Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 13th May)

The Rome Masters has reached the Quarter Final stage and there are several big names looking to win the first of potentially two big clay titles over the next few weeks.

Jannik Sinner is going to be the man to beat in Paris, but a wide open women's tournament here in Rome and at the French Open looks really interesting and one that will create the sporting drama that fans would all love to see.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Jessica Pegula: This is already looking like becoming the most productive year on the clay courts for Jessica Pegula who has moved into the Rome Quarter Final and has won nine of the ten matches played on the surface. A couple of those have been against top 20 Ranked opponents, which can only build the confidence, while the Third Round defeat at the Madrid Masters came at the hands of Marta Kostyuk, who eventually won the title in the Spanish capital.

The performances here in Rome are a real benchmark of the kind of successes the World Number 5 can have at the upcoming French Open.

She has reached the Quarter Final out in Paris before, but Jessica Pegula has one other Fourth Round run and so the wins she is putting on the board can only help as she looks to attack what feels like another wide open Grand Slam event.

Beating Iga Swiatek, the four time French Open Champion, would be a real statement of intent from the American.

Jessica Pegula has won four of the last six against Iga Swiatek, but one of those was on the grass courts and the others on hard courts and this will be only the second clay court contest between these highly Ranked players. The one previous occasion came all the way back in 2022 in the French Open Quarter Final and that was won pretty convincingly by Iga Swiatek on her way to a second title in the French capital.

We have yet to see vintage Iga Swiatek on the clay courts in 2026 and her Semi Final defeat in Paris, and the manner in which it ran away from her in the final set, will still be stinging. She has won five of the seven clay court matches played this season and Swiatek has produced very strong numbers, but a defeat to the World Number 9 Mirra Andreeva in Stuttgart suggests there is still a vulnerability about one of the favourites to win the next Grand Slam title.

This is something of a 'prove it' match for Swiatek, who will be keen to win the Rome title and just make a statement to her main rivals.

She is certainly the stronger return player on this surface and that is so important in clay matches, but the Iga Swiatek serve is to be respected and that should give her a chance to turn things around in the recent head to head.

Nothing is ever easy when facing a battler like Jessica Pegula, but the quality and confidence of Iga Swiatek on this surface should pay dividends at key moments within the sets.

The World Number 3 looks like a real potential winner at the French Open and she can be backed to make it through to the Semi Final in Rome with a big performance.

Casper Ruud - 4.5 games v Karen Khachanov: The hopes of winning a Grand Slam title remain high for Casper Ruud and his team, and the French Open may be the one tournament where he has his best opportunity.

The performances on the clay courts have remained strong and Casper Ruud is having a very strong run in the Rome Masters, which is laying a solid foundation for what can be achieved in the French capital. Not only has Casper Ruud won all three matches in the tournament, but he has done so in very strong fashion and wins over the likes of Jiri Lehecka and Lorenzo Musetti will have given Ruud a huge amount of confidence.

Next up is a Quarter Final against Karen Khachanov, who has had a much more battling run into this Round of the tournament.

In the past the World Number 15 has proven to be a solid competitor on the clay courts, and Karen Khachanov has reached the Quarter Final at the French Open twice. There had been little form produced before the Rome Masters as Khachanov had lost three of four clay court matches played, but three wins in a row will have rebuilt the confidence and this is a dangerous player when at his best.

The serve can be a big weapon for Karen Khachanov and he will need to employ that shot at a high level to just contain the threat coming from the other side of the net.

Out of the two players, Casper Ruud has been the happier return player on this surface of the two players contesting this Quarter Final and that may put the World Number 25 in a position to win the match and cover the spread set.

That slightly superior returning has been the key to Casper Ruud winning two of the three previous matches played between the players, although the most recent was won by Karen Khachanov last year on a North American hard court in the build towards the US Open.

The one sole clay court meeting took place in Rome in 2020 and was won by Casper Ruud in a back and forth battle- that was a tournament played in September, rather than May, and the difference in the conditions has to be noted.

However, the performances over the last several days suggest Casper Ruud is still playing well enough to earn another clay court win over Karen Khachanov. The spread is going to be tougher to deal with, but Ruud has looked very good at this event and that kind of level may be high enough to cover this handicap line.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 1.66 William Hill (1 Unit)

Casper Ruud - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

Rome Update: 4-1, + 2.28 Units (5 Units Staked, + 45.60% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 13 Pick 2026- Men's Final (Sunday 29th March)

It could be a final day in Miami which features a number of rain delays, but there is a hope that there will be enough of a window to conclude the Masters.

After Aryna Sabalenka completed the Sunshine Double, Jannik Sinner will be looking to do the same when the ATP Final is played to complete the first half of the hard court season.

His opponent has been in strong form over the last few days, but Sinner is the favourite and the expectation is that he will pick up the title when all is said and done,

And then it will be time for the clay court season.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Jiri Lehecka: The Miami Final has one familiar name lining up to take the title home, but credit has to be given to Jiri Lehecka for working his way through the draw.

He has been far from fortunate.

The World Number 22 going into the tournament, Jiri Lehecka will be setting a new career best mark on Monday regardless of the result. His live World Ranking is up to Number 14, which surpasses his previous best of Number 16, and an upset on Sunday would see the Czech player move into the top twelve.

He has had a solid fifteen months on the hard courts, but Jiri Lehecka's run in Miami has been special having yet to have his serve broken and facing just nine Break Points in the five wins produced in the tournament. The return game has always been effective enough for the hard courts and Lehecka will have the confidence of having dropped a single set in this Masters event.

There has been one top ten win produced in this run, but Jiri Leheckha has not beaten anyone higher than World Number 31 in the other four wins.

Suffice to say he is about to have a big step up in competition as he bids to stop Jannik Sinner from completing the Sunshine Double.

Another win over Alexander Zverev keeps the hold over one of the top players in the world, but Sinner was not at his very best on Friday evening.

It says plenty about this player that he still won and Jannik Sinner is playing like the best hard court player in the world, which has been the feeling around him for a couple of years. Carlos Alcaraz will have plenty to say about that statement having won the last two Grand Slams on the surface, but Sinner's numbers are really impressive and winning Miami after Indian Wells will give the Italian a huge amount of confidence to take into the clay court campaign.

In this tournament, Jannik Sinner has only faced six Break Points and been broken once, and he has been the slightly more effective return player.

He would have been a big favourite in the Final regardless, but those numbers make it very difficult to see how Jiri Leheckha gets the better of the World Number 2.

Four previous meetings on the Tour have all ended in Jannik Sinner's favour and two of those have been on the hard courts- there has been a huge gap in the service numbers in those two hard court meetings and Jannik Sinner should be able to get the better of Jiri Leheckha again.

The expectation is that he will have a couple more Breaks of serve compared with the lower Ranked player and that may be enough to cover this mark.

MY PICK: Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 

Miami Update: 19-17, + 0.93 Units (35 Units Staked, + 2.66% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 12 Pick 2026- Women's Final (Saturday 28th March)

The Miami Masters has proven to be a story of missed opportunities as yet more Break Points came and went in what turned out to be another fairly routine win for Jannik Sinner over Alexander Zverev.

The latter played better than he did in Indian Wells, but it was saving a single Break Point in one game followed by getting out of a 15-40 jam in the next that allowed Alexander Zverev to force a second set Tie-Breaker, which ultimately landed in the wrong direction for the German player.

We are about to head into the clay court season, but before that we have to see both Singles Finals completed.

The WTA Final goes up first on Saturday with the ATP Final on Sunday concluding this opening hard court run in the 2026 season.

While the majority of the top ATP players will then rest ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters in early April, the WTA takes in a clay court event in Charleston and plenty of experienced players will begin the clay court season there. In the past it has been a tournament that plays pretty differently to the European clay, but it is a big event with a 500 mark attached and that does mean seven of the current top 20 will be competing.

The clay court season does feel like it is long enough with the French Open beginning at the end of May, but the big tournaments come around very quickly and so players have to pick and choose their spots. The Madrid and Rome big 1000 events begin at the end of April through to the middle of May and at that point the majority of the big French Open contenders will take a break and prepare for what they hope will be a productive trip to Paris.

Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 games v Coco Gauff: This is going to be the thirteenth professional meeting between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff and the Miami Champion will end the night with a 7-6 lead.

It is the World Number 1 who has begun to get the better of Coco Gauff more often than not with four wins in the last six, but there is rarely a lot between the players and the slight adjustments made can turn things back around. There are perhaps some signs of that happening considering the last four between Sabalenka and Gauff have been split with two wins apiece, while the biggest win in that time is Coco Gauff's success in the French Open Final last year.

She is not just the home player in terms of this being played in the United States, but Coco Gauff was born in Florida and still lives there- this means having the local support and plenty of support from friends and family ahead of this big Final.

The run has been something of a surprise when you think the World Number 4 had to withdraw mid-match in Indian Wells and had some serious concerns about shooting pains in her arm. A MRI came back clear, but that would have reduced expectations in the second half of the Sunshine Double and it has already been a productive fortnight that will be concluded with a jump up to World Number 3 when the next set of World Rankings are released on Monday morning.

The overall level in 2026 has been a little below what is expected from Gauff, but she has looked stronger in the Miami event and that will help her confidence. The second serve continues to be a big weakness for the 22 year old as she continues to try and develop her tennis, but Coco Gauff has been able to cover up those issues by making more first serves and backing it up with solid returning numbers.

She is going to need all of that and more if she is going to upset the World Number 1 who has followed the title win in Indian Wells by producing high quality tennis here in Miami.

Aryna Sabalenka will be particularly pleased with getting the better of Elena Rybakina for a second tournament in a row after losing the Australian Open Final against the World Number 2, and the serve continues to put her in a strong position to win any match she plays.

There is room for improvement on the return with the numbers slightly below her usual level on the hard courts, but Aryna Sabalenka may feel her Semi Final win over Elena Rybakina is proof that everything is coming together just in time for another title to be secured.

Nothing ever comes easily against Coco Gauff and that is because the American can get plenty of balls back in play and neutralise rallies when at her best.

There have been signs of that in this tournament, but Aryna Sabalenka is playing at a much stronger level than most right now and the World Number 1 can complete the Sunshine Double with a solid win in the Final.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Miami Update: 18-17, + 0.21 Units (34 Units Staked, + 1% Yield)

Miami Tennis Day 2 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 18th March)

The Indian Wells Masters tournament was a great one for Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, but it was not a very good tournament at all as far as the Tennis Picks go.

Thing started poorly and the selections just did not rally as hoped, which was summed up by Sabalenka failing to serve out the Final, then miss five Break Points to have another shot at doing that, and only then to battle through the Tie-Breaker to take the title.

She won't care with the World Number 1 happy to get one over on Elena Rybakina and both players will join the rest of the Tour in Miami where the WTA event begins a day before the ATP.

Those two players will enter the tournament later in the week in the Second Round, but it is a tough switch with the courts in Miami historically playing quite differently to those in Indian Wells. The conditions are a lot different too and there are expected to be a fair few rain delays throughout the Masters event played here over the remainder of the month.

Aryna Sabalenka won the WTA title and it was a big week for Jannik Sinner who won the ATP title and picked up his first trophy in 2026 in what has been a difficult year so far.

Well difficult in terms of his own expectation levels and Jannik Sinner will be feeling much better about his overall game after winning the big title, while he can spend the next two months chasing Carlos Alcaraz in the World Rankings with nothing to defend until the French Open.

Like the top WTA players, Sinner and other Seeded ATP participants in Miami will join the tournament in the Second Round and this has the makings of another intriguing week on the Tour as the hard court portion of the season takes a break at the end of the event here.

Soon all of the attention will be on the clay court events in the build up to the French Open and that will mean another adjustment is needed to the criteria in narrowing down a shortlist.

After the last tournament, Miami is an important one to try and bounce back and pick up some momentum to take into the red dirt part of the season.

Ethan Quinn v Hubert Hurkacz: There was nothing wrong with the way Hubert Hurkacz played at the United Cup in the build up to the Australian Open and he won four of the five matches played in that tournament.

He carried that form through to an opening win at the first Grand Slam of the season, but things have gotten away from the World Number 75 and he has since suffered six straight defeats on the hard courts.

The serve always gives Hubert Hurkacz a chance to make things competitive on the scoreboard, but in this run of defeats, he has won one of the fourteen sets played. Hubert Hurkacz even decided to leave Indian Wells following another opening defeat and take part in a Challenger event to build up some confidence, but he was beaten by the World Number 94 and has taken another body blow.

His opponent in the First Round in Miami will receive plenty of support from the stands, but Ethan Quinn had also suffered three defeats in a row at Dallas, Delray Beach and in his first match at Indian Wells and so also decided to take in a Challenger event.

However, this time Ethan Quinn went on to win the title in Phoenix and there are a couple of solid wins on the resume in that run to the trophy that will have only added to the confidence of the 22 year old.

Prior to that Challenger event, Ethan Quinn had been struggling for form as well, but he will take confidence from the fact that he was able to beat Hubert Hurkacz in Melbourne in January.

The first two sets were very competitive in that Second Round match at the Australian Open and Ethan Quinn had to save a lot of Break Points, but he will be encouraged by the success he had against the Hubert Hurkacz serve. Winning 38% of return points will give the young American belief he has the tennis to secure another upset over the former top ten Ranked opponent and especially with the way things have been going for both players in recent weeks.

Ethan Quinn will have to just lift his serving numbers slightly to make sure he offers little encouragement to his opponent and he will also have to likely come through at least one Tie-Breaker.

None of that is going to be easy, but Hubert Hurkacz has not been playing well enough to be favoured when noting he has lost four of his last six hard court matches to opponents Ranked lower than himself when the match has been played. The Pole will serve effectively, as is always the case, but it is the younger player who can came through a tough match.

Denis Shapovalov - 2.5 games v Botic Van De Zandschlup: At 26 years old, there is still time for Denis Shapovalov to reach the kind of level that many felt he would after some very strong early successes in his career.

By January 2022, Denis Shapovalov had reached the Quarter Final in three of the four Grand Slams played with the exception being the French Open, but he has only reached the second week of a Major once in the next fifteen appearances in Slam tournaments.

Suffice to say that this is a big disappointment and Shapovalov is the World Number 38 having reached a career best of World Number 10 back in 2020.

There have been some signs that he may be returning to something like his best after a Semi Final run in Dallas and winning two matches in Indian Wells before losing to eventual Champion Jannik Sinner in the Third Round. Over the last twelve months, the Canadian has shown something different in his return games, although that has had a negative impact on his service numbers on the hard courts.

Despite that, it should be noted that Denis Shapovalov has a 16-8 record on the hard courts when facing a lower Ranked opponent over the last twelve months and that is the situation for him in the First Round in Miami.

Botic Van De Zandschlup reached the Third Round at the Australian Open and the Quarter Final in Rotterdam, but there has been too many losses around those runs.

On his day, Van De Zandschlup has a serve that can be very dangerous, but his return game has been limited and the three losses in a row cannot have done very much for his confidence as he slips down the World Rankings.

When these players last met in the 2024 US Open, it was Botic Van De Zandschlup who won as the higher Ranked player with Denis Shapovalov sitting outside of the top 100. Earlier that season, Shapovalov had beaten the same opponent at the Indian Wells Masters and the feeling is that on current form the Canadian can be backed to get the better of this opponent.

Dismissing Botic Van De Zandschlup's chances would be a mistake, but Denis Shapovalov may just do enough at critical moments in this match to edge past the Dutchman into the Second Round.

The slightly superior returning can make that difference in this match and that is how it feels like it will play out.

MY PICKS: Ethan Quinn @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Denis Shapovalov - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 74-62, + 9.27 Units (202 Units Staked, + 4.59% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 12 Picks 2026 (Sunday 15th March)

It did prove to be a difficult tournament to turn around after the two ATP Semi Finals were split 1-1, but that does not mean we move past the last day of the Indian Wells Masters.

The two Finals are both scheduled to be played on the day and both look like they could be very enjoyable for the neutrals tuning in.

A repeat of the Women's Australian Open Final and a Men's Final featuring two of the very best hard court players in the world can only be a positive and my thoughts can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: A repeat of the Australian Open Final will be played in the Indian Wells Final and both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have put together strong runs here.

Out of the two players, Aryna Sabalenka has been producing the higher level of tennis, but she has also struggled to get the better of this opponent.

In the last nine hard court matches between the pair, it is Elena Rybakina who has won seven times including in Melbourne in January. They met three times on the hard courts in 2025 and Rybakina won two of those, while the sole meeting in Indian Wells was also won in the Final by the World Number 3 in 2023.

All of that will give her a lot of confidence, but Aryna Sabalenka will feel she was very unfortunate to lose the Australian Open Final and the performances so far in the Indian Wells conditions will give her confidence in turning that form around. She has found it very difficult to read the Rybakina serve, but it was the World Number 1 who had more Break Points in the defeat in Melbourne and that is another reason Sabalenka can believe she has the game to get the better of this rival.

Aryna Sabalenka has been the much stronger server so far this week and she can certainly contain much of the threat from the World Number 3, although there is always that mental pressure to deal with.

That comes from the fact she has lost so many recent matches against Elena Rybakina, but the latter has not been nearly as impressive as the top Seed. That is not to say that Elena Rybakina has played poorly, but the wins have been in more competitive matches, even if that can sometimes be a help rather than a hindrance.

Both players should produce some good tennis in this Final, but the narrow edge is rightly with Aryna Sabalenka and she may just pick up a big title that gives her momentum to carry into the clay court season after a stop in Miami later this month.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Daniil Medvedev: The win over Carlos Alcaraz will have given Daniil Medvedev a huge amount of confidence and has also maintained what has been a really strong run of form being produced by the World Number 11.

He now takes aim at winning back to back titles and arguably the biggest one anyone can win outside of the Grand Slams when competing for the Indian Wells trophy.

Daniil Medvedev served really well in the Semi Final win and he is going to have to do the same if he is going to put together a rare tournament in which a player beats the top two players in the world in back to back matches.

Beating Carlos Alcaraz means Daniil Medvedev is more than capable of winning this Final, but there will be a lot of respect for the way Jannik Sinner is playing and the World Number 2 produced a dominant win over Alexander Zverev in the Semi Final.

No one is going to be surprised to read that Jannik Sinner has been serving well, but it is the aggressive performance on the return that has proved to be the key to the Italian reaching his first Final of the 2026 season. This week Sinner has broken in almost 40% of return games played and dealing with the very solid Alexander Zverev serve will mean he is not intimidated by what Daniil Medvedev can produce.

Jannik Sinner began his career by losing the first six matches against Daniil Medvedev, but he has now won eight of the last nine matches, including the last three in a row.

Eight wins in a row have been produced on the hard courts and Jannik Sinner would have covered what looks like a big line in the last four hard court matches played in a best of three set format.

During this eight match winning run on the hard courts, Jannik Sinner has held 90% of his service games compared with Daniil Medvedev's 75% mark and that is a significant difference.

Respect has to be given to Daniil Medvedev for the current level being produced, but it is still a little short of the standard being set by Jannik Sinner and the latter can win the Indian Wells title with a solid looking success on the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 12-14, - 3.98 Units (26 Units Staked, - 15.31% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 11 Picks 2026 (Saturday 14th March)

The WTA Semi Finals were played on Friday, but they both looked pretty tough to read.

Instead the focus is on the Saturday ATP Semi Final matches and the top two players in the World Rankings look like they will be very difficult to beat.

Things happen in sport, but this is the direction that has been taken by the Tennis Picks for Day 11 of the tournament and the reasoning can be read below.

Carlos Alcaraz - 4.5 games v Daniil Medvedev: Another solid win was produced in the Quarter Final and that has continued a fine winning sequence for Daniil Medvedev, which has included a title win in Dubai.

He has suggested the courts are playing faster than usual, which has helped in his ability to perform at Indian Wells, but Medvedev will also be well aware that he still needs to find another level if he is going to beat one of the top two players in the world.

Right now it is Carlos Alcaraz who is playing as the World Number 1 should and his form this week in Indian Wells has been very strong.

Of course the Spaniard plays at this level so often that it perhaps does not make anyone sit up and take notice as they would usually, but that also means Carlos Alcaraz has been able to pick up a couple of titles already this season and he still looks the player to beat.

These two players did split the first four meetings on the Tour, but in recent times Alcaraz has been pretty comfortable in the match up and the challenge for Daniil Medvedev is to turn that momentum around.

This match is also being played in a tournament where Carlos Alcaraz has crushed Daniil Medvedev twice before in 2023 and 2024, both times in the Final rather than the Semi Final. While some believe the conditions are slightly different this year, Carlos Alcaraz will have that mental edge in the contest, as well as the fact he has won four of the five hard court matches between these two Grand Slam Champions.

Daniil Medvedev has to make the best use out of his serve if he is going to upset the odds, but will also need to serve very well to make this competitive. He has held 97% of service games played in Indian Wells this year, but you also have to factor in the opponents faced and being that comfortable against someone who returns as effectively as Carlos Alcaraz is a big ask.

The World Number 1 has also been serving really well and in the previous hard court matches between these players, Carlos Alcaraz has held 89% of service games played compared with 76% for Daniil Medvedev.

Those are numbers that cannot be ignored and the Indian Wells conditions have favoured Carlos Alcaraz who has now won the title twice and reached the Semi Final in each of the last five years.

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 games v Alexander Zverev: In the years ahead, you have to believe the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will join an elite list of players that have reached the Semi Final of every Masters event played.

The Big Four of the last era have been joined by Alexander Zverev and the World Number 4 is now looking to add a Major title to his list of accomplishments. There are going to be opportunities for Alexander Zverev, but the pressure is on the German to show he can beat the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz in big events.

On Saturday he has a chance to prove himself when he faces the World Number 2 in the Semi Final in Indian Wells, which has long been considered the unofficial 'fifth Slam'.

The best of three set format should provide another chance with Alexander Zverev finding it tougher to come through those big Grand Slam matches, and it is imperative that he serves well.

Outside of one troubling match, Jannik Sinner has looked supremely confident here at Indian Wells and he crushed Learner Tien in the Quarter Final.

Players of this stature are judged on how many titles they win and so it is a huge disappointment for fans of the World Number 2 that he has yet to make a Final, never mind actually winning a title.

Over the coming weeks he should get a lot closer to Carlos Alcaraz in the World Rankings, but Jannik Sinner knows that he is in an era where big titles mean so much more than World Ranking and he would be very keen to win this one in Indian Wells to remind people that there are a 'Big Two' and not just his Spanish rival coasting to title after title.

Jannik Sinner is playing well enough to win this Semi Final and he has beaten Alexander Zverev five times in a row.

Some of those matches have been really competitive where Zverev has used his serve very effectively, but the last couple of hard court defeats at the end of the 2025 season were worryingly one-sided.

In the last four hard court matches between these top four players, Alexander Zverev has only broken serve once and that is a problem for him against a quality returner like Jannik Sinner.

During the run to the Indian Wells Semi Final, Jannik Sinner has been much stronger returning than Alexander Zverev and that may show up here to set up what could be the Final that all of the fans want to see.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jannik Sinner - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 11-13, - 3.98 Units (24 Units Staked, - 16.58% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 9 Picks 2026 (Thursday 12th March)

The tournament has been a difficult one for the Tennis Picks, but there may be some late momentum that can be carried through to the end of the weekend.

Both selections on Wednesday returned as winners and it may have been better if Katerina Siniakova had been able to complete her Fourth Round match, although she did look spent a couple of days earlier and perhaps did well to manage nine games before withdrawing.

The schedule for the rest of the tournament means all of the Quarter Final matches are set to be played on Thursday.

That will be followed by the WTA Semi Finals on Friday, the ATP Semi Finals on Saturday and both Singles Finals concluding the tournament on Sunday.

It is not the usual ending to these joint Masters events, but the organisers clearly feel that works best and that means an extremely busy Thursday with some of those Quarter Final matches only put together in the Evening Session on Wednesday in the Californian desert.

Four Picks have been made and those can be seen below, while the updated totals for the Indian Wells tournament have also been added.

Jannik Sinner - 5.5 games v Learner Tien: There will be plenty of support for young American Learner Tien in this Indian Wells Quarter Final and an upset in this Round will almost certainly mean cracking the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time.

Regardless of the result, Learner Tien is set for a new career high World Ranking mark on Monday morning after coming through some very tight matches in each of the previous three Rounds. He has had to spend a considerable amount of court to come through in back to back three setters, but all of this will give the young player a lot of confidence to take into the rest of the season.

Learner Tien has already beaten two players Ranked inside the top 20 so this is not a match that should keep him up at night, although the American will be aware of the size of the task in front of him

Joao Fonseca and a heckler were not enough to put Jannik Sinner off in his own Fourth Round win and the World Number 2 will be very happy with his performance on the court.

He met a younger opponent playing close to his best, but Jannik Sinner was able to keep himself focused and ended up winning the match turning points.

In this Quarter Final, Sinner will know he is going to have more control of the rallies than he was awarded by Joao Fonseca and that always makes players feel more comfortable about what they can produce on the court. Big hitting was taking the racquet out of Sinner's hands in the last Round, but that is not expected to be the case in the Quarter Final, much like when the players met on the hard courts of Beijing in October in a Final that was dominated by the higher Ranked player.

You will expect Learner Tien to have used that match to make adjustments as to how he would prepare and challenge the best players on the court, but he will need to have replenished his energy levels.

The lefty serve can be a little awkward for opponent's to read and Learner Tien is going to have to serve well to try and put some scoreboard pressure on Jannik Sinner.

If he can do that, he can win a few more games than he managed in Beijing, but you still have to give the Italian a big edge in the contest.

Jannik Sinner has been quite considerably the stronger returner of the two players and he can have a bit more time to dictate things in the rallies to turn a few more points in his favour than he did in the Fourth Round.

Covering this number will not be easy, but Sinner looks the right play here and he may just have too much on both sides of the net for the improving Learner Tien.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Victoria Mboko: There are a couple of young players in the WTA Tour who look really close to having a serious breakthrough and not many would back against Victoria Mboko being the first of those to do that at Grand Slam level.

Her growth over the last twelve months has be monumental and the Canadian is stringing wins together.

She has won a big WTA 1000 event in Montreal, but this year Victoria Mboko has been able to back that up by reaching the Final in Doha and she is on another strong run in Indian Wells. She also reached the Fourth Round in the Australian Open and it has taken some of the biggest names on the Tour to stop her runs.

One of those was Aryna Sabalenka who beat Victoria Mboko in straight sets in Melbourne, although it was anything but a one-sided contest, especially after the teenager got to grips with what she was facing in the second set. A Tie-Breaker was needed by Sabalenka to get through on her way to another Final at that tournament, but she was the stronger player and would like to frank that victory.

Aryna Sabalenka is playing in her first tournament since losing the Australian Open Final and she has not been troubled here, although may be the first to admit that this looks like it could be the toughest test to date.

The serve continues to be an advantage for the World Number 1 and she is going to need to serve well to try and contain the obvious threat that Victoria Mboko brings onto the court.

The World Number 10 has been playing well and the dominant win over Amanda Anisimova will have gotten many sitting up and taking notice. She holds a win over Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina this year and so there is nothing in this match that will intimidate Mboko, but she will look to try and get on the front foot and dictate behind her own serve to see if she can rattle the best player on the Tour.

When they met in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka was the stronger return player and that is likely going to be the case again, which makes it right to believe she can eventually have a bit too much for the youngster standing across the net.

Covering is going to be challenging considering what we have seen from Victoria Mboko on the hard courts over the last nine months, but Aryna Sabalenka may just be playing at a high enough level to edge past this line set. It may be a Quarter Final with some swings in momentum, but eventually the Belarusian may have done enough to progress with a stylish looking win on the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Jannik Sinner - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 9-11, - 3.76 Units (20 Units Staked, - 18.80% Yield)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Wednesday 13th March)

One more game from Jasmine Paolini and it would been another positive day at Indian Wells, but instead it is a day when the swing has been the other way.

At least Caroline Wozniacki avoided the collapse in the first set that might have swung the match entirely in the other direction as she allowed a 5-1 lead disappear and headed for a medical timeout.

Fortunately she rallied and it was Angelique Kerber who was struggling by the end of the match after her strongest week back on the Tour.

We head towards the business end of the tournament and this looks to be the last really busy day at Indian Wells.

There are some very good looking matches heading out to the court and the Tennis Picks from the day can be read below.

Tommy Paul - 4.5 games v Luca Nardi: Not every Lucky Loser will be able to make the kind of impact Luca Nardi has had at the Indian Wells Masters and his upset against Novak Djokovic means the Italian will crack the top 100 of the World Rankings for the first time.

He was a huge underdog in that Third Round match, which is no surprise, and there has been very little evidence from the hard court tennis played that Luca Nardi was going to be capable of competing with Novak Djokovic, never mind actually beating him.

Before the main draw in Indian Wells, the highest Ranked players Luca Nardi had faced this year was World Number 112 David Goffin and World Number 121 Sumit Nagal and the Italian managed to win just one set across those two matches.

Now he has beaten Novak Djokovic and Zhizhen Zhang, both in three sets, and Luca Nardi will be hoping to avoid an 'after the Lord Mayor's show' type of performance in the Fourth Round.

He is not helped by the fact he is facing Tommy Paul who has been enjoying a very strong 2024 season.

The American has won a title in Dallas and reached the Final in Delray Beach and Tommy Paul has looked very good in winning his opening two matches at Indian Wells. Those victories have been against players significantly Ranked higher than the one he will be facing in the Fourth Round and Tommy Paul has been serving and returning effectively in this tournament.

Tommy Paul's hard court numbers in 2024 have been very impressive and it will be tough for Luca Nardi to match the efforts of beating Novak Djokovic.

Serving well will help, but Paul is likely going to keep the Lucky Loser under pressure and that can give the World Number 17 an opportunity to wear him down.

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 games v Holger Rune: A bye and a walkover helped Holger Rune through to the Third Round where he was a solid winner over Lorenzo Musetti.

The World Number 7 will be well aware that the challenge increases greatly in this Fourth Round against Taylor Fritz, the 2022 Indian Wells Masters Champion and a player looking to close back in on a place in the top ten of the World Rankings.

He won the title in Delray Beach and reached the Australian Open Quarter Final, but there has long been a feeling that Taylor Fritz should be destined for even more. The serve continues to be a huge weapon for the top American and this season Fritz has been backing that up with stronger returning.

The two wins in Indian Wells had to be expected and, much like Holger Rune, this is a considerable step upwards in terms of level of opponent.

Holger Rune may not look like a player with a huge serve, but he is very good at protecting this shot and is a better server than some may think. The problem this season has been the lack of consistent production when it comes to the return of serve and tha may end up being the difference between the two players on the day.

Last year Taylor Fritz was able to get the better of the returning numbers when beating Holger Rune in Miami and the conditions here may just suit the Fritz game a little more than in Florida.

Their meeting in Miami was closer than the final score may indicate, but Taylor Fritz can frank that twelve months later and he can get the better of the return in moving into another Indian Wells Quarter Final.

Casper Ruud - 3.5 games v Gael Monfils: All credit has to be given to the veteran Gael Monfils who continues to flash some of his very best tennis.

His win over Cameron Norrie has to be respected, but the Frenchman was out on the court for over three hours and this is another step upwards.

Casper Ruud is hard to trust to cover this kind of spread against a top player- he is a quality player, but the return game can be a little inconsistent on the hard courts and that will be an issue if Gael Monfils is really serving as well as he can.

However, you have to figure some fatigue is going to be at play and Casper Ruud can keep the pressure on with his own serve working effectively in the conditions. He should have an opportunity to hit through Monfils, as athletic and mobile as the latter is, and that should give Casper Ruud the advantage as he moves into another Quarter Final.

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 games v Emma Navarro: We have yet to see Aryna Sabalenka produce her consistent best throughout one match, but the Australian Open Champion continues to plunder her way through the Indian Wells draw.

She will be tested by an ever improving Emma Navarro, although the concern for the American is that she has fallen away in some matches when things have turned against her.

Emma Navarro has a decent serve and she has solid groundstrokes, but the question is how she will deal with the obvious power edge coming from the other side of the court. Frustrating Aryna Sabalenka by hitting her marks on the serve will be key for Navarro, but you have to give the World Number 2 an edge when she is able to get into rallies on the return.

Aryna Sabalenka will attack the Navarro second serve, while her own serve is one that can offer up a lot of short balls.

As long as Sabalenka keeps the error count down, she should be able to keep some sustained pressure on Emma Navarro and that can see her wear down the home player.

Coco Gauff - 4.5 games v Elise Mertens: Heading into the Australian Open Semi Final, Coco Gauff was motoring at a very, very high level.

However, the defeat to Aryna Sabalenka has sparked a relative downturn in level and over the last month it has been much harder work for the US Open Champion.

She has found a way to win matches, but Gauff has not been able to cover some very big spreads and that makes it a little more difficult to trust her at this mark.

In saying that, Coco Gauff has found a way to put the pressure on the Elise Mertens serve and she has won all three previous matches against this opponent. The last two wins would have seen her cover this mark, even though the win at the US Open was earned in three sets, and the American can get the better of this opponent again.

Elise Mertens will be playing with confidence after beating Naomi Osaka, but that was a match that could have easily got away from her at 5-4, 30/30 in the first set. Losing that would have made it a very long road back and Coco Gauff is playing at a superior level to the returning Osaka.

Serving well will be key and there are likely to be a few breaks of serve, but Coco Gauff has managed six breaks in her last two matches against Elise Mertens. Hitting that mark again should give Gauff an opportunity to have one of her less stressful wins since the Australian Open.

MY PICKS: Tommy Paul - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Coral (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 20-18, - 0.92 Units (76 Units Staked, - 1.21% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Tuesday 12th March)

There was a lot of tennis to get through on Monday as the Third Round was completed at Indian Wells, but there has not been a bigger upset than Novak Djokovic being dumped out by a Lucky Loser.

While admitting his opponent did play well, Novak Djokovic was plenty critical about his own level of performance and this is something he will want to address in Miami and when the clay court season gets underway in April.

Something similar came out of his camp after the crushing loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and there is little doubt that the rest of the field are getting closer to the World Number 1.

Novak Djokovic will go into the next three Grand Slams as the favourite, but the feeling is that the days of the Serb being an odds on favourite or a very short favourite to win Slams looks to be over.

He can make a mockery of that prediction by dominating the clay court season ahead of the French Open, while Novak Djokovic is still amongst the top two players in the world on a grass court, but it is only good news for Men's Tennis that players are not heading onto the court already defeated.

There looks to be positive news on the Rafael Nadal front with reports suggesting the issue picked up at Indian Wells is not one that should prevent him from lining up in the Monte Carlo draw.

You just hope Nadal can get through the tough clay court season and be well prepared, but most importantly healhty, when the French Open comes around as it seemingly looks more and more likely that this could be the final season he plays on the Tour.

Things can change if Rafael Nadal has a really strong nine months, but the body is not on the same page as the heart and mind and I can only hope he gets to go out on his own terms.

A positive run on Monday has turned this tournament back around for the Tennis Picks, but it still feels like a vulnerable position as we move into the Fourth Round at Indian Wells.

Tuesday does look a much tougher day to make predictions with some very good looking matches heading to the courts, but there are some selections made, which can be read below.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 games v Jiri Lehecka: The improvements being made by Jiri Lehecka means he has to be massively respected ahead of this Fourth Round match at Indian Wells.

He has won a title on the hard courts and played well in big events in Dubai and now at Indian Wells and there is a feeling that his own belief is growing against some of the elite players on the Tour.

Beating Andrey Rublev will have Lehecka moving into this Fourth Round clash with a lot more confidence and his serving threat has to be respected.

However, he is facing an opponent in Stefanos Tsitsipas who looks to have bounced back from whatever has been ailing him.

That is reflected by his fall out of the top ten in the World Rankings, but Tsitsipas will force his way back into those positions if he can keep things rolling in Indian Wells. He has looked very good through the first two wins and Tsitsipas will have the slight mental edge over this opponent having beaten Jiri Lehecka in both previous matches on the Tour.

Both players have been solid servers in those matches, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has gotten a little more out of his return game.

The last of those matches was at the Australian Open in 2023 and there is little doubt that Jiri Lehecka has grown as a player since that match. The return against top 20 Ranked opponents have still not been quite up to top level, but Jiri Lehecka has won three of his five matches against those opponents on the hard courts this year, including beating Karen Khachanov in Dubai and Rublev in the Third Round here.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a perfect 10-0 record when facing opponents outside of the top 20 in the Rankings and Jiri Lehecka is still trying to crack that mark in his career. This should be close and competitive, but the feeling is that the Greek player will have more of the Break Point opportunities and that can see him progress into the Quarter Final and cover this mark set.

Jasmine Paolini - 1.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: Confidence can be a funny thing in a sport like tennis and it can make all of the difference for a player.

Jasmine Paolini is playing with real confidence and it has seemingly come out of the blue.

Not many would have predicted that the Italian player would love opening matches in Linz and Doha and then win seven matches in a row to take home the biggest title of her career in Dubai and then progress into the Fourth Round at Indian Wells.

The numbers suggest it is not a sustainable run, but Jasmine Paolini will only worry about what she can produce on the courts as she prepares to face Anastasia Potapova for the first time.

The World Number 33 has been a comfortable winner in her opening two matches at Indian Wells and Anastasia Potapova has won nine of the fourteen matches played in 2024 on the hard courts. However, the challenge has been to beat a player Ranked higher than her and not those she is expected to beat and Potapova has won just one of four matches against those above her in the World Rankings.

Her serve has been ok in those matches, but Potapova has been struggling on the return.

However, she should have a bit more joy against this Jasmine Paolini serve, although the latter is likely to put Potapova under pressure with her own return.

The layers are not great believers in Paolini right now, despite her moving into a career high World Ranking mark. As stated, it looks like she is performing and producing results at an unsustainable level, but Jasmine Paolini does have enough quality in her return of serve to win this Fourth Round match.

Caroline Wozniacki v Angelique Kerber: The last time these two veterans met on the Tour was back in June 2018 when Caroline Wozniacki came from a set down to beat Angelique Kerber in the Semi Final at Eastbourne.

Both players are former Grand Slam Champions and both were amongst the elite on the Tour, but Wozniacki and Kerber have spent considerable time away in recent years as they have both become mothers.

Caroline Wozniacki retired and only returned at the back end of last year, while Angelique Kerber made it clear she would return to the Tour having spent the entirety of 2023 enjoying her life.

There have been similarities in the return to the Tour with both Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber struggling to find their best form on a consistent basis.

It has been different in Indian Wells and both players will be keen to progress to the Quarter Final and pick up some massive Ranking points at the same time.

The German leads the head to head 8-7, but it is Wozniacki who has a 6-5 lead in their hard court matches.

None of that really matters here, but it does mean there will be little to surprise the other in this big match.

In their limited time spent on court prior to Indian Wells, Caroline Wozniacki had perhaps shown a bit more competitiveness than Angelique Kerber. The former had at least pushed opponents and perhaps been a little unfortunate to lose matches, while Kerber had not really found anything near her best tennis when losing six of her first seven matches in 2024.

The two have performed well at this tournament, but the slight edge has to be with Caroline Wozniacki who is perhaps setting up a few cheaper points thanks to the first serve.

It cannot be ignored that Angelique Kerber has the more impressive wins having seen off two top 20 Ranked opponents and only having dropped a single set in those two wins. The return has been really effective from Kerber and made up for the lack of consistency on the serve and this feels like a match that will have a lot of breaks of serve throughout.

However, the slight edge is with Caroline Wozniacki on form at this tournament and in 2024 in general and she can get the better of her long-term rival in a big Fourth Round match.

MY PICKS: Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jasmine Paolini - 1.5 Games @ 1.75 Coral (2 Units)

Caroline Wozniacki @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 19-16, + 1.26 Units (70 Units Staked, + 1.80% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Monday 11th March)

There are a lot of moving parts on the week and that has restricted my time in getting this post out.

With the time change in the United States, we are now seven hours ahead of the tournament in Indian Wells so prepare for an earlier start for those this side of the pond and for another busy day with the Third Round being completed.

The last two days have produced a really disappointing return with those fine margins turning on the selections, but there is still time to get this tournament turned back around.

MY PICKS: Holger Rune - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Tommy Paul @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Grigor Dimitrov - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 14-13, - 1.12 Units (54 Units Staked, - 2.07% Yield)