WTA Finals Day 8 Tennis Pick 2025 (Saturday 8th November)

The ATP Finals are set to begin on Sunday, but there is still one place up for grabs at the tournament which will be decided on Saturday in Athens.

Next year the Paris Masters will be the 'cut off' for the ATP Finals and the draw can then be made with the full eight participants.

The Athens Final features Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti- the latter needs to win to earn his place in Turin, which means so much to the Italian, while it also means the ATP Finals will start with a match from each Group rather than the usual format.

It seems like yet another moment in the 2025 season where the scheduling is a cause for complaint and that is something the Tour needs to get together and resolve next year.

Before we get to the ATP Finals, the WTA Singles season comes to a close on Saturday in Riyadh.

The Final should be a decent one between two players who have met plenty of times on the Tour and who have each won all four matches in the event.

Elena Rybakina v Aryna Sabalenka: This has the makings of a pretty fun Final between two big hitting players who will know that they will need to serve well if they are going to win one of the biggest titles outside of the Grand Slam events.

The World Number 1 has shown why she has reached the pinnacle of the sport with some battling wins in the tournament- Aryna Sabalenka has won all four matches, but she has had to battle to get past Coco Gauff on Thursday and had to dig even deeper to see off Amanda Anisimova in the Friday Semi Final.

Playing for a third straight day is something that most tennis players are well accustomed to doing, but Aryna Sabalenka will have to find something in the reserve tank to get her through one more tough challenge.

Her opponent in the Final in Riyadh is Elena Rybakina who has won half of the previous ten matches against Aryna Sabalenka on the hard courts. The most recent was won by Sabalenka in the Wuhan Quarter Final, but Elena Rybakina had won the previous three hard court matches and that includes beating the World Number 1 in Riyadh twelve months ago.

The one concern for Elena Rybakina fans is that the performances have gotten a little weaker in each match played in the tournament, although she has found a way to keep winning.

In the main the reason for that is the serve and that has continued to operate at a very good level.

Elena Rybakina admitted that it was that shot that got her out of some late trouble in the Semi Final win over Jessica Pegula, but she will be confident that she has been serving at a more consistent level compared with Aryna Sabalenka.

In a match up between these players, that serve is going to be a difference maker and Elena Rybakina has shown she can compete with Aryna Sabalenka in that department.

Having a bit more rest ahead of the Final could help and Elena Rybakina has been playing at a higher level in this tournament- she looks like she is focused and motivated to go on and win a big title and Rybakina can replicate the win she had over Aryna Sabalenka here in Riyadh in what could be another three set match between the pair.

MY PICK: Elena Rybakina to Win @ 2.40 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 7-6, + 0.01 Units (13 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 7 Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 7th November)

There are two days left at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and four of the eight Singles players have been eliminated.

The final four all have their strengths and this is a good opportunity for someone to lay down a marker ahead of the Australian Open considering the lack of competitive tennis that is likely to be played by the very best players between now and Melbourne in mid-January.

The two Group Winners are favourites in the Semi Final, and they look most likely to come through, but nothing is ever that easy on the WTA Tour and both Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka are going to have to be wary of the challenges that Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova will present.

Elena Rybakina - 2.5 games v Jessica Pegula: The World Number 5 would have gone into her final Group match knowing a win would put her in a good position to reach the Semi Final here in Riyadh. However, Jessica Pegula may also have put herself under some pressure to win in straight sets to take away any drama while watching the other match and credit has to be given to the American for the strong win she put together.

Moving through to the WTA Finals last four as Runner Up means a Semi Final clash against Elena Rybakina who has looked like the player that won the title at Wimbledon back in 2022.

Six months later she reached the Australian Open Final, but you would perhaps be a little disappointed in not seeing Elena Rybakina compete at the business end of more Grand Slams since winning Wimbledon. Most would have anticipated her adding to that title, but she has failed to make the Quarter Final in any of the last five Grand Slams played and some of that has been down to off court issues.

Those look to be clearing up, even if some remain concerned about Rybakina's relationship with Coach Stefano Vukov.

The World Number 6 enjoyed a decent Asian swing to earn her spot in the WTA Finals and Elena Rybakina has won all three Group matches thanks to her immense serving.

Elena Rybakina has won at least 70% of service points played in each of the three matches here in Riyadh and that has put a lot of scoreboard pressure on her opponents. She has only dropped serve twice, which is no surprise considering how dominant Rybakina has been behind her opening delivery, and that has allowed the World Number 6 to play with some aggression on the return.

It is going to be challenging for Jessica Pegula to find her way into the return games, although she will take some heart from the way she returned against Aryna Sabalenka in the Group Stage. She managed to break serve four times against the World Number 1, although Jessica Pegula was kept under immense pressure on her own serve and that is expected to be the case here.

These two players met after the US Open in the Billy Jean King Cup and Elena Rybakina was the much stronger server in a straight sets win over Jessica Pegula.

The last time they met at the WTA Finals was at the end of the 2022 season and it was Pegula who got the better of that one, but you have to give Elena Rybakina the edge on the form produced this week.

Jessica Pegula controlled the match against Jasmine Paolini, but has won less than 60% of service points played against Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka and the likely service disparity between these two Semi Finalists is going to give the lower Ranked player the edge.

Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 games v Amanda Anisimova: The initial big breakthrough on the WTA Tour came back in 2019 when Amanda Anisimova was 17 years old and she reached the French Open Semi Final.

At the 2019 Australian Open, Amanda Anisimova upset Aryna Sabalenka and she won the first four meetings between the players and all while being Ranked outside the top 30.

After taking some time away from the Tour to just unburden herself, Amanda Anisimova has returned with real ambitions to fulfil the obvious potential she had shown in her development and early years as a professional. Reaching back to back Grand Slam Finals will give the American something to build upon in 2026 and Amanda Anisimova is playing with confidence having beaten Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek in her last two Group matches here to reach the Semi Final in her maiden appearance at the WTA Finals.

One of the wins on the way to reached the Wimbledon Final was against Aryna Sabalenka, but the World Number 1 earned revenge over Amanda Anisimova by beating her in the US Open Final in September.

Aryna Sabalenka also beat Anisimova in the French Open Fourth Round and she has now won four of the last six matches against the World Number 4.

The Belarusian has won all three matches at the WTA Finals, but it still feels like there is room for improvement in her level of performance.

She has served herself out of some tough situations, but Aryna Sabalenka will want to just get a bit more out of that shot to try and keep herself out of pressurised situations. Completely erasing those against someone like Amanda Anisimova is not likely, but Sabalenka has to take some heart out of the way Elena Rybakina got the better of this opponent in the Group Stage and feel she can at least reach a similar level.

Amanda Anisimova has been improving her serving numbers in each of the matches played in the tournament, which is perhaps partly down to becoming accustomed to the conditions.

However, it is the World Number 1 who has had the superior consistency on the return and that was the case when these two players met in the US Open Final.

There is so much to like about the Amanda Anisimova game and a slight improvement in 2026 will lead to Grand Slam titles on her current trajectory.

She has beaten Sabalenka in a big moment at Wimbledon, but the top Seed has won at two other Grand Slam events and that win over Anisimova in New York City could be repeated here. That was a close match and Aryna Sabalenka had to dig deep when broken after serving for the set, but it was won under indoor conditions and the World Number 1 can move into the Final here with a win and a cover of the handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Elena Rybakina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 6-5, + 0.21 Units (11 Units Staked, + 1.91% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 6 Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 6th November)

You are going to have some serious mathematicians working on the potential permutations out of this final Group at the WTA Finals.

We know Jasmine Paolini is out of contention, but Jessica Pegula is going to need the Italian to at least take part in the match.

Otherwise things will be looking a little concerning for Pegula with the likelihood being she will be awarded the winning points, but will not be able to add anything to the set percentage and game percentage tie-breakers that could be needed.

It is almost certain that Jessica Pegula will be looking to match the dominant wins that both Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have had over Jasmine Paolini and she will be looking to do that in straight sets.

Three players are chasing the Semi Final spots in the Group and it is Aryna Sabalenka who will be most certain of her own outcome- if she wins, she goes through as Winner.

Coco Gauff will go through with another straight sets win, regardless of how Jessica Pegula performs in her match, while a straights set win for both American players would see both through at the expense of Aryna Sabalenka.

Things get messy if Jessica Pegula beats Jasmine Paolini in straight sets and Coco Gauff can beat Aryna Sabalenka in three sets- all three players would then be looked at 5-3 in terms of sets won and lost and we will have to get down to the games won.

None of the three players fighting it out for a place in the Semi Final will likely be thinking about anything more than simply winning this match and moving through. It will be the players that can perhaps deal with that best who will move onto the last four in this end of year tournament and should make for fascinating viewing on Day 6 in Riyadh.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: The first Group played out in pretty standard fashion with Elena Rybakina winning all three matches and the last match in the Group deciding who will move through to the Semi Final.

Things are a lot different in the second Group though and there are some permutations to work through to determine who will go through to the last four in the final Singles event of the season.

For Jessica Pegula, the only ambition on Thursday is going to be to win her match in straight sets as both Aryna Sablenka and Coco Gauff have managed to do against Jasmine Paolini. A strong win would be ideal to build up her set percentage win and games percentage win, which could still be a tiebreaker that will need to be used to determine the two players moving through.

Winning in three sets would mean Pegula is watching the other match in the Group and needing Coco Gauff to lose and so the World Number 5 has to be focused on her own match. Ultimately the key for Jessica Pegula is to win in straight sets and then hope there is either a straight sets winner in the other match in the Group or that Aryna Sabalenka wins in three sets.

These two players met back in September after the US Open had been completed and it was Jasmine Paolini who came through in straight sets at the Billy Jean King Cup. That was a win on the hard courts, but the Italian is clearly playing through an illness or an injury and that has seen her lose four of the five matches played at the WTA Finals in both Singles and Doubles tournaments.

This all means Jasmine Paolini has already been eliminated from both tournaments and her form in the two Singles losses suggests the long season has caught up with her. Having to deal with an illness or injury doesn't help and Jasmine Paolini may struggle to keep herself focused and motivated within this Group match.

The handicap mark has moved out another game compared with the one that Coco Gauff had to overcome in the middle of this Group, but Jessica Pegula can get the better of the line.

Perhaps the biggest concern for Pegula and the prospects of progressing is if Paolini withdraws before this match is played and that will impact how her game percentage and set percentage will look at the end of the Group Stage. With one player withdrawn already and with one of the two 'alternates' already out of action, it would mean Jessica Pegula is given the points but would only have a chance of moving into the Semi Final if Coco Gauff is beaten in the other match.

Aryna Sabalenka-Coco Gauff over 21.5 games: By the time this final Group match at the WTA Finals heads to the court, the permutations for both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff will be clearer as both look to move through to the Semi Final in Riyadh.

Things are pretty clear for Aryna Sabalenka if she wins- she will top the Group and move through and the defending Champion Coco Gauff will be left working things out depending how the other match in the Group has gone.

Most will have expected Jessica Pegula to have already beaten Jasmine Paolini and that would mean the defending Champion is eliminated with a loss.

Assuming Pegula has won, Coco Gauff will be well aware that she needs to beat her old rival Aryna Sabalenka and there are more maths to do about the number of sets and potentially number of games she will need to win.

By the time these two head to the court, the first result will be known and you have to believe both players are preparing to win and not worrying about 'doing enough' to be on the right side of the tie-breakers.

There is a real rivalry between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka and the head to head is now 6-5 in favour of the American who upset the World Number 1 in the French Open Final back in June. Coco Gauff has also beaten Sabalenka in the US Open Final previously and got the better of this opponent in the last four of the WTA Finals here in Riyadh last season and none of this will have escaped Aryna Sabalenka's attention.

Tennis is a game determined by inches and there really has not been a lot between these two players in the numbers and the records- they are 4-4 in eight previous hard court meetings and they have played one another six times in the Semi Final or Final of events and those have also been split 3-3.

Rarely have matches been straight-forward and it should be noted that the last six matches between the pair would have covered the total games line set for this Group match. In fact nine of the last eleven have seen Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff combine for at least 22 games played and the performances at the WTA Finals over the last few days suggest we could need a decider in this one.

However, the players match up well enough to remain competitive even in straight sets losses and and the last three straight sets outcomes in matches between Gauff and Sabalenka have also ended with at least 22 games played.

There is a small chance that the first match could determine how this second Group match is played once the players understand what they need to do, but these two always want to get one over the other. It should mean the focus is on simply winning and it could be a fascinating meeting again with both the World Number 1 and World Number 3 perhaps using the match as a chance to 'lay down a marker' ahead of the Australian Open in January.

MY PICKS: Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka-Coco Gauff Over 21.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 5-4, + 0.49 Units (9 Units Staked, + 5.44% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 5 Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 5th November)

The last couple of days at the WTA Finals have had some exciting matches, notably Aryna Sabalenka's latest win over Jessica Pegula, but only one player has confirmed their place in the Semi Final as the year comes to a close.

A second name will join Elena Rybakina at the end of play on Day 5 in Riyadh when the first of the two Groups come to a conclusion.

Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek are playing in the 'winner takes all' second Singles match on Day 5, while the other Group still has three players vying for two Semi Final places.

Jasmine Paolini is out after suffering a second defeat, but Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will be working through the permutations. There will be more thoughts on how those potentially shake up in the Day 6 thread, but in this one we are looking to build on the momentum earned from the two winners that were secured on Tuesday.

Those have just pulled the week back closer to where we would want to see it, although there are still four more days to complete at the WTA Finals and work to do in order to secure another strong week at the end of this 2025 season.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Madison Keys: There is no need to worry about any permutations in this WTA Finals Group as Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys begin Day 5 play.

The former has already secured top spot in the Group having beaten both Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova, while Madison Keys will be exiting the event at the conclusion of this match.

Motivation is going to be tough to find as far as Madison Keys goes and that is because she has already taken some time away from the Tour after losing very early at the US Open. She returned to play in Riyadh, but two relatively comfortable losses has ended her participation before the Semi Final and the focus may already be on getting ready to defend the Grand Slam title she won in Melbourne.

Madison Keys has a big serve, but it has not been firing as she would have hoped and eleven breaks of serve have been handed out in the first two defeats. This has placed her return under pressure, but the lack of recent rhythm has worked against the American.

It has been a different story for Elena Rybakina who had to put some solid results on the board during the Asian swing following the US Open and only just secured her spot at the WTA Finals in mid-October. This has kept her mentally invested and it has to have helped in Elena Rybakina being able to crush her first two opponents to win the Group with a match to spare.

Elena Rybakina has won three of the last four matches played against Madison Keys and she will still have some real regret that the exception was the Fourth Round loss at the Australian Open back in January. It was a match in which Rybakina had looked the stronger player, but Madison Keys was able to come through having played the bigger points more effectively.

Since then, Rybakina has had revenge over Madison Keys by crushing her at the Cincinnati Masters in August, and she has proven to be the player that can get a bit more out of the serve in the head to head. Elena Rybakina has been considerably stronger on the serve in this tournament too and being able to roll through those games may allow the World Number 6 to just remain aggressive enough on the return to win the third Group match and cover what looks a big number on paper.

Amanda Anisimova + 3.5 games v Iga Swiatek: This is just the third career meeting between Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek and the previous two have been at the last two Grand Slam events played.

So this final Group match at the WTA Finals is not going to be nearly as important as the matches in the Wimbledon Final and US Open Quarter Final, but it is one that will decide which of the two players join Elena Rybakina in the Semi Final.

The Wimbledon Final saw Iga Swiatek crush Amanda Anisimova in historic fashion and the double bagel handed out might have affected players with lesser mental resolve than the American.

Instead Amanda Anisimova put together a decent summer which concluded by reaching the US Open Final, as well as earning revenge over Iga Swiatek by beating her in straight set in the Quarter Final in New York City.

2025 has already proven to be a year in which Amanda Anisimova has made good on her obvious promise and her ability to bounce back from setbacks will make her a leading contender at the Grand Slam events in 2026. She has shown more of that battling quality in coming from a set down in the last match against Madison Keys to keep herself in contention at the WTA Finals and Amanda Anisimova will be pretty comfortable with the match up considering how the US Open meeting played out.

In that match, Amanda Anisimova was the more consistent server and she was very aggressive against the Iga Swiatek second serve.

More of that is going to be needed in this last Group match, although the focus for the World Number 4 will be on making sure her own serve is operating more effectively. In the two matches played in Riyadh, Amanda Anisimova has not served nearly as well as she would have hoped, although the mometum may be with her after fighting back to beat Madison Keys in three sets.

The American looked to have a bit more rhythm in the last couple of sets against Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova has to take a huge amount of encouragement from the way Iga Swiatek collapsed to a defeat against Elena Rybakina on Monday.

Keeping up on the scoreboard is key with Iga Swiatek perhaps not dealing with the pressure being out on her by opponents as she has in the past.

That looks to be the key for Amanda Anisimova and she is perhaps being underestimated in this Group match.

Memories of the defeat in SW19 are always going to be hard to shake, but Amanda Anisimova showed how well she can handle those distractions in her run at the US Open. Beating Iga Swiatek along the way will have done her a lot of good and there is every chance that the lower Ranked player may find a way through to the last four here in Riyadh.

MY PICKS: Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 4-4, - 0.42 Units (8 Units Staked, - 5.25% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 4 Tennis Picks 2025 (Tuesday 4th November)

We are about halfway through the WTA Finals and the Groups are already beginning to be rounded out.

One Semi Finalist has been confirmed after Elena Rybakina beat Iga Swiatek and that means the World Number 2 has another big match coming up against Amanda Anisimova to determine who will finish second in the section.

By the end of the Tuesday, we may have a second Semi Finalist confirmed and there are two good looking matches on deck- this is also the week when the ATP Finals lineup will be concluded as the last remaining place is up for grabs.

Lorenzo Musetti needs to win the tournament in Metz to play in the ATP Finals in Turin and that is a big ambition for the Italian, although the edge has to be with Felix Auger-Aliassime after his run to the Paris Masters Final.

Coco Gauff - 2.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: After opening losses, the pressure is on Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini to earn the victory in the second match to keep themselves in contention for a place in the Semi Final.

There will have been real disappointment in the way each of the players performed in the defeats to Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka. However, the format of the end of year Championship does mean that both Gauff and Paolini have a pretty quick opportunity to earn some redemption and the tournament is far from over after a single defeat.

Winning a set in her opening defeat will have given Coco Gauff something to hold onto, but the World Number 3 will be the first to admit that she made far too many mistakes in her loss to Jessica Pegula. The Double Faults have been a year long issue for the 21 year old and the whole of her game collapsed around the unforced errors that she was handing out at an alarming rate.

Most will expect Coco Gauff to be better in this second match and especially as she won the big title in Wuhan after the relatively disappointing US Open.

Jasmine Paolini looked out of sorts in her opening Singles loss and she has since been beaten in the Doubles event too.

The Italian spoke to the media and seemed in positive mood, even if the body language was very much unlike her in the opening defeat to the World Number 1.

She did reach the Semi Final in the last two hard court events played, which will give Jasmine Paolini some real belief to take into this match, but one of those runs was ended at the hands of Coco Gauff. That defeat has snapped a run of three straight wins over the higher Ranked player, and also means Gauff has won three of the four hard court meetings between the two.

Coco Gauff gave up 16 Double Faults in her loss to Paolini in Cincinnati, but reduced that number by more than half in the Semi Final win in Wuhan. The serve is a work in progress and it does feel like Coco Gauff is never that far away from losing confidence in her delivery, especially that second delivery, which is always going to be concerning for her and her supporters.

However, Coco Gauff did enjoy a really successful Asian swing and that will have given her belief, while she won the title here in Riyadh last year.

This may give her the edge in this important match, especially if Jasmine Paolini is still not quite up at her very best level. The head to head against the Italian on the hard courts cannot be dismissed and the World Number 3 may just do enough to get over this line set.

Jessica Pegula + 4.5 games v Aryna Sabalenka: There is a real rivalry between Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka and they have faced off in some huge matches on the hard courts over the last couple of years.

In 2024 they met in the US Open Final and in September they met in the Semi Final at the same tournament with both matches being won by Aryna Sabalenka in competitive outings.

Most recently Jessica Pegula snapped Sabalenka's long dominant run in Wuhan by coming from a set and a break down to win that Semi Final and you do wonder if that will give the American confidence with the window to win a Grand Slam title closing.

A win over Coco Gauff has put Jessica Pegula in a good position in the Group, but it was a battling match and the World Number 5 will need to recover in what is going to be another tough contest.

Aryna Sabalenka had a much more routine win in the opening Group match and the World Number 1 is always full of belief in her ability to beat any opponent across the net. Her head to head with Jessica Pegula will give the Belarusian plenty of confidence, even if she was beaten most recently.

The expectation is that Aryna Sabalenka will win this Group match, but she may have to serve better than she did on Sunday if she is going to cover this handicap line.

There is always a chance that you could run into the World Number 1 on a day she produces her very best level, but Jessica Pegula has enjoyed the fight against Aryna Sabalenka. Even winning a set in a losing effort may keep Pegula in a strong spot to Qualify for the Semi Final in Riyadh and she is capable of doing that and avoiding a really comfortable defeat in this second round of Group matches.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula + 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 2-4, - 2.13 Units (6 Units Staked, - 35.50% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 3 Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 3rd November)

A number of years ago, the ATP Tour tried to create Group formats for some of the tournaments they were using outside of the 500 and upper events.

It never really worked, but it has been a solid format for the end of year Championships.

There is still going to be a strange feeling for some of the players as they prepare to head back onto the court just a couple of days after losing opening matches- both Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys have not had a lot of experience of playing at the WTA Finals and the two American players are looking to bounce back with a victory that will give them a chance of progressing.

It is the second match scheduled on the day, but first the World Number 2 Iga Swiatek takes on Elena Rybakina in what looks to be a really good match. Both players will have genuine ambitions of winning the title here and picking up late momentum that they hope will carry over to Melbourne in mid-January when the Australian Open gets underway.

Iga Swiatek - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: Two wins is usually good enough to earn a spot in the Semi Final at the end of year Championships, but that is not always the case.

However, the winner of this Group match will move into a very strong position after both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina came through opening matches in straight sets.

Winning this one in straight sets would put that player into a really strong spot and there is a chance that the Semi Final spot will have been secured before they play again on Wednesday. That will be dependent on the other match in the Group, but the focus for both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina has to be on winning this match and not having to worry too much about other results.

Iga Swiatek goes into this match as favourite, although both players really did impress in the way they were able to win opening matches here in Riyadh.

However, you have to believe the Pole is going to be feeling confident with this match up considering how well she has competed with Elena Rybakina in 2025. All four matches played between the two have ended in wins for Iga Swiatek and three of those wins have been on the hard courts, which is perhaps something of a surprise considering how effective Rybakina can be on this surface.

Both will be keen to impose themselves with the serve, but in the recent matches against one another, it is Iga Swiatek who has been able to get a more out of her delivery. The way she has protected the second serve has been key and allowed the fine margins to lean in her favour and it may be something that is evident when Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina face each other on Monday.

If Elena Rybakina can bring the form she was producing in her opening win into this match then she will be very dangerous.

The problem will be if Iga Swiatek reaches the level she was operating at in the opening win and that would give the World Number 2 the edge to win and cover the handicap mark set.

In the four wins over Rybakina this season, Iga Swiatek would have covered this line three times and she can do the same in Riyadh to all but secure a spot in the WTA Finals last four.

Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 games v Madison Keys: Missing time on the Tour after the US Open was going to make things difficult, but Madison Keys would have expected a lot more from herself in the opening Group match at the WTA Finals. The crushing loss to Iga Swiatek is a disappointment, but the good news is that the WTA Finals are played in a different format and all is not lost just yet.

The pressure is on Madison Keys to bounce back and another defeat is likely to spell elimination.

However, that is a situation that will be cleared up before this second match takes place- a win for Iga Swiatek over Elena Rybakina will mean Madison Keys cannot be definitively eliminated on Monday, although another straight sets loss is going to be hard to overcome.

The same fate awaits Amanda Anisimova after she struggled to stick with Rybakina in her opening Group match.

The difference for the younger of the two American players is that she needs a win from Elena Rybakina earlier in the day if Anisimova is to avoid definite elimination with a second defeat at her maiden WTA Finals event.

It would be a surprise if either player is thinking about another loss and still having ambitions to reach the Semi Final here in Riyadh so the focus has to be on recovering from opening losses. Both Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys proved to be second best by a significant margin in those losses and so there is a lot of room for improvement, although the edge may have to be given to the former having had a decent Asian swing prior to this event beginning.

You also have to note that Madison Keys has lost all three matches played against top ten Ranked opponents on the hard courts since she won the Australian Open title at the very start of the year. Those defeats have all been pretty one-sided and now Madison Keys will have to take on Amanda Anisimova who has a 5-2 record against the top ten Ranked players she has faced on the hard courts in 2025.

The numbers show that Amanda Anisimova has been able to look after her second serve more effectively than Madison Keys, while she has also been a stronger return player.

Amanda Anisimova will have had a lot of respect for Madison Keys when growing onto the Tour and she will have noted the kind words that Keys had for after taking the time away to get on top of her mental health a couple of years ago. These two will have a lot of time for one another away from the court, and that should see the match played in good spirit.

The edge has to be with the favourite, who should have the stronger rhythm on the court and the match could get away from Madison Keys if she does drop the first set. It may be a situation where getting through to the WTA Semi Finals becomes a secondary ambition compared with preparing to recover and get ready to defend the Australian Open crown won this year and Amanda Anisimova can stay alive in the Group with a quality win.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 1-3, - 2 Units (4 Units Staked, - 50% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 2 Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 2nd November)

It was not a very good start for the Tennis Picks at the WTA Finals, but the Group Stage matches continue on Sunday.

This offers an opportunity to bounce back in what looks a very competitive Group as two more Grand Slam Champions begin their bid to win the 2025 WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Jasmine Paolini: The second Group at the WTA Finals gets underway on Sunday and the first match features the US Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka.

The World Number 1 reached the Final at the Australian Open and French Open and was beaten in the Semi Final at Wimbledon, which may have knocked some confidence at the business end of the biggest tournaments. However, winning the US Open is a reminder of the quality of Aryna Sabalenka and she has really enjoyed playing on the hard courts.

Last year she was upset in the Semi Final here in Riyadh, but Aryna Sabalenka continues to show plenty of consistency having reached the Semi Final twice and the Final in each of the last three years in the tournament. However, it cannot be ignored that she has yet to win the WTA Finals and Aryna Sabalenka has not been in action for almost a month, which may give the other three players in this Group real confidence.

First up to take on the challenge of the World Number 1 is Jasmine Paolini who has to be credited for the consistency she has shown on the Tour. Some may have wondered if she could repeat the success of 2024, but the Italian has maintained her form and the World Number 8 will have nothing to lose in this event.

The US Open run will have disappointed Jasmine Paolini, but she has reached the Quarter Final in Beijing and backed that up with consecutive Semi Final runs in Wuhan and Ningbo. Each of those runs were ended by players who will be competing in Riyadh and this has proven to be a tough match up for Paolini, especially on the faster surfaces.

Aryna Sabalenka has won four in a row against Jasmine Paolini since being upset by the latter in Indian Wells on the hard courts, and three of those wins have been on this surface. That includes a straight sets win here in Riyadh last season and Sabalenka was able to find the breaks of serve needed to cover this line when they met in the Group Stage twelve months ago.

You have to expect Jasmine Paolini to do whatever she needs to do in order to keep this one competitive, but ultimately Aryna Sabalenka has been the far superior hard court player over the course of the year.

As long as the World Number 1 is focused enough, she should be able to find the breaks needed to cover this handicap line set.

Coco Gauff - 2.5 games v Jessica Pegula: The defending Champion begins her campaign to win another WTA Finals on Sunday in the last of the four Singles matches to be played to open the tournament.

Coco Gauff won the French Open this season, but will perhaps be disappointed with her efforts at the other Grand Slam events. However, winning the WTA Finals in consecutive years will make sure the American remains full of confidence in what she can achieve in 2026 and the World Number 3 will enter the event in Riyadh in strong form.

The Fourth Round loss at the US Open will have hurt, but Coco Gauff has reached the Semi Final in Beijing and won the title in Wuhan.

The latter of those wins came courtesy of getting the better of a friend in Jessica Pegula and that is the same opponent who will be standing on the other side of the net in this opening Group match. The World Number 5 has had another consistent year on the Tour, but the Grand Slam title eludes Jessica Pegula and time may be running out to change that.

Jessica Pegula reached the Semi Final at the US Open and she has enjoyed a decent Asian swing of her own, and the 31 year old American continues to be a very tough out on the hard courts.

However, she is just 1-5 on the hard courts when facing top ten Ranked opponents and that includes losing to Coco Gauff in the Wuhan Final in straight sets.

The younger of the compatriots has won the last couple of matches between these friends and that includes Coco Gauff beating Jessica Pegula here in Riyadh twelve months ago.

Nothing is going to come easy for Gauff, which is what the higher Ranked player would expect, but the French Open Champion has the slight edge over Jessica Pegula and may just win enough of the biggest points to earn the victory in the match and the cover of the spread set.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

WTA Finals: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

WTA Finals Day 1 Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 1st November)

The Asian Swing on the Tennis Tour after the US Open has been seen as a good time for a number of players to take a break and perhaps even call time on the 2025 season.

For a long time there have been complaints about the calendar and whether the players have enough time to reset, while the off-season has never really been considered long enough as an opportunity to bring in proper recovery methods.

In a sport like Tennis, the World Rankings are formed around the biggest events, and that does make it difficult to find the moments to take time away from the Tour.

And that is why there has long been chatter about significant changes to be made to the structure of the Tour.

As we reach the end of the 2025 season, the players have once again asked the Grand Slam tournaments to come to the table and to speak about how much of the financial gains those events are making are then going to be given back to the players. This looks to be a story that will run and run through to the new season, although the sympathy of some of the fans may have lessened when noting that some of the top names are happy to play in non-Ranking events during the course of the season for huge sums of money.

Having an additional compulsory Masters event added to the calendar in Saudi Arabia also makes it difficult to really understand the point of view of the players, although it is clearly a complicated issue that does need some resolving.

Mentioning the new Masters event in Saudi Arabia leads onto the WTA Finals which will be played in Riyadh for a second year in a row.

The top eight women players are heading over for the event and Coco Gauff is the defending Champion, although the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will be confident in challenging the American.

All three players won Grand Slam events, as did Madison Keys, and this is a tournament that could offer a late boost in confidence that could be very valuable to the winner when the Australian Open comes around in a little over two months time.

The Finals are played in Group format and so it is a rare event in which an opening loss is not the end of the tournament as is the case for 99% of events on the Tour.

The season numbers had a slight improvement made to them at the conclusion of the US Open, but there are still two more events to get through before the final tally is set.

2024 was an awful year for the Tennis Picks, but this one has been better and the task is to complete on a positive run before the break through to the Australian Open in January.

The opening Picks can be read below and any sign-ups needed at Bet365, Bovada or Bodog can be followed from the links provided.

Madison Keys + 4.5 games v Iga Swiatek: These are two of the more surprising Grand Slam Winners of recent times as they prepare to open the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Madison Keys winning the Australian Open was an upset, but the American fully deserved her success with wins over four players Ranked inside the top 11 and including wins over both the World Number 1 and World Number 2. The margins might have been tight and she has had over a month away from the Tour since losing in the First Round at the US Open, but Madison Keys insists that it has given her the time to refresh.

It has been a long time since Madison Keys last played at the WTA Finals and she will be opening up against Iga Swiatek who surprisingly won the title at Wimbledon having come up short at the other Slams.

The World Number 2 has had another very good year on the hard courts, but the last few tournaments on the surface have not seen Iga Swiatek at her absolute best. Despite that, Swiatek has won a title in Seoul, although the Quarter Final defeats in New York City and Wuhan have also been alongside a Last 16 defeat in Beijing.

The recent losses to Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini were in very disappointing performances and Madison Keys has the serving power to keep herself in this opening match.

Madison Keys has not really been able to sustain the form that took her to the Australian Open title- she had room for improvement from the level that was shown in Melbourne, but it has been a steady rather than spectacular year.

It has meant not having much of an impact in hard court tournaments entered since becoming a Grand Slam Champion and Madison Keys reached the Semi Final in Indian Wells and Quarter Final in Montreal, but had lost early in Miami, Cincinnati and New York City.

The American has won the last two hard court matches played against Iga Swiatek, which includes in the Australian Open Semi Final. She also pushed the World Number 2 in a defeat on the clay courts favoured by Swiatek at the Madrid Masters and Madison Keys should enjoy the indoor conditions at the WTA Finals.

The World Number 7 is going to have to serve well and she is going to have to find her rhythm quickly, but Madison Keys has enjoyed this match up on the faster surfaces and she can give Iga Swiatek something to think about.

This feels like Madison Keys is being given perhaps a game too many on the handicap and especially if the underdog can find her comfort on the court reasonably quickly.

Last year Iga Swiatek was upset in the Group Stage of the WTA Finals and she may have to battle to earn an opening win in 2025, which makes the games being given to Madison Keys look too many here.

Amanda Anisimova-Elena Rybakina over 21.5 games: 2025 will be a year in which Amanda Anisimova will look back fondly and perhaps point to the last six months as being the moment when she transitioned from a player with huge potential to joining the elite on the Tour.

This is the debut at the WTA Finals for the 24 year old American, but Amanda Anisimova reached the Final at Wimbledon and at the US Open.

All credit has to be given to Amanda Anisimova for recovering from failing to win a game in the Wimbledon Final to rally and go again in New York City. A title has been earned in Beijing during the Asian swing and a strong first serve is backed up by some aggressive groundstrokes, which should make Anisimova dangerous on the indoor hard courts.

First up is a Group Stage match against Elena Rybakina who was the last of the eight Singles players to take her place at the WTA Finals- the World Number 6 won the title in Ningbo and managed to win another couple of matches in Tokyo to earn her spot in Riyadh and Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament in the Japanese capital once that place was secured.

A back injury was the reason given and so there are going to be some concerns about her fitness, while Elena Rybakina is only 2-4 in the last two years in the WTA Finals.

She has a big serve, which will always give Elena Rybakina a chance, although there does need to be a little bit of improvement on the return of serve if she is going to earn another Grand Slam title to add to the Wimbledon title won previously.

One of the big disappointments for Elena Rybakina in 2025 has to be the lack of a real Grand Slam run and that does mean she can improve her World Ranking over the coming twelve months. There is a lot to like about her tennis, but she has lost some matches from winning positions and nothing will come easy for Rybakina against the elite of the WTA Tour.

Picking a winner is tough and the layers are finding it hard to separate two big hitting, aggressive players in the first meeting against one another.

The serve could be a dominant weapon for both players and there is every chance that this is a match that will surpass the total games line set.

It is possible for that to happen in a straight sets win for either player, but both are capable of 'getting hot' for a stretch of games that could see each win a set. A three match would see the two players combining for enough games to cover this line barring something really crazy going on with the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Madison Keys + 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova-Elena Rybakina Over 21.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

2025 Season: 153-127, + 10.60 Units (376 Units Staked, + 2.82% Yield)