Boxing Picks 2022- Jesse Rodriguez vs Wisaksil Wangek (June 25th)

There really isn't anything more you can say about THAT Artur Beterbiev performance that hasn't already been said over the last week.

I think many would have predicted that Beterbiev's power will eventually prevail against Joe Smith Jr, but the latter is teak-tough so to see him obliterated in two Rounds is stunning to say the least. You have to believe that Artur Beterbiev will be moving up the pound for pound list, while he reminded everyone that he is still the man to beat in the Light Heavyweight Division even after Dmitry Bivol's strong win against Canelo Alvarez.

Unlike Bivol, Artur Beterbiev crushed a legitimate Light Heavyweight Champion and I would still favour him over Dmitry Bivol, although any Undisputed Title clash looks to have to wait until 2023 at the very least.

Both Russian fighters will likely be heading to the United Kingdom before the end of the calendar year to clear away some mandatories and Dmitry Bivol may still be in line for a rematch with Canelo, a much more lucrative fight than risking it all against Artur Beterbiev. We will see how it all shakes up with those fighters over the course of the next twelve months, but I will say that all British fans should be looking to see the two Light Heavyweight Champions if they do end up on these shores.

This weekend we have an absolutely stacked card coming out of Texas where three World Titles are on the line (would have been four, but for an injury to Julio Cesar Martinez) and the top of the bill looks like a really good fight.

We also have a card in the United Kingdom earlier in the night which is headed up by Sam Eggington and Adam Azim as Sky Sports and Boxxer continue to build the profile of their new look stable.

Jesse Rodriguez vs Wisaksil Wangek

A few months ago, Wisaksil Wangnek had to withdraw from the latest fight between four in the Super Flyweight Division who have given the fans plenty of entertainment over the years.

That opened the door for Jesse Rodriguez to not only move up in weight, but on short notice and the 22 year old became the youngest active World Champion when beating Carlos Cuadras on the cards.

He knocked him down on his way to that victory and it has meant Jesse Rodriguez has decided to stay at this weight and defend the World Title he won in February. Some may have opted to take an easier test, but Jesse Rodriguez has underlined his character by giving Sor Rungvisai his shot that was missed a few months back.

A former World Champion, Wisaksil Wangek has the big wins over Roman Gonzalez that brought him to prominence and also holds a victory over Juan Francisco Estrada. He did lose the rematch with the Mexican having made a strange decision to box from the orthodox stance, but it was a close fight and three relatively easy wins have been earned at a lower level since then.

He is 35 years old now and you do have to wonder how much is left in the tank, but this does feel a big step up for Jesse Rodriguez.

The win over Carlos Cuadras is a respectable one, but there were other factors to consider- for starters he had not been in the ring for sixteen months since being stopped for the first time in his career by Juan Francisco Estrada. He had also been beaten in half of his previous six fights and I think Sor Rungvisai would have done a pretty strong number on him if they had faced off as scheduled.

In saying that, it is a win that will have given Jesse Rodriguez confidence and another win here will set him up for some more huge fights in the months ahead. He may see the Estrada win over Wangek as the blueprint to follow, but I would be surprised if the veteran gets his tactics as badly wrong as he did that day and instead I think he will go back to the tried and tested methods which saw him win a World Title against a future Hall of Famer and defending it very well too.

Bam Bam is going to be a force for years to come in and around this Division, but I still think Sor Rungvisai has something to say in the Super Flyweight ranks. His experience could be key and his physicality will be something that Rodriguez has not faced before and I just feel the former World Champion is being dismissed a bit too easily for my liking, at least by the oddsmakers.

We should see Jessica McCaskill retain her World Titles, but there isn't much in the prices that makes anything appealing. The likelihood is she will win a Unanimous Decision on the cards, but the layers have priced that up very short and instead my focus is on the World Titles being defended in the Super Bantamweight Division.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev is defending his World Titles against Ronny Rios, who has only been beaten by the best, and MJ is looking for a win that may set up an Undisputed bout at this level against Stephen Fulton.

We have seen him called out by Fulton following the American's win over Daniel Roman, but Murodjon Akhmadaliev has to focus on himself and make sure he remains a World Champion.

MJ took the World Title from the aforementioned Daniel Roman, and I do think he will have too much power for Ronny Rios.

The latter has won four in a row since being stopped by Azat Hovhannisyan and it is perhaps the win over unbeaten Diego De La Hoya which has pushed him back into this position. However, Ronny Rios has been beaten when stepping up to this kind of level and has twice been stopped, while the 32 year old may not have the resistance he once did.

I don't want to dismiss Ronny Rios easily, but I do think Akhmadaliev will be able to produce a statement win to put himself in a position to call out Stephen Fulton behind a win someway around the middle of this fight.

We have a number of younger fighters on the card in Coventry on Saturday night and many of the fights are expected to be one-sided, showcase short of deals.

Adam Azim has a big reputation and is expected to win another bout in impressive style as he continues his climb in the professional ranks, but the layers are expecting a very early night too.

His opponent looked like he couldn't wait to get this fight over and done with and I think you can back Azim to win very early and start to fulfil Shane McGuigan's hopes of seeing his talented fighter put a streak of KOs together.

Further Picks from this card will come from Dylan Cheema and Sam Eggington headlined bouts.

After winning the Boxxer Tournament and signing up with the promotion and Sky Sports, Dylan Cheema is ready to really get his career going. He is going to be well backed by the promotion, but also the Sikh and Punjabi community and there is an excitement about what and where Cheema can go.

He is fighting Stu Greener who has lost eight of his twelve pro bouts, although 'Little Canelo' is coming in off a victory. Three of the eight defeats have been in stoppages in the first two Rounds and that includes losses to unbeaten Mark Chamberlain and Adam Azim.

We don't really know the kind of power that Dylan Cheema possesses with a single stoppage in five wins, but he is spiteful enough and I think Greener has been picked as someone he can physically impose himself on.

With a build towards a huge domestic fight with Azim likely being set up, I think it is worth a small interest in backing Dylan Cheema to win this one in the Second Round to match The Assassin's win over Greener.

I also like Sam Eggington's chances of beating an unbeaten opponent who has never fought outside Poland and who will not be used to the kind of output and stamina that Eggington will put on him from Round One.

Przemyslaw Zsyk has only been Ten Rounds once before and this fight has been scheduled for Twelve Rounds- I am not sure he will be ready to deal with the pressure that Eggington can put on opponents and I think the 28 year old can win this one inside the distance.

His up and down career makes it hard to fully know how much Sam Eggington will have left if he does get up to the World level, but I think he is going to be given every chance to do that. I expect his all-action pressure to break down Zsyk and a Stoppage can be earned.

MY PICKS: Wisaksil Wangek to Win @ 5.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Murodjon Akhmadaliev to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.75 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Adam Azim to Win in the First Round @ 2.37 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Dylan Cheema to Win in the Second Round @ 5.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Sam Eggington to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Boxing 2022 Update: 25-38, + 19.86 Units (114 Units Staked, + 17.42% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2022 (June 25th)

The four tournaments being played in three different venues will come to a conclusion on Saturday as the attention has firmly turned to the end of the grass court season.

Everything culminates with the third Grand Slam tournament of the 2022 season as Wimbledon is set to begin on Monday and it looks like we will have two largely dry weeks in South West London.

I will have fuller thoughts on the two draws and potential winners in the Day 1 Picks for the tournament that will get underway soon, but this thread is focused on the conclusion of the warm up events with four Finals scheduled to be played on Saturday.

After a mixed Friday, I am only focusing on the two WTA Finals to be played in Eastbourne and Bad Homburg before my own attention also shifts to Wimbledon. It has been a solid week for the Tennis Picks and one I am looking to round off with a flourish.

Petra Kvitova v Jelena Ostapenko: The two time Wimbledon Champion has come into form at a good time, although I am never convinced that winning a tournament in the week prior to a Grand Slam is the best timing. In saying that, Petra Kvitova needed to pick up some confidence and I am a little surprised to see her set as the underdog in the Final in Eastbourne.

I have to credit the defending Champion Jelena Ostapenko for producing a strong week and she has long been an effective grass court player. The former French Open Champion has a big, aggressive game that is well suited to the surface and Jelena Ostapenko has enjoyed considerable success on the grass courts.

Her numbers have backed that up in recent seasons on the grass, but there is no doubting how much Petra Kvitova enjoys playing on the green stuff herself.

The consistency has been lacking over the last twelve months, but Petra Kvitova has found her serve this week and she has some strong wins behind her. The Semi Final victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia is particularly impressive considering how well the Brazilian has been playing on the grass and Petra Kvitova will feel her serve can at least contain some of the aggressive returning that will be produced by Jelena Ostapenko.

She is also getting plenty of first serves in play to make things a bit easier, while Jelena Ostapenko's first serve percentage will need to be significantly improved to avoid having an aggressive Kvitova get after the second serve. If the firsts are landing, Ostapenko can play first-strike tennis in a Final that should see both players looking to get on the front foot and pile the pressure on their opponent.

I do think that is where the high percentage of first serves landing will give Petra Kvitova an edge, although Jelena Ostapenko has been the stronger returner of the two.

Jelena Ostapenko looks to be peaking in time for the Final, but Petra Kvitova has only faced two break points since her Third Round win over Katie Boulter. I think that is key to the outcome of this one and I think Petra Kvitova will overturn a tight loss to Jelena Ostapenko from their sole meeting in 2022 which came on the hard courts in Dubai.

The Czech lefty was unfortunate that day, but I think she is playing well enough to earn the edges in this Final and can win as the underdog.

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 games v Caroline Garcia: The benefit of having a walkover in the Semi Final will have helped Bianca Andreescu in winning this Final, but I also think she has been playing the stronger grass court tennis of the two competing.

I am a little biased towards Bianca Andreescu as a big fan of her tennis, but her numbers have backed up a decent run on the grass courts and I think she could have a strong impact at Wimbledon next week. That will be the focus for the Canadian, but she will also be aware that Angelique Kerber used a title win here to reach the last four at Wimbledon last year and so winning the Bad Homburg tournament could be a huge boost for Bianca Andreescu.

She is up against Caroline Garcia who needed almost three hours on court to win her Semi Final on Friday, while it cannot be ignored that the fortune has been on the side of the Frenchwoman in her run to this Final.

I have to credit Garcia for playing the big points as well as she has, but the margins are tight and she will need to overcome some fatigue, emotional and physical, to be able to win the big points in this one too. Running out of energy will be a tough obstacle to overcome for Caroline Garcia against someone like Bianca Andreescu, while the serve will have to be working as it has been in the last couple of Rounds.

Caroline Garcia has saved twenty-four out of twenty-eight break points faced in her last three matches, but it is hard to imagine her continuing to get out of those jams consistently. In the Final she will be facing a player who has found at least three breaks of serve in every match played on the grass in 2022 and Bianca Andreescu has put a lot of pressure on her opponents by winning 46% of return points played on the surface over the last month.

Her own serve can be a little inconsistent, but Caroline Garcia is not exactly the most dominant of return players and I do think Bianca Andreescu can contain her threat. In her three wins here this week, the former US Open Champion has only been broken three times and has faced just ten break points, which is fewer than Caroline Garcia had to face in just her Quarter Final match alone.

With the additional time to rest, Bianca Andreescu looks like she has all the tools to win her first title since that aforementioned US Open in 2019 as the Canadian begins her climb back to the kind of level she belongs amongst the very elite of the WTA Tour.

MY PICKS: Petra Kvitova @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Bianca Andreescu - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 33-26, + 6.06 Units (116 Units Staked, + 5.22% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2019 (June 25th)

After a very good week that came to an end on Sunday, this week has started in a positive way for the Tennis Picks.

Two more winners were put on the board on Monday, although I was very fortunate with the one involving Jelena Ostapenko. Anastasija Sevastova pulled out of her match with Daria Gavrilova, but the other two selections both were affected by the rain and will have to be completed on Tuesday.

I will say it is going to need something special from Elina Svitolina to turn around her position against Alize Cornet and that is simply to win the match. It is unlikely that she will cover and thus being the first losing selection of this week, while Nicolas Jarry and Pablo Cuevas will begin their match having just missed out on taking to the court on Monday.


Some of the players in the WTA tournament are going to have to play twice on Tuesday to keep the event in Eastbourne on track for a Saturday conclusion, but the weather doesn't look great in the morning and matches are likely going to be pushed back to Wednesday. We should still see enough tennis to ensure the majority of those scheduled for Tuesday are completed, but it is looking a very busy day with a delayed start very likely.

I am adding some selections from the matches to be played in Eastbourne on Tuesday here and I will be hoping those are all able to be completed on the day.


Johanna Konta - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: This is going to be the third time Maria Sakkari and Johanna Konta are going to face each other in 2019 and the previous two matches have both needed three sets to determine a winner. However the previous two matches have been on a hard court (Konta won) and on a clay court (Sakkari won) and this time they play on the grass where the British Number 1 should be the more comfortable of the two players.

Back in 2015 Johanna Konta made her first really memorable impact on the Tour when she put a run of wins together in Eastbourne. Her home tournament has been one that Konta has enjoyed over the years and she does tend to produce much better results than when she plays in Birmingham in the lead up to Wimbledon.

Last week Konta suffered another relatively early loss in Birmingham, but she was a strong winner in the First Round here on Sunday. The British player is one of the best grass court players on the Tour and Konta gets a huge amount out of her serve that can put any opponent under pressure.

She faces Maria Sakkari who also had a strong win in the First Round and who came close to beating then World Number 1 Naomi Osaka in Birmingham last week. The Greek player does not have the stand out numbers, but she has the mentality to come through difficult moments and win matches she perhaps shouldn't be and that makes Sakkari dangerous here, especially with the way she has challenged Konta in their two previous matches in 2019.

Maria Sakkari does not get as much out of her serve on the grass as Johanna Konta does, but she is someone who can be very effective once she builds some momentum. The serve is decent enough to cause problems for Konta who has to show some better returning if she is going to win Wimbledon over the next three weeks, but I also think Johanna Konta is going to run through some of her service games.

It does have the making of a kind of match that will see some twists and turns, but the key difference is that I believe Johanna Konta is someone who can win a set with a double break of serve compared with Maria Sakkari. The latter has played well in her two matches with Konta this season, but I think the grass gives the British player a distinct advantage and I will look for her to win and cover the number.


Simona Halep - 2.5 games v Su-Wei Hsieh: It was not the kind of clay court season that Simona Halep would have wanted and she failed to defend the title she won at the French Open in 2018. The Romanian has also dropped down to World Number 7 in the latest Rankings, but revenge is going to be a motivating factor for her on Tuesday when she faces Su-Wei Hsieh.

Last year at Wimbledon Simona Halep created 23 break points against Su-Wei Hsieh but she was not able to take the chances as well as she would have liked and it was Hsieh who earned the upset. For a first match on the grass courts this is a difficult one for Halep who will know she is not going to get the rhythm she will like, but instead Halep is going to have to deal with the slice and dice game Hsieh brings to the table.

The Hsieh return on the grass courts has been a key factor for her successes in recent years as a Singles player. With the slice the ball stays low and it can be very difficult for players to dig those balls out when Hsieh is willing to get to the net and put away volleys.

In her two matches with Halep, Hsieh has also created plenty of opportunity on the return of serve too so this is a match that is expected to feature a lot of break points between the two players. As I have said above, a first match on the grass is a difficult prospect for anyone and Halep is coming in off a disappointing clay court portion of the season when she is expected to be at her best.

However I will also add that Halep is very comfortable on the grass courts and has had some strong results on the surface before. The Romanian has one of the strongest returns on the WTA Tour and I do think Simona Halep will win out when it comes to the number of break points being created.

It does make the handicap mark perhaps a little harder to get a grip of, but I think Halep can cover even in a three set win. Su-Wei Hsieh is a player that can frustrate anyone she plays when at her best and I hate opposing her with big spreads, but this is not one of those numbers and I will look for Halep to win and cover.


Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 games v Andrea Petkovic: Injury issues have affected Caroline Wozniacki's 2019 season on the court, but she comes to Eastbourne as the defending Champion. She will be very happy being back in the surroundings where she picked up a title, but Wozniacki will also be beaming having recent tied the knot with NBA player David Lee.

A comfortable win over Kirsten Flipkens will be a boost for Wozniacki who had suffered a First Round loss at the French Open. Being back at an event where she won the title will help her get build on the win over Flipkens, although I am a little concerned about the overall health of Wozniacki.

There is room for improvement for Wozniacki who did not win as many points behind her first serve as she would have liked in the First Round, but she did protect the second serve and returned very effectively. Caroline Wozniacki is going to need to show she can step up another level when she takes on Andrea Petkovic who has upset Daria Kasatkina in the First Round.

The German has long had to battle against her health which has seen her drop to Number 70 in the World Ranking having previously reached the top ten. Andrea Petkovic has simply not been as comfortable on the clay courts as Caroline Wozniacki and her second serve has been a serious vulnerability that can keep Petkovic under real pressure.

These two players haven't met since 2015 so I am not sure you can read too much into the head to head, although the fact that Wozniacki has won the last five matches can't be completely set aside. One of those was on the grass courts and I do think Wozniacki is the superior player on this surface as long as she isn't suffering from playing on Monday and being asked to come back out twenty-four hours later.

On the day the difference could be how well each player does on the second serve and I think that is an area where Wozniacki can edge the key points. This is a very big spread when you think of how Wozniacki has been struggling to put the wins together in 2019, but she is the better grass courter and I think her style of play will break down Andrea Petkovic over the course of a couple of sets.


Feliciano Lopez v Pierre-Hugues Herbert: The career looked to be on the downward spiral that would have had Feliciano Lopez contemplating retirement as he slipped outside of the top 100 of the World Rankings. However he will have a completely different mindset after winning the title in Queens for the second time in three years and that has actually seen him rise 60 odd places to Number 53 in the World Rankings.

He was also partnering Andy Murray in the Doubles last week and Lopez picked up another title in that format of the game too. It does mean he has played a lot of tennis over the last seven days and that is perhaps why he is such an underdog in this First Round match in Eastbourne which is played on Tuesday afternoon.

At 37 years old it will have taken a toll on Lopez, but he is facing an opponent in Pierre-Hugues Herbert who reached the Semi Final in Halle last week. The Frenchman is also someone who participates in the Doubles and will be partnering Andy Murray at Wimbledon, but his Quarter Final defeat in that format of the sport last week means he has not been taxed with as much tennis as Lopez has had to play.

In saying that I do think Lopez is someone I want to continue to back having had as much success getting behind the Spaniard last week. In recent years he has been able to back up strong runs to produce another on the grass courts n back to back years.

Feliciano Lopez reached the Final at Queens in 2014 and then won the title in Eastbourne the following week. In 2017 he won the title at Queens after reaching the Final in Stuttgart in the previous week and I do think the grass courts give Lopez the chance to run through his service games without expending as much energy as he would have to on other surfaces.

Over the last couple of weeks Lopez has held just under 95% of the service games he has played compared with Herbert's 82% mark. The Spaniard has also had a slightly superior return game and in recent years we have yet to see the best of Herbert on this surface as a Singles player.

This has also been a difficult match up for Herbert who has broken in just under 3% of return games played against Lopez across three previous matches against him. At the same time Lopez has broken in 10% of return games and i want to back the underdog who has had the superior grass court pedigree of the two player as well as the advantages on the numbers against each other.

I am not ignoring the amount of tennis Lopez had to play last week, but I think that is factored into this price and I will back the Spaniard to win the match.

MY PICKS: Johanna Konta - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Simona Halep - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Feliciano Lopez @ 2.37 William Hill (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 3-0, + 5.14 Units (6 Units Staked, + 85.67% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2018 (June 25th)

The build towards the third Grand Slam of the Tennis season continues this week with a big event in Eastbourne the highlight of the week before Wimbledon begins in seven days time.

This week the Qualifiers for Wimbledon will take place over the few days before the draw for the tournament is made on Friday, but the main attention will be on Eastbourne where a men's and women's event take place.

On Sunday I got this week off to a positive start after two strong weeks on the grass courts have helped put the season in a strong position. Keeping the momentum going through to Wimbledon would be the perfect way to head into that Slam where the Tennis Picks come thick and fast and hopefully I can round of June with some more positive results.

The winning selection came from the WTA event being played in Eastbourne and I am sticking to that tournament for my Tennis Picks on Monday too.


Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 games v Sachia Vickery: This is a pretty big number when you think of the inconsistent performances Aryna Sabalenka has produced on the grass courts, but I think she will beat Lucky Loser Sachia Vickery in the First Round in Eastbourne,

Playing on the grass courts is a tough learning curve for some players but Sabalenka has shown enough to think she is good enough to win a match like this one.

The serve is an effective weapon for her on this surface and Sabalenka has been good enough to beat the kind of players that tend to operate at the same level as Vickery. The 2-2 record on the grass courts in 2018 means Sabalenka may be lacking some confidence, but the general level she has been playing at is at least one step above Vickery's and I do think she can serve herself into a position to win this match with some comfort.

Her opponent is in as a Lucky Loser and that can make Vickery dangerous, but she has to find better consistency at this level. While her overall numbers have not been too bad, Vickery has struggled when going up against players in the top 100 of the World Ranking.

Vickery's serve has been a real weakness in those matches and I think that could be a problem for her in this match even if she is facing an opponent in Sabalenka who has not really returned as well as she would have liked on the grass. I am expecting better from Sabalenka in this match though and there has been an improvement on the percentage of return points won compared with 2017 on the grass.

This is a tough number as I have mentioned, but Sabalenka should be able to earn a break more in each set of a straights win.


Mihaela Buzarnescu - 3.5 games v Shuai Peng: The lack of grass court experience looked like it could be a problem for Mihaela Buzarnescu at this time of the season after a stunning rise up the World Rankings. However there have been no excuses made by Buzarnescu about inexperience and she has had a good month on the grass already.

Losses to Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova are not bad ones for Buzarnescu who has produced a 5-2 record on the grass after a good showing at the French Open. She upset Elina Svitolina in Paris and has done the same on the grass and you have to think confidence is very high.

That could partly be down to what have been some very strong numbers on the grass courts over the last month. The Buzarnescu serve has been very effective and that has allowed her to free up on the return of serve where she has produced some very good totals in the last month.

Buzarnescu will have to be at her best to beat Shuai Peng who is very comfortable on the grass courts, but who is making her first appearance on the grass in 2018. That may have had something to do with the injury Peng was carrying at the French Open and if she is less than 100% healthy for this match it is going to be a very difficult one to win.

In recent years Peng has been consistent on the grass courts and she is someone who has a decent serve and strong returning. I absolutely have to have respect for that, but Buzarnescu has been playing very well and looks to be healthier than Peng going into the First Round match.

That is enough for me to favour an in-form Buzarnescu to win this match and find the cover of a big number when they meet in Eastbourne.


Karolina Pliskova - 4.5 games v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: On first glance you would say this is a big number considering how talented Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is, but the grass courts have not been her favourite surface in recent years.

That might be a surprising statement when thinking back to 2016 and noting Pavlyuchenkova reached the Quarter Final at Wimbledon. However that was a run filled with surprising wins for the Russian and the numbers have backed up the feeling that Pavlyuchenkova is not as convincing on the grass courts as she is on other surfaces.

The serve is a big weapon for Pavlyuchenkova on the grass and she returns better than you may expect considering the general poor record on the surface. That bodes well for her, but the match up with Karolina Pliskova is not one she has enjoyed and that may be the case again on Monday.

It is Pliskova who has won all five matches between these players and she has also won all ten sets competed in those matches. In only one of those matches has Pavlyuchenkova won more than six games against Pliskova and even in the exception she only reached seven games as she has struggled to cope with the big serve possesses by Pliskova.

Pliskova is the defending Champion in Eastbourne and she has performed well at this tournament and on the grass as a whole in recent years. The loss to Magdalena Rybarikova last week in Birmingham would have been an irritation, but Rybarikova is a solid enough player on the grass courts to be a defeat that should not overly concern Pliskova.

I would expect the Pliskova serve to be much more effective in this match and she has really begun to get her teeth into the return of serve on the grass in the last couple of years. With the strong head to head against Pavlyuchenkova I think Pliskova can be backed to continue her dominance of this rivalry and I believe she will be good enough to cover the big looking number at an appealing price.


Caroline Wozniacki - 3.5 games v Camila Giorgi: You can't deny the kind of talent Camila Giorgi possesses, but I do wonder if she is willing to put in the kind of work you need to do day to day to really fulfil the potential she has. In my opinion she should be much higher up the World Rankings as she possesses a powerful game, but inconsistent results continue to prevent her really making a big impact on the WTA Tour.

The Italian is a dangerous opponent though and she has regularly raised her game when facing some of the biggest names on the Tour and she can do that on some of the biggest courts in the world. That should mean Giorgi is not overawed at all by the occasion of taking on Caroline Wozniacki who has won one of the two Grand Slams that have been completed this season.

Giorgi holds two wins over Wozniacki too and she is facing a player who has yet to have a competitive match on the grass courts. She has produced some solid numbers on the grass courts over the last couple of years which makes her a player that has to be respected, but even with all that in mind I am leaning towards Caroline Wozniacki winning this match and covering the number.

The former World Number 1 may have lost a couple of matches to Giorgi, but she has won two matches against her and both of those have come on the grass courts. Both wins came in pretty dominant fashion for Wozniacki and she should also not be too concerned about playing her first grass court match here in Eastbourne as that has been the norm of her schedule in recent years.

Wozniacki has a very strong record in Eastbourne and was a Runner Up here in 2017 while her overall numbers on the grass courts are pretty good. Unsurprisingly Wozniacki has some strong return numbers on this surface like she does on many others, and what can sometimes be a limited serve is effective enough too which helps Wozniacki rack up the wins on this surface.

The only concern is Wozniacki makes a slow start in her first match back on the grass and Giorgi is able to take advantage and pull clear. However I think Wozniacki will weather the Italian storm and then take control of this match and I like her returning ability to be the difference maker at an event she has regularly enjoyed in recent years.


Kristyna Pliskova - 4.5 games v Harriet Dart: I am backing Kristyna's twin sister Karolina to win and cover a big number in Eastbourne on Monday and I think Kristyna will be able to do the same.

There is no doubt that Kristyna Pliskova has not been able to match the kind of success Karolina has had on the Tour, but she has a big serve and that is a strong weapon on the grass courts. Her service numbers have made good reading, but it is up to Pliskova to show a little better when it comes to the return of serve if she is going to have deep runs on this surface.

While I expect the return game to be the reason this Pliskova sister is not going to be a big threat at the tournaments ahead, I do think she is good enough to give Harriet Dart some real problems.

The young British player is yet to really have a consistent time on the Tour and she is perhaps a little fortunate to have been given a Wild Car into the main draw in Eastbourne. Dart has not played a lot of grass court tennis this summer and she is someone who has struggled with the return of serve which is not going to be improved when facing someone like Pliskova.

Dart's own serve should not be one that puts Pliskova under enough pressure and I think it will be one of the better returning days from the Czech player. While a big number when you think of the limited return game of Pliskova, I think the match up should be a good one for her and I will back her to cover here.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Mihaela Buzarnescu - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Karolina Pliskova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Kristyna Pliskova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 1-0, + 1.82 Units (2 Units Staked, + 91% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2017 (June 25th)

We have reached the Final of the four events that began last Monday and there looks to be some quality matches on show throughout the day.

At the same time we will get to see the beginning of the tournaments that are played next week which begin earlier than usual so they can complete it in time for Wimbledon which is now only eight days away from beginning.


The Saturday results were a mixed bag for the tennis picks with the frustration of seeing Lucie Safarova pull out of her Semi Final when a set and a break down to Petra Kvitova.

The week has been a mixed one in general, but one that could have been a lot worse.

All will be decided on Sunday as I look to secure a winning week before heading into the final grass court events prior to Wimbledon beginning. The picks next week might not be as frequent as I am not a big fan of the tournaments in the week immediately before a Grand Slam, although I am sure some decent picks will present themselves at the strong WTA event in Eastbourne this week.


Alexander Zverev + 2.5 games v Roger Federer: This doesn't feel like a lot of games to oppose one of the best grass court players of all time with, especially not one who has won all of the big tournaments he has entered in 2017. However I am very behind Alexander Zverev being ready to make the kind of impact on the Tour that so many have expected of him and one of the dark horses for the Wimbledon title will have his odds slashed if he can win the title here in Halle.

Beating Federer in Halle won't be something new for Zverev who managed to do that in the Semi Final last year and my only real concern in backing him is that he has reached the Final of the Doubles here this year too. That means he has been playing a lot of tennis and Zverev has been pushed into a third set in his last two Singles matches here which might also have sapped some energy.

He is young enough to recover that though and Zverev has been producing some monster serving which was again on display when seeing off Richard Gasquet in the Semi Final. Once again Zverev came from a set behind to win a match, the second time in a row he has done that, but the numbers have to be offering him some encouragement.

The German has been returning effectively and protecting the serve with some heavy groundstrokes behind a big first serve and that should see him pressure Federer. The latter has played well on the grass as usual but Karen Khachanov showed what can happen when a young player comes out and looks to overpower Federer by having enough success to give Zverev confidence.

Like 2016, I can see this match heading into a third set to decide it and that is where these games could be very valuable. I think Zverev has every chance of winning the match, but I will look for the young German to keep this one competitive at the very least and will take the games behind a player who has been serving as well as Zverev has this week.


Marin Cilic - 2.5 games v Feliciano Lopez: In Halle we have one Finalist who has reached the Final of the Doubles as well as the Singles, and Sunday is going to be a busy day for Marin Cilic at Queens. He plays the Singles Final before having to compete his Doubles Semi Final and potentially playing the Doubles Final all in the same day.

Getting that much grass court tennis under the legs is going to give Cilic perfect preparation for Wimbledon where he will be a potential dark horse winner of his second career Grand Slam title. Cilic has been serving so well this week and his aggressiveness on the return of serve has given him the platform for a strong run in the draw.

He will be tested by Feliciano Lopez who has been serving wonderfully himself and both men come into the Final having allowed just one break of serve all week.

Where do I think the difference can be made? I think Cilic is some way stronger on the return of serve than Lopez, although the Spaniard can surprise people with the sliced return which can extract mistakes. However generally Cilic has shown he has been the more effective returner while beating and breaking the likes of John Isner and Gilles Muller.

Seeing Muller in the Semi Final was huge for Cilic as this will be the second big serving lefty he would have seen at Queens. That should mean Cilic is prepared for the different spins that comes from the lefty server and I think it will stand the Croatian in good stead. They've met here twice before and both matches have headed into the decider, which wouldn't be a big surprise in this one, but I think Cilic will find the breaks of serve to cover this number.


Alison Riske - 3.5 games v Alize Cornet: The final pick from the Sunday tennis matches will actually come from the First Round at Eastbourne where their WTA event will have a few First Round matches scheduled for today. I will be looking for the American Alison Riske to have too much for Alize Cornet who has struggled for consistency on the grass courts over the last couple of years.

While Cornet has some solid wins at Wimbledon, she has been terrible in grass court events outside of Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman is 2-11 in grass court matches outside of the Grand Slam event at SW19 and was beaten by Naomi Broady last week and now faces an opponent in Riske who is comfortable on the grass courts.

Riske has also matched up well with Cornet having beaten her three times and won each of the six sets they have competed. That includes a crushing win over Cornet in Eastbourne in 2015 and I think Riske is going to be too good for her again.

It hasn't been a great grass court season for Riske so far with a couple of early exits behind her, but the draws haven't been too kind to her either. In 2016 Riske had a lot more success on the grass courts than she has had in 2017, but I like her serving ability on this surface and Riske will also be able to put Cornet under pressure on the return of serve.

I can see Riske continuing her run of successes against Cornet with a 6-4, 6-3 win in the First Round in Eastbourne.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev + 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Marin Cilic - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Alison Riske - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 17-16, + 0.12 Units (66 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)

Copa America 2016 Final Pick (June 25-26)

Copa America 2016 Final Pick- Argentina vs Chile

The Copa America has been a fantastic tournament this year, even accounting for some of the controversies that have affected the results, and it is coming to an end this weekend.

The Final is the one most Argentinian fans would likely have wanted as they look for the ultimate revenge over Chile for their Copa America defeat last year. That came via penalties in the Final and even the two wins Argentina have since posted over Chile won't have done enough to erase the memory of yet another defeat in a Final.

It is an important game for Argentina.

Going twenty-three years without a trophy in which time Brazil have won two World Cups and reached the Final of another is not good enough considering the talent Argentina have been able to call upon. Some may argue this is the most talented squad of that time, although I tend to favour the 2002 and 2006 teams that should have done better at those World Cup Finals.


The Final is played on Sunday, but before that we have the Third/Fourth Place Play Off between the United States and Colombia. I am not a big fan of this game simply because you have to try and read between the lines regarding the motivation of players who have missed the big prom and are being consoled with a one person party in their own bedroom.

However it is perhaps a big game for the hosts to underline a successful tournament and show they are ready to prepare for the World Cup in two years time and go into that event as a genuine threat.


Saturday 25th June
United States v Colombia Pick: The third/fourth place Play Off in any tournament is perhaps one of the harder games to work out as you simply don't know what kind of motivation teams are bringing into that match. For the United States as the hosts there has to be a little more behind them to right the wrongs of the performance in the loss to Argentina in the Semi Final, while a third place finish would be a big achievement for Jurgen Klinsmann and his squad.

On the other side of the field will be the disappointed Colombia team who are still in touch of their best finish at a Copa America since winning the competition in 2001. That is a consolation prize at best for Colombia who expected to reach the Final following a positive start to the Copa America and they also have to pick themselves up from the manner in which they lost the Semi Final.

Going behind 0-2 after eleven minutes would be a huge mental blow for Colombia who will feel a better start might have paid off in that Semi Final with Chile. They dominated much of the rest of the game, but Colombia also had to put in a lot of physical work on a heavy pitch which may affect their performance here.

How much energy have the Colombian team got left against a United States team that will have a number of suspended players back in the starting line up?

I am leaning towards the United States to win this game with a little more motivation behind them, but the bigger lean is towards goals, or a lack of them anyway.

The layers are expecting an attacking game, and that may be the case, but I do wonder if Colombia have had a lot of energy sapped in their last game. The United States should look to be a lot more solid at the back than they were in their defeat to Argentina and so this might be a game that has chances but perhaps not the finishing of earlier in the tournament.

4 of the last 6 between these nations has seen under three goals shared out, while one of the exceptions saw the third goal scored in the 87th minute. Earlier in the Group we saw Colombia beat the United States 0-2 and odds against quotes for fewer than three goals looks tempting enough.


Sunday 26th June
Argentina v Chile Pick: Revenge might be on the mind of some of the fans on Sunday as Argentina take on Chile in the Copa America Final for the second time in the last twelve months. The players are likely to be more focused on winning their first major international trophy since 1993 having already earned 'revenge' twice over Chile since that defeat in the Final last year.

The 2-1 win in the Group doesn't highlight the dominance Argentina had in that game, although Chile will say they are more confident now. That defeat meant Chile had lost 5 of 6 games, but they have won their last 4 in the Copa America and have beaten both Mexico and Colombia in the last two Rounds.

Those wins look better than the Argentina wins over Venezuela and the United States, and Chile might feel they are more prepared for the Final.

However Argentina have looked like a team on a mission through the last month and this is a team that missed Lionel Messi in the first win over Chile. Messi is on fire and Argentina have scored at least twice in every game in the Copa America and will feel they have the physical edge having played a day before Chile and the latter also had to deal with a heavy pitch in their Semi Final.

Chile were given a bit of a chasing in that game against Colombia and I am a little worried that they might not have the legs to stay with Argentina. Going forward they should have chances against this backline and I am expecting a better Final than we saw in the 2015 Copa America which ended goalless.

The edge has to be given to Argentina to win this time around though and I think they can do that in normal time. They are scoring plenty of goals and I think the team are focused and relaxed while also winning on the schedule to earn an extra day of rest. As long as Argentina can hold back the mental pressure of winning their first trophy since 1993, I like their chances of doing that in this Centenario competition.

MY PICKS: United States-Colombia Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.30 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Argentina to Win @ 1.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Semi Final Final: 1-1, + 0.10 Units
Quarter Final Final: 2-2, + 0.20 Units
Group Stage Final: 11-12, + 3.45 Units

Tennis Picks 2015 (June 25th)

We are now just a couple of days away from the Wimbledon draw and that means the tournaments in Eastbourne and Nottingham have reached the Quarter Final stage. Both have been interesting tournaments, but there have been a bunch of strange results this week as players have perhaps begun to look ahead to performing at the next Grand Slam of the season.

However, the remaining sixteen players left in Eastbourne and Nottingham must now be looking at their chance to win a title so the expectation is that the focus is a lot clearer in the remaining three days to give the winner some momentum to take into Wimbledon.


Marcos Baghdatis - 2.5 games v Simone Bolelli: Simone Bolelli had to dig deep to come through his Third Round match against Adrian Mannarino and he has beaten Marcos Baghdatis in their two previous matches. That includes a thumping in the First Round of the Masters in Miami, but I think the grass courts can allow Baghdatis to come through with his first win over the Italian.

It hasn't been a great grass court season for Baghdatis even if the surface should be one the Cypriot favours, but he is playing with more confidence this week. There is no doubting that Baghdatis is a player that has to be feeling good about himself if he is going to put together wins and I think that confidence can help him even if Bolelli won their last match comfortably.

Bolelli did have a very good win over Adrian Mannarino after struggling for a set and a half to get into the match, but he has to be more consistent behind his serve. Hr has played some very solid tennis this week and Bolelli will be a real threat if he can start to read the Baghdatis second serve, a shot he might see far more often than Baghdatis would like.

If Baghdatis is able to look after the serve, I think he has played effectively off the ground to think he can find a way to create break point chances. The first set could be incredibly tight, but I think Baghdatis finds his way to a 76, 64 win.


Gilles Simon - 1.5 games v Sam Querrey: I was interested to see how Gilles Simon would react to the eighth longest three set match in ATP history in his win over Marcel Granollers, but he proved effective with a straight sets win over Joao Sousa.

The Frenchman has admitted that he is very pleased with his form going into Wimbledon, but he won't want it to end here against the dangerous Sam Querrey who is yet to drop a set this week.

The big serve of Querrey is a huge weapon on the grass courts, but Simon has a real ability to get plenty of balls back in play and showed he can frustrate big servers in his win over Milos Raonic at Queens last week. Simon couldn't handle the Kevin Anderson performance, but Querrey isn't playing with the same confidence the South African was and I also think the head to head is important to note.

These players might not have met on grass before, but Simon is 4-0 against Querrey including 3 wins on the hard courts. Pablo Cuevas showed that Querrey can be troubled if the rallies are extended and that is a key for Simon who can replicate that but with more confidence on the grass courts than Cuevas had.

It might need three sets to separate these players, but the Frenchman can continue a strong grass court season by reaching the Semi Final here.


Alexandr Dolgopolov - 1.5 games v Yen-Hsun Lu: Both players had an impressive win on Wednesday in their Third Round matches, but I think it will be Alexandr Dolgopolov who is more likely to move into the Semi Final in this match with Yen-Hsun Lu.

The Dolgopolov win over Dominic Thiem was much more expected than Lu's surprisingly comfortable win over Feliciano Lopez, but both men should come into this match with plenty of confidence.

I don't always know what to expect from Dolgopolov and his inconsistency is a big reason he has not maintained his position inside the top 20 in the World Rankings. While Lu won't really move much from the level he provides on the court, Dolgopolov is just as likely to play like a top player as he is to play like someone who has never picked up a tennis racquet in their life before.

Dolgopolov can be a very awkward customer on the court with his slices and flat shots not a common sight for opponents. Lu has struggled to deal with him in the past and I think the Ukrainian can move into the Semi Final after a three set win.


Tsvetana Pironkova + 3.5 games v Agnieszka Radwanska: There were signs in Nottingham a couple of weeks ago that Agnieszka Radwanska might be turning around a poor 2015 season by her standards. A disappointing defeat in the Semi Final of that tournament might have dented some confidence, but Radwanska has been in fine form this week in Eastbourne too.

The Pole has won two very good matches this week without really breaking a sweat, but I am expecting Tsvetana Pironkova to test her to the fullest.

Radwanska might be a former Finalist at Wimbledon, but she was a fairly consistent player across the board, while Pironkova really has saved some of her best performances for this surface. Wins over Sam Stosur and Dominika Cibulkova in the last couple of Rounds should show the confidence Pironkova has on the grass courts as she had suffered lots of defeats to those two players before this week.

Her power on the grass comes through with the flat shots off the ground fizzing through the court and Pironkova could have a lot of success attacking the Radwanska serve. The Bulgarian might be 2-10 on the head to head with Radwanska, but one of those wins came on grass and the four previous meetings on this surface has seen Pironkova be very competitive three times.

The slight dip in the confidence levels of Radwanska has to be a worry for her fans and Pironkova is playing well enough to keep this very competitive with three tight sets likely to be required to separate the two players.


Belinda Bencic - 3.5 games v Johanna Konta: You'd probably never guess that I think Johanna Konta should be Ranked much higher than her current 146 World Ranking, especially as I am going to go against the British player for a third time this week.

It hasn't been much fun the first two times as Konta continues defying the Ranking and the talent differential to beat players that will be disappointed with their performances. Garbine Muguruza just made too many mistakes when it came down to it on Wednesday, but she did drag Konta into a deep match and fatigue could play a part in this one.

Of course playing in front of her home crowd should provide Konta with a shot of adrenaline to get into this match against Belinda Bencic, a player she beat here in Eastbourne last year. However, this time Bencic comes into the match in much better form and her performances in this grass court season will have raised her confidence.

Bencic is a player that is set to reach the highest level in the women's game and she has had impressive wins over Madison Keys and Eugenie Bouchard, even if the latter had to retire when down in the second set. Her consistency is still being built up, but that is unsurprising for a player that is 18 years old, but Bencic has been performing very well over the last month having one Final under her belt at Hertogenbosch.

I have a lot of respect for the level of tennis that Konta has produced at times, but it is hard to imagine she can keep it up. Even though she beat Bencic convincingly last year, both players might come in with different levels of fitness this time and I think the young Swiss player finds a way to battle through and cover this number of games.


Sloane Stephens - 3.5 games v Daria Gavrilova: I was very impressed with some of the tennis that Sloane Stephens produced in a convincing win over Heather Watson on Wednesday and there is no doubt that Stephens is enjoying her best portion of the 2015 season. She will have to be on her game again if she is going to make the Semi Final this week as Stephens takes on Lucky Loser Daria Gavrilova who has taken full advantage of her fortunate path into the main draw.

It hasn't been easy for Gavrilova to take advantage of her luck to get into the main draw as she came from behind to beat Camila Giorgi, the Hertogenbosch Champion, and also needed three sets to see off Sara Errani. Sloane Stephens plays much more like Giorgi and will take note of how close she came to beating Gavrilova, although there is plenty of power off the Gavrilova racquet that will trouble the American.

This has already been a productive week for Gavrilova who had previously been just 3-4 on the grass courts, but she has to contain Stephens who made a fast start in her last two matches to take control. Some of the consistency she showed against Watson was impressive, but Gavrilova is likely to fight fire with fire and this looks a big hitting match.

Stephens just has the look of someone who is rediscovering her game and I think that helps make the difference in a good match as she comes through 75, 64.

MY PICKS: Marcos Baghdatis - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Gilles Simon - 1.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Alexandr Dolgopolov - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Tsvetana Pironkova + 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Belinda Bencic - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Sloane Stephens - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Weekly Update: 6-7, - 3.46 Units (26 Units Staked, - 13.31% Yield)

Copa America Quarter Final Picks 2015 (June 24-27)

The Copa America only eliminates four teams at the Group Stage of the competition so there is little surprise that all of the favourites remain in contention to win the tournament this year.

Chile have looked the most impressive of the teams making it through to the last eight, but they were also in a Group where their quality could be shown off. I would still be a little concerned with the manner of the goals conceded to Mexico in the 3-3 draw the hosts had against them, although Chile are in the weaker half of the draw and should think they are good enough to at least reach the Final.

Argentina remain the favourites, but narrow wins over Uruguay and Jamaica and a 2-2 draw with Paraguay doesn't exactly inspire confidence. However, Argentina fans will point out the tight wins in the World Cup last summer that took them to the Final, although they potentially have to beat Colombia, Brazil and Chile to win this tournament which is going to be far from easy.

I do have to say it is far from guaranteed that Brazil make the Semi Final as they have to take on a Paraguay team that beat them in the Quarter Final four years ago and who are unbeaten in the Copa America this year despite facing Argentina and Uruguay in the Group.

There won't be too many people rushing to back the likes of Bolivia and Peru to win the tournament, but Paraguay made the Final four years ago and you just never know in the Knock Out Stage of any competition.

Wednesday 24th June: Chile v Uruguay

The hosts have qualified out of Group A in a fashion that the fans would have expected, but the big story remains off the pitch surrounding Arturo Vidal and the drink-driving accident he had last week. However, the Chile national team have made it clear that they are going to stick by Vidal and the whole team responded with a resounding 5-0 win over Bolivia in their final Group game to top Group A.

That meant they were going to take on one of the teams that finished in third place in their Group, although I don't think many would have picked Uruguay to be one of those teams. After beating Jamaica 1-0, Uruguay were beaten by Argentina and could not hold on to a lead against Paraguay in a game where they had to settle for a point and finishing behind those two nations.

Knowing they were going to be without the services of Luis Suarez was always going to give Uruguay a problem in this tournament, but it is the changing of the guard in other areas of the squad that hasn't helped them. Uruguay might have won this tournament four years ago but the expectation wasn't there for them to do the same this time around as they rebuild a squad that will be able to make the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Replacing the Suarez goal output was another difficulty Uruguay had to resolve as he is such an integral part of the set up, while the Barcelona forward is also someone that can create space for others. It is little surprise that Uruguay have only scored twice in the Copa America in their opening three games without him and they have not shown a consistent attacking threat.

You have to feel a consistent attacking threat is the only way Chile are going to be stopped at their own tournament as they look to win the Copa America for the first time. They are in the weaker half of the draw with the likes of Argentina, Colombia and Brazil all in the other half and Chile have scored plenty of goals in the Group Stage to suggest they will make the Final. Chile scored at least twice in each of their games in the Group, although Uruguay is a much tougher defensive unit than they have faced.

Diego Godin will return to the starting eleven to strengthen Uruguay at the back, while Uruguay have not lost to Chile in their last four games at the Copa America. In fact Uruguay have lost just 2 of their last 6 visits to Chile and won a friendly here 1-2 last November so they won't be intimidated by the atmosphere in the Quarter Final.

With the recent success Uruguay have had here, it does make Chile look short in the market to win. All of the pressure is on the hosts to win the tournament and that also makes them a dangerous pick against a team that still has a lot of experience like Uruguay.

While Uruguay haven't set the world alight with their attacking football in the Group, I do think the layers are taking a chance with the odds against quote for at least three goals being shared. That happened in their friendly here last November, while Chile have scored plenty of goals in the Group and not always looked secure at the back despite two clean sheets.

It is a Knock Out tie too so spaces could potentially open up if one team is chasing the game and I think both teams will score in this one, although I just favour the hosts to have the edge.

Thursday 25th June: Bolivia v Peru

There wouldn't be too many hands raised if you asked for a show of hands of people who thought Peru would finish above Colombia in Group C... That number would be reduced significantly if asking for those who also thought Bolivia were going to make it into the Quarter Finals of the Copa America for the first time since reaching the Final in 1997.

I mean how could anyone possibly back a Bolivia side that hadn't won a game at this tournament since hosting the event in 1997? However, they broke that sequence with an incredible 3-2 win over Ecuador having gone 3-0 up by half time and essentially hanging on towards the end of the game, but that was the win that put Bolivia into the Quarter Final at the expense of Mexico and Ecuador.

Some may have looked at the 5-0 defeat at the hands of Chile as Bolivia's bubble being burst at the Copa America, but they decided to make changes to their team in that one having already qualified for the Quarter Finals. Now this Bolivia team should have more of a feel of that which earned four points from their first couple of Group games, although the expectation is that their tournament comes to an end here.

Peru have looked much stronger than Bolivia having barely been beaten by Brazil thanks to an injury time goal in their first game at the Copa America. They followed that up by beating Venezuela, the result which ultimately proved decisive for them, before Peru earned a goalless draw with Colombia to finish above the latter in second place in Group C.

They have played well but two goals from their first three games has to be a worry, particularly the lack of composure shown against Venezuela despite having a man advantage for 70 minutes of that game. Peru have also won just 2 of their last 7 games so it does look a very short price having them at odds on to win this game, especially when you add the recent head to head with Bolivia.

Of course Bolivia have only won 2 of their last 19 games heading into this Quarter Final, but they have lost just 2 of their last 6 matches. The games with Peru have been tight in recent years and the last four have all ended in draws including in both World Cup Qualifiers played a couple of years ago.

The last two times they have played at the Copa America have also both ended in draws and Bolivia showed enough in their first two games of this tournament to think this will be far from easy for Peru. One problem for Bolivia would be if they end up chasing this game as I am not sure they have enough to contain Peru if they fall behind and whether they have enough attacking threat to get back into the match.

However, this has the makings of a game that might see both teams having to settle for the penalty shoot out to decide matters. The pressure of expectation on Peru might give them an issue and they don't look like a team that will score a lot of goals, while the recent head to head suggests this will be a much closer contest than the layers believe.

Friday 26th June: Argentina v Colombia

Out of the four Quarter Finals, this looks to be the 'biggest' as two of the top four favourites to win the Copa America meet earlier than expected. Argentina won Group B as expected, but Colombia were surprisingly one of the best third place finishers and that meant they had to be paired with the favourites in this Quarter Final.

It hasn't been the free-flowing tournament that Argentina fans might have expected from their side, but they remain on course to win their first major international tournament in over twenty years. After coming so close to winning the World Cup last summer, Argentina came into the Copa America tournament as the big favourites and wins over Uruguay and Jamaica helped them top the Group.

Both of those wins came by the same 1-0 scoreline, but Argentina's most disappointing result was the 2-2 draw with Paraguay as they allowed a 2-0 lead to slip in their opening game.

Lionel Messi has yet to really spark at the tournament, but Sergio Aguero has scored a couple of goals and is expected back in the starting line up having missed the game with Jamaica as a precaution. His replacement Gonzalo Higuain scored the winner in that game, but Argentina have to up their performance against a quality team like Colombia who have perhaps underachieved to this point.

That has shown up in the fact they have beaten Brazil, but Colombia could only manage a goalless draw with Peru which meant they had to finish in third place behind those two nations. Colombia were beaten 0-1 by Venezuela in their first game at the Copa America and they are looking to surpass the Quarter Final at the tournament for the first time since 2004.

Some of the criticism of Colombia has been the lack of goals despite players like Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez to call upon. One goal in three games is a disappointment, but Colombia may point out that they have only conceded one goal in those games too and will feel they can blunt what looks a very good forward line for Argentina.

It does look like a match that will be closely contested as both teams have looked to make sure they are defensively sound, but have perhaps not been as fluent in the forward areas as they would have liked. Argentina have looked the more threatening on a consistent basis through the tournament, but defensively they have looked more vulnerable too which makes this an intriguing contest.

There is no surprise that games between Argentina and Colombia have been so close in recent years and 2 of the last 3 have ended in goalless draws. That includes their meeting four years ago at the last Copa America which occurred in the Group Stage and penalties is a distinct possibility in this match.

I don't imagine there will be too many goals in the game as both teams have been more focused defensively and neither Argentina or Colombia will want to risk being exposed at the back against the vaunted attacks in front of them. I do give the edge to Argentina over the ninety minutes, but I think it is incredibly tight and this match might need penalties to decide it.

Argentina were beaten at this stage on penalties four years ago, but they have a strong record generally in penalty shoot-out matches and a small interest on them winning this on in a shoot out looks warranted.

Saturday 27th June: Brazil v Paraguay

The last time Brazil had to make do without Neymar at a major international tournament saw them embarrassed at the hands of Germany and the Netherlands, but they have decided to accept the suspension that was handed out to their captain and talisman. That means Brazil will have to win the Copa America without the services of Neymar as they get set to take on Paraguay in the Quarter Final of this competition for the second consecutive tournament.

Four years ago it was Paraguay who managed to come through the Quarter Final on a penalty shoot out after a goalless draw and they will be confident they can beat Brazil for the second tournament in a row. While Paraguay struggled in the World Cup Qualifiers, they have looked a strong team at the Copa America as they came out of a Group containing Argentina, Uruguay and Jamaica unbeaten.

The side found themselves 2-0 down to Argentina in the first game, but showed the heart and character Paraguay have by coming back for the 2-2 draw. The 1-0 win over Jamaica was harder work than they would have perhaps expected, but the 1-1 draw with Uruguay was enough for them to finish above Uruguay in Group B.

After seeing both Peru and Venezuela give Brazil some problems in the 2-1 wins for the latter, Paraguay won't be coming into this match with an inferior complex. Brazil were also beaten 0-1 by Colombia and they don't have the same look of a team that had won 10 friendlies in a row since going out of the World Cup last summer.

Whether that is down to the expectation on their shoulders or whether Brazil are simply still scarred by their last tournament experience is hard to judge, but Dunga is clearly struggling to get the best out of them in Chile. Now they are without Neymar, Brazil simply don't seem to have the same attacking threat and a team like Paraguay have shown they can cope with the best South America has to offer in their Group performances.

Despite the performances, Paraguay haven't done a lot of winning and I think it will be tough for them to win this one in ninety minutes. However, they have proven tough to beat in recent matches and have drawn 4 of their last 6 including those two games with Argentina and Uruguay.

It would be a bit of a surprise if Paraguay don't make sure they are tough to beat in this one too and hope to nick a goal, which they have managed in every game in the Group. However, I think they focus on trying to blunt the Brazilian attack that is missing Neymar and Paraguay won't be concerned about taking their chances on the shoot out after beating Brazil in that manner four years ago.

That was a remarkable shoot out with only 2/7 penalties being converted, but Brazil are unlikely to miss four straight again this time around you would feel. Technically the Brazilian players shouldn't be afraid of a penalty shoot out as they have shown through their history, while the Under 20 team won both penalty shoot outs at the Under 20 World Cup earlier this month.

Pressure does a funny thing though so it won't be guaranteed that Brazil can win what is often described as a 'lottery', but this could easily be the third penalty shoot out of the Quarter Finals.

MY PICKS: 24/06 Chile-Uruguay Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.38 Coral (2 Units)
25/06 Bolivia-Peru Draw @ 3.40 Sporting Bet (1 Unit)
26/06 Argentina to Win on Penalties @ 6.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
27/06 Brazil to Win on Penalties @ 6.50 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Quarter Final Update: 1-3, + 1 Units (5 Units Staked, + 20% Yield)

Group Stage Final: 5-12, - 6.20 Units (25 Units Staked, - 24.80% Yield)