

This has been a very strong week for the Tennis Picks and I have a couple to round off the tournaments as I look to put an exclamation mark on the week.

It has been a busy day all around which means I will simply place the Tennis Picks from the four Finals set to be played on Sunday below.

MY PICKS: Kirsten Flipkens @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Richard Gasquet - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Boyle Sports (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 21-10, + 16.94 Units (62 Units Staked, + 27.32% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2017- Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev (June 17th)

In a week when the 'super-fight' between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor was announced, the hardcore boxing fan will know a true 'super-fight' is being displayed this weekend as we get to see Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev go at it for a second time.

The controversy from the ending of the first fight which saw Ward pick himself off the canvas to secure a Unanimous Decision has bothered Kovalev ever since the scores were announced. After threatening to retire, Ward did eventually come to the right decision to offer the former unbeaten Champion a chance for revenge and this should be another barnstormer.

I mentioned Mayweather vs McGregor which has been scheduled for Saturday 26th August and I can understand the anger from some in the boxing fraternity. If you love boxing you know this is nothing like the competitive fight that some are suggesting and Mayweather should win easily, likely by stoppage as McGregor tires and is outboxed.

While this isn't the big fight like we have seen throughout 2017, it is a huge event which is likely to put together a decent undercard for the fans to enjoy.

The main event is just that... An event.

And I won't say 'I refuse to watch this circus show' which has been a line I have seen repeated over the last few days. Instead I will watch for the event that it is, and just accept that the two participants have got together to make a lot of money and I can't criticise them for that. Enough people still believe McGregor is going to 'shake up the world', but this would be the biggest upset in any sport if an amateur is able to beat Mayweather despite the two year absence from the ring the 40 year old has had.

First things first, let's get on with the picks from the really competitive fights where two pros are taking on one another.

Tyron Zeuge vs Paul Smith

I like Paul Smith and it would be nice to see him fulfil his dream of being called a World Champion.

However I do think Smith's best days are behind him and I would not be surprised if he was to call it a day at the end of this latest effort to win a World Title.

This is the third time Smith has been given an opportunity to win a World Title, but he has been picked by Tyron Zeuge who is the WBA 'regular' Champion after stopping Giovanni De Carolis and defending the belt once already. Zeuge's team have picked Smith as the chance to show their man is ready to really compete with the very best Super-Middleweight fighters out there and the fact that he is taking on a British fighter may make it easier to create a fight with the likes of James DeGale, George Groves and Callum Smith, Paul's brother who has his own World Title shot in September.

Groves is the 'Super' Champion of the WBA strap and is promoted by the same Sauerland brothers that the 'Super' Champion is which makes that a potentially easy fight to arrange.

For Zeuge to be mentioned alongside those bigger names in the Division, he will have to match the stoppages DeGale, Groves and Andre Ward have had against Smith. There is no doubting the toughness of Smith, but Joe Gallagher protects his fighters and I would not be surprised to see a situation where he prevents Paul Smith from taking too much punishment later in the fight.

I think that is going to be the outcome and a late stoppage for the home fighter to announce himself on this stage. Paul Smith has been stopped when stepped up a level and while I am not sure Zeuge is quite there, I think he will force the stoppage at some point either via referee or corner.

Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev

Anyone who is serious about boxing and looking to the big fights of 2017 will have had this one right at the top of the list for some time. Ever since it was announced that Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev would be doing it all again after their controversial first fight I have been looking forward to this one.

I had the first fight down as a draw when I scored it on the night so I am not surprised that whoever lost would have been unhappy with how things had played out. It was a really tight fight but I think the knock down Kovalev scored in the Second Round should have been enough for him to avoid a loss, but the Russian just didn't step on the gas in the second half of the fight as he should have done.

The feeling from the majority of fight fans is Ward will make this one a little more certain in his favour as he wins by a wider margin on the scorecard.

However it does feel like those people believe Kovalev has lost his mind and is fuming and ready to go all in at Ward. Doing that will lead to inevitable mistakes, but I don't think Kovalev will make those mistakes as he is an established boxer who is blessed with power.

Kovalev is a better boxer than people think because of that power and I don't think he will be worried about the refs if he can impose himself a little more. It did feel like Kovalev lost the first fight more than Ward won it, although he could have easily been on the right side of the decision, and I think Kovalev will want to push Ward backwards more than he did in the second half of the fight.

Some think he needs the Knock Out against an opponent who will make some fine adjustments which makes him such a quality fighter. Ward will like to mix in the rough stuff with the boxing and I am not buying that he is really looking to KO the bigger and stronger man.

I picked Kovalev to win the first time these two met and I think he will be able to channel his frustration from the way the first fight into a positive. I'll look for Kovalev to just do a little more in the second half of the fight than he did in November and I will look for the Russian to set up the possibility of a rubber match by earning the nod from the three American judges this time around.

MY PICKS: Tyron Zeuge by KO, TKO or Disqualification @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Sergey Kovalev by Decision or Technical Decision @ 4.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Tennis Picks 2017 (June 17th)

This has been a solid week for the tennis picks and I am hoping the last two days of the tournaments can also ensure that a winning week is put together.

Friday has been a busy day to write up a full thread, but I have some picks from the Semi Final matches to be played across the tournaments which you can see below.

MY PICKS: Feliciano Lopez - 1.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Benoit Paire @ 2.38 Coral (2 Units)
Ana Konjuh - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 15-11, + 5.78 Units (52 Units Staked, + 11.12% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2016 (June 17th)

This week has been another busy one for me which means the tennis picks have not been coming as frequently as usual. Heading over to France for Euro 2016 is the main reason I have not been around for the first four days of the week, although it does seem the weather has been playing havoc with the events that were set for this week.

The opening picks didn't have much success and I am looking to turn this season around at the end of the grass court season to take into the hard court campaigns going into the US Open. The last twelve months have proved difficult for the tennis picks, but I will redouble the efforts to make sure that turns around going forward.

Hopefully we will get through the matches expected to be played on Friday with plenty of rain around London and Halle, and it could be a stop-start kind of day.


Marin Cilic - 3.5 games v Steve Johnson: A place in the Semi Final is waiting for the winner of the Marin Cilic and Steve Johnson Quarter Final and both players will feel they have played well enough this week to get into that position. Out of the two players, Cilic looks the more comfortable on grass, although Johnson will be very pleased with his two upset wins this week.

The grass should be a surface on which Johnson is comfortable with a decent serve and a big forehand, but he hasn't always produced his best on these courts. He doesn't have a lot of strong results to call upon on this surface in the past and Johnson has had a difficult time on the Tour this season which he is hoping he can turn around this week.

Marin Cilic will feel his own grass court pedigree can help him past this opponent as he has a decent return of serve which can zip through the faster surfaces. His own serve should put Johnson under pressure in this one and I think Cilic will prove a little too good for Johnson once he begins to read the return of serve.

I am a little concerned that Cilic is capable of throwing in a terrible service game which can be difficult to recover on the grass, but I think he will ultimately prove too good. After getting through some tough moments, I like Cilic to come through 75, 64 in this one.


Andy Murray - 5.5 games v Kyle Edmund: It had been ten years since Andy Murray last played a player representing Great Britain before his win over Aljaz Bedene in the Second Round. Now he gets to play another as he meets Kyle Edmund in the Quarter Final and it will be interesting if Murray feels any sympathy for his Great British colleague and perhaps takes away some of the focus.

However Murray will be well aware of the rain expected in the area and he might not want to spend as much time on the court as usual in case of delays. He actually returned very well against Bedene and he might have won by a more comfortable margin if playing a couple of big points a little more effectively here and there.

Edmund is a decent player, but he is yet to really turn it on at the highest level and he is still finding his feet on the grass. He had lost seven in a row on grass prior to his win over Gilles Simon in the First Round and Edmund is going to have to be even better if he is to beat someone like Murray who has to be considered in the top three best grass court players in the world.

I expect Murray will have a chance to pressure Edmund's serve and I think he will eventually have too much experience and quality for him. Andy Murray can extract errors from the Edmund game and I believe he will come through with a 63, 63 win.


Gilles Muller + 1.5 games v Bernard Tomic: The grass courts should be a very good surface for Gilles Muller to play on, although the one concern is how much he has left emotionally after a tough Second Round win over John Isner. That was won in the third set, although Muller didn't have to spend a lot of time on the court, but the physical effort might not have been as taxing as the mental aspect of winning back to back tie-breakers.

Muller will need to be at his best as he looks to back up a strong run to the Final in Hertogenbosch last week, but he has previous in this match up having won all four previous matches against Bernard Tomic. The last of those was back in January 2015 so the head to head isn't too relevant, and Muller does have a lot of tennis in the legs which has to be an issue.

However I am not all that convinced about Bernard Tomic who has been sloppy behind his serve and was convincingly beaten by Nicolas Mahut last week. His two wins have been impressive enough this week, and Tomic has had strong results on the grass, but someone like Muller can put a lot of mental pressure on the Australian if he is serving well.

Tomic has not been able to cope too well with mental pressures through his young career and I think Muller has every chance of winning this match outright. If he serves well, he can get a couple of breaks of serve and I do think Muller can be backed with this number of games behind him.


Marcos Baghdatis v Alexander Zverev: There wasn't a lot of success on the grass in 2015 for Alexander Zverev, but 2016 could begin very differently in Halle. He has two wins already to reach the Quarter Final but this is a big test for him against Marcos Baghdatis who is very comfortable on the grass.

You would think the Zverev serve will make him dangerous on this surface, but I also think his movement is perhaps not as comfortable as on other surfaces. Another issue might be the bounce of the ball with the tall Zverev perhaps unable to get down to some of the balls off the court, while he is still finding his consistency off the ground.

Those are areas in which Baghdatis will feel he will have success, but he will also have to serve well to keep his opponent at bay. The Cypriot has two solid wins this week against tough players like Tomas Berdych and Dustin Brown and serving well has already been a key for him so it looks like something he can build upon in this match.

Last year it was Baghdatis who beat Zverev in straight sets on the grass. This match might be a little closer, but I still believe Baghdatis will win it and I will back him to do so.


Roger Federer - 4.5 games v David Goffin: A run to the Semi Final in Stuttgart might be seen as a disappointment for Roger Federer who made his return to the Tour last week. On the grass he will expect to win any tournament he enters and Federer is back in another Quarter Final this week although there is room for improvement.

The biggest weakness since Federer returned to the Tour has been his return game which has not been as effective as the former World Number 1 would have been looking for. Some of that is down to the level his opponents have produced on a usually fast surface, but Federer won't have that excuse in this one.

As much as I respect David Goffin as a player, he doesn't have the serve that will blow his opponents off the court. That serve should allow Federer to build his rhythm on the return and try to add to his four wins against Goffin in the past, especially if the latter is not upping the level from his first two wins.

Goffin is a decent grass court player as he showed by pushing Stan Wawrinka all the way in a three set loss at Wimbledon last year. The Belgian also reached the Final in Hertogenbosch last season, but Federer is a really bad match up for Goffin and I do think the 17 time Grand Slam Champion comes through with a 75, 63 win.


Dominic Thiem - 1.5 games v Philipp Kohlschreiber: On Monday, Dominic Thiem and Philipp Kohlschreiber completed their Stuttgart Final which had been delayed by the rain. On Friday they will meet in the Halle Quarter Final and I am looking for Thiem to frank his win over Kohlschreiber with another one on Friday.

There wasn't a lot between the players in the Stuttgart Final, but I am a big fan of Thiem and I think the younger player can handle all the tennis he has been playing better than Kohlschreiber. It has to be said that the veteran has played well so far this week having come so close to winning the title in Stuttgart, but he had to dig deeper to beat Ivo Karlovic after being pushed into a third set.

It will be another close match with little between these players- Thiem will be looking to dominate behind first serve again and also use his superior movement around the court to perhaps make a big difference.

This will potentially go three sets again, but I expect Thiem to take more of the chances than he did in Stuttgart and will look for the Austrian to keep his good run of form going.


Andreas Seppi - 2.5 games v Florian Mayer: Two veterans of the ATP Tour meet in the Quarter Final here in what has otherwise been difficult seasons for them. For both Andreas Seppi and Florian Mayer this has to be seen as a big opportunity to get into an ATP Tour Semi Final as well as picking up vital World Ranking points that will come with that.

Both players have gotten past one of the Seeded players this week although in different ways- Seppi beat David Ferrer while Mayer was given a walkover by Kei Nishikori, but those results have opened up the draw.

There will be some eye catching rallies in this one with Mayer using a lot of variation in his play to extract errors from Seppi, while I think the German has the stronger first serve. On the other hand I can't ignore the fact that Seppi has dominated the head to head between these players and is a very decent grass court player.

I am expecting some slicing and dicing from Seppi to try and match what Mayer is bringing to the table and I think the Italian will be able to record yet another win over him. It might go three sets, but I like Seppi winning this one 46, 63, 64.

MY PICKS: Marin Cilic - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Andy Murray - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Gilles Muller + 1.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Marcos Baghdatis @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Roger Federer - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Dominic Thiem - 1.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Andreas Seppi - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-5, - 8.34 Units (12 Units Staked, - 69.5% Yield)