Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 22nd August)

The last couple of days at the Cincinnati Masters are to be concluded this weekend and the Semi Final selections can be read below.

It has been a difficult tournament, but there is still hope for a flying end to take some momentum into the US Open after a rough month for the Tennis Picks.

Arthur Fils - 3.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: While one of these players looks to be peaking towards the end of the Cincinnati Masters, the other is scrambling in earning his place in the Semi Final.

You cannot use that as a stick to beat someone, but Flavio Cobolli has to know that the level needs to be lifted if he is going to beat Arthur Fils for the first time.

Flavio Cobolli has won all four matches in a third set, so there is no doubt that he has played a lot of tennis this week already. In the last two Rounds he has had to dig deep and come from behind to win both matches played and the Italian has spent eight hours on the court to earn his spot in the Semi Final.

However, it should be noted that the numbers have dipped in each of the last three wins compared with the victory before and Cobolli has been on the right side of some fine inches within matches.

On the other side, Arthur Fils has improved in each of the last three Rounds compared to the one before and the Frenchman crushed Thiago Agustin Tirante in the Quarter Final.

There is so much to like about the Arthur Fils style, but it is an aggressive one that can lead to mistakes when he is slightly off and that is perhaps a reason he has not reached the second week of any Grand Slam on more than the sole occasion it happened at Wimbledon in 2024.

It is also a concern at the back of the mind when backing Fils and this is a wide spread.

That aside, Arthur Fils has been crushing the serve and has really piled on the pressure on the return and that could be the case in a match against an opponent he has beaten twice before. There is also a difference between the players when it comes to overall hard court performances in 2026 and Arthur Fils looks capable of going one better than he did in Miami earlier in the year and that is reaching a maiden Masters Final.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Jessica Pegula: Winning matches is what tennis players want to do, but Iga Swiatek will not have wanted to beat Elena Rybakina in the manner the Quarter Final ended.

A potentially serious injury was picked up by Elena Rybakina, which leaves her participation in the US Open in doubt, but Iga Swiatek has to move on and she is now two wins away from winning both the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters.

This will arguably place Iga Swiatek as favourite to win the US Open and there is a suggestion that she could be facing a compromised Jessica Pegula.

It certainly looked the case as she struggled in the second set against Amanda Anisimova in the Quarter Final and some felt Jessica Pegula may even be contemplating withdrawing from the match. She then moved a double break up in the final set decider, but Pegula threw that away before rallying in a competitive tie-breaker and ultimately getting the better of her compatriot yet again.

Jessica Pegula did tell the press that she had been feeling better the longer she was on court, but the issue could have flared up before the Semi Final and this has always been a tough match up.

She has plenty of wins over Iga Swiatek, but also a number of defeats including a one-sided Quarter Final defeat on the clay courts of Rome earlier this season. Jessica Pegula has won three of the last five hard court matches, including stunning Iga Swiatek at the US Open two years ago, but the Pole has been in fine form over the last two weeks and will be the fresher player.

This is an important factor and it may just give Iga Swiatek the edge in the sets that ultimately will lead to a cover of this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Arthur Fils - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Frances Tiafoe @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 17-19, - 4.81 Units (32 Units Staked, - 15.03% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 21st August)

Another day in Cincinnati ended with another retirement, but this one feels very different to some of those we have seen over the last few days.

Elena Rybakina is only a couple of wins away from becoming the World Number 1, but she had to withdraw from her Quarter Final with an ankle injury.

There was an immediate concern that it could be an achilles injury, but she has downplayed that and suggested an existing injury that she been managing has flared up. However, that does mean Elena Rybakina will be desperate to get through the next few days managing things and preparing to be ready for the US Open, even if her participation has to be considered doubtful.

News did break that Carlos Alcaraz will be travelling to New York City having missed the last two Grand Slams and a number of months on the Tour with a wrist injury.

However, before thoughts turn to the final Grand Slam of the season, the Cincinnati Masters has to be completed this week and the Semi Final lineup will be put together on Friday.

Taylor Fritz - 1.5 games v Brandon Nakashima: These two players met in Washington as both prepared for the US Open and it was Taylor Fritz who edged past Brandon Nakashima in a competitive Semi Final. It is the second time that Fritz has beaten his compatriot on the hard courts of the United States this season and he will be chasing a third victory when this Quarter Final is played.

Taylor Fritz moved past Brandon Nakashima in three sets in Washington and went on to win the title there, but he was beaten in his opening match in Toronto at the Canadian Masters.

The run in Washington may have ended in the Semi Final, but Brandon Nakashima has clearly taken a lot of confidence from his performances and reached the Final last week in Toronto before losing to Ben Shelton.

A lot of tennis has been played, but momentum is behind Brandon Nakashima and he is enjoying another strong run in a Masters event.

The wins that have already been achieved look to be good enough to push Brandon Nakashima into the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time when the new Rankings are released next week. Brandon Nakashima has dug in to win back to back matches in three sets, but you do have to wonder if this build up of tennis could ultimately wear him down before a well deserved rest ahead of the US Open.

Both players are very reliant on the serve, but Taylor Fritz has been able to get a little more joy against the Brandon Nakashima serve in the two meetings this season.

This all means Taylor Fritz leads the head to head 4-1, although the sole win for Brandon Nakashima came right here in Cincinnati and will give the lower Ranked American confidence to turn things in his favour.

However, the fresher player should be Taylor Fritz who has made comfortable passage through the draw and he can edge past Brandon Nakashima for a second time in the space of a month.

MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 17-18, - 3.81 Units (31 Units Staked, - 12.29% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 12th August)

The Canadian Masters could see some more delays if the weather does not play ball, but there looks to be enough of a window to ensure all four Semi Final matches are completed across Montreal and Toronto.

A couple of solid days have pushed the overall Canadian Masters record close to a positive position, but Wednesday is the key to the final outcome.

Iga Swiatek - 3.5 games v Elina Svitolina: The Ranking has dropped to Number 8 and that is largely down to a difficult year in which Iga Swiatek has struggled to reach the very end of tournaments.

On Wednesday in Toronto, Iga Swiatek is playing in just her second Semi Final of 2026 and the former World Number 1 has yet to make the Final, never mind win a title, this season.

There has been little wrong with the hard court numbers produced by Iga Swiatek, but a slight drop in consistency within tournaments has proved to be fatal to her chances of picking up more titles.

This week Iga Swiatek has been in fine form in Toronto and her performance in the Quarter Final was really impressive. It is no surprise that she has been set as the favourite in this Semi Final, although the last time she made this stage of any tournament, it was ended by Elina Svitolina who is the opponent standing across the net at this WTA 1000 event.

For the second time in four wins, Elina Svitolina had to win a deciding set, but she did dominate the last couple of sets against Ekaterina Alexandrova. This should mean she is not taxed as much as some three set matches will do to a player, but Svitolina may have to find a bit more if she is going to beat Iga Swiatek for a third time in a row in 2026.

Both wins have been in a third set decider with one win coming on a hard court and the other on a clay court.

Elina Svitolina should be plenty confident and she may feel she is getting a bit more out of the serve in this tournament to put the pressure on Iga Swiatek.

However, it is the Pole who has been producing the superior returning and that may prove to be the key in the conditions expected on Wednesday.

The two wins produced by Elina Svitolina over Iga Swiatek this year have to be considered- however, both have been in close matches and the level being put together by Swiatek here in Toronto may mean she can just turn those fine inches in her favour.

We should see a closely contested Semi Final, but one in which Iga Swiatek may have enough to edge past the handicap set in a winning effort.

Coco Gauff - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: It is very surprising to note that this is going to be only the second time Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are playing one another on the Tour.

The previous meeting was back in 2022 here in Toronto and was won by Coco Gauff, but it should also be stated she was a top 10 Ranked player at that time and Elena Rybakina was outside of the top 20.

In 2026, Rybakina is the higher Ranked player with both amongst the favourites to win at the US Open next month, but Coco Gauff may have the edge in this Semi Final.

Not only has Coco Gauff been playing at a really high level, but she has been cruising through the Rounds and did not have to step out on the court in the Quarter Final having been awarded a walkover by Belinda Bencic's withdrawal. She has not played for a few days, but that should be a refreshed Gauff is going onto the court and one that has already won three matches here to build up rhythm.

Elena Rybakina came through a really tough test against Naomi Osaka and is back on court less than twenty-four hours later and that has to have an impact here.

If she had won in routine fashion, it would be one thing, but Rybakina spent over two and a half hours on the court and that is the third time in four matches that she had to invest that much energy into a match. Previously she had a day of rest between outings, but the World Number 2 will not have had the same time to prepare for this Semi Final and Elena Rybakina could struggle against an opponent that loves to dig in and extend rallies, games, sets and matches.

The edge on the serve is with Elena Rybakina, but Coco Gauff is a very solid return player and could extend the World Number 2 for long enough to eventually overwhelm her as physical and mental energy runs out.

Rafael Jodar-Brandon Nakashima over 0.5 tie-breakers: Both of these players are breaking new ground this week as they prepare for a maiden Masters Semi Final appearance and there is going to be plenty of confidence to take into the US Open beginning later in the month.

Rafael Jodar and Brandon Nakashima both played well in Washington before running into Taylor Fritz with the former losing in the Final and the latter in the Semi Final.

They have used that success to carry things forward in Canada and both came through Quarter Final matches in straight sets.

Brandon Nakashima has been much more reliant on the serve and that proved to be the key shot when things got a little tight in the second set of his Quarter Final win over Luciano Darderi.

He will need to be at his best with that shot considering how well Rafael Jodar has been returning throughout his time in Montreal- the teenager has broken in 46% of return games played, which is a remarkable success on a hard court.

However, Rafael Jodar has been a little looser on the serve and that will give Brandon Nakashima encouragement considering how well he has been seeing the ball at this tournament.

The season return numbers on the hard courts has been an area where the World Number 31 could improve, but he has done that in Montreal with 29% of return games ending in a break of serve (17% for the season on this surface) and Nakashima is winning 41% of return points played compared with 34% for the year.

Confidence will not be lacking from either side and it would not be a surprise if the two players have to be separated by a key tie-breaker at some point in this Semi Final. The layers give Rafael Jodar plenty of respect, but Brandon Nakashima is a confident hard court player and it could be more competitive than some may anticipate.

Learner Tien-Ben Shelton over 0.5 tie-breakers: This is the third time these two compatriots will be meeting on the Tour and Ben Shelton has surprisingly lost both times against Learner Tien. One of those was on the grass courts, but he was also beaten at Indian Wells back in March and the World Number 10 will be looking for some revenge.

Ben Shelton is the defending Champion at the Canadian Masters and his run here means he is doing a good job at clinging onto a top 10 spot in the World Rankings.

However, a defeat and a win for Rafael Jodar in the other Semi Final would mean Ben Shelton is going to fall out of those positions when the next World Rankings are released soon after the conclusion of the tournament here in Montreal.

This could be another distraction, but Ben Shelton should only be thinking about Learner Tien who would finish in the top 10 if he can win the tournament this week.

No matter what happens on Wednesday, Learner Tien is about to set a new career high World Ranking mark to move inside the top 15 for the first time and he is playing with real belief. The serve will need to be improved if he is going to beat Ben Shelton for a third time as Learner Tien has struggled behind that shot during his run to the Semi Final, but he has been playing the big points pretty well and Tien's return game has been the key to his success.

Overall he is a better server than he has shown here and Learner Tien will be encouraged by the way he has imposed that shot on Ben Shelton.

The higher Ranked American has been in really strong form here this week though and it makes Ben Shelton very dangerous- his serve is always a big weapon, but Shelton has found a clear formula on the return of serve and that has meant breaking in 36% of return games played, which is more than double his usual level on the hard courts in 2026.

Ben Shelton had those chances to break the Learner Tien serve when they met in Indian Wells, but the latter has shown he can roll through the pressurised moments and it would not be a surprise if they need to compete in at least one tie-breaker again.

That has happened in both previous matches between the compatriots on the Tour and it looks like a real possibility in this match, which may feature more breaks of serve than would usually be expected from a Ben Shelton match.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Rafael Jodar-Brandon Nakashima Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Learner Tien-Ben Shelton Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 17-15, - 1.03 Units (32 Units Staked, - 3.22% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 1st August)

The tournaments continue on Saturday and, unfortunately, there has been some timing issues that have prevented me from writing out a fuller thread.

It has been a decent week, but there is still time for things to move either in a positive or negative direction and so it is important to round things out with a couple more winners ahead of the Canadian Masters.

MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 5-3, + 1.14 Units (8 Units Staked, + 14.25% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 31st July)

The Canadian Masters is set to be begin this weekend and that does mean that some of the players still involved in the four tournaments that are to be concluded could be facing some potential distractions. Those who are higher up in the World Rankings have less to be concerned about with a Bye into the Second Round at the expanded Masters events to be played this August, but others may be thinking about travel plans and that can have an impact on the focus on the court.

Of course that only becomes an issue if players are to reach the Semi Final in the two United States venues that are hosting this week and the opportunity to pick up a title ahead of the US Open can only be a positive.

The Quarter Final of the tournaments in Washington and Memphis will be played on Friday, but the tournament in Los Cabos is ensuring that the Final is played on Saturday to allow players to travel to Montreal for the Canadian Masters. There is clearly less travel time between Memphis and Washington to Montreal/Toronto, but the expansion of those Masters events in August has placed an additional pressure on the calendar, much to the frustration of players and fans alike.

There is o only so much room to fit in tournament as it is, which has resulted in a decision to have the Canadian Masters Final played in the middle of the week rather than the traditional weekend spot. It happened for the first time last year and it is part of the reason players are asking the governors of the sport to get together and figure out a better calendar plan, although that has been something that has long been asked without much being done anyway.

Taylor Fritz-Alex Michelsen over 0.5 tie-breakers: This is the third meeting on the Tour between these compatriots and Alex Michelsen is looking to beat the higher Ranked player for a third time.

After winning a Challenger title, Alex Michelsen has arrived in Washington filled with confidence and has been largely untroubled in getting through the opening couple of matches. He will still be expecting more out of the serve having faced 18 Break Points in those two matches, but Michelsen has been returning with some confidence and he has played the big points effectively this week.

Alex Michelsen will be happy with the majority of his ATP level results on the hard courts and he has held 86% of service games played on the surface.

There is still room for improvement on the returning numbers if Michelsen is going to take the next step in his career, but he has found a way to get into the Taylor Fritz serve, which is perhaps a surprise.

Taylor Fritz has won his two matches in Washington very well and he has built on his run at Wimbledon, although perhaps still playing through the pain barrier in order to be ready for the US Open. He is a very comfortable hard court player and Fritz has been in decent form in terms of the numbers, although he is going to need to put together some strong runs in the next couple of months to try and break the thirty win mark in a single season on this surface yet again.

Over the course of the season, Taylor Fritz is holding 89% of his service games on the hard courts and winning 71% of points played, but he struggled to really impose this part of his tennis on Alex Michelsen when losing to him at Indian Wells earlier this year.

Those numbers read 81% and 62% in the defeat to Michelsen and Taylor Fritz will need to be better, even if the scoreboard showed he was on the wrong side of a narrow loss.

It was Alex Michelsen who was much closer to his usual kind of numbers on the hard courts and this has the making of another match that will feature plenty of holds of serve. You have to anticipate at least one tie-breaker, which has been priced up quite appealingly, while the form this week suggests both have a comfortable serving rhythm on the Washington courts.

Small moments can have a big consequence on the score, and these two did create a lot of Break Points against one another when they met in Indian Wells.

A few more may have to be swatted away in this Quarter Final, but both Fritz and Michelsen are capable of doing that for long enough in a single set to at least reach that tie-breaker moment.

MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz-Alex Michelsen Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cameron Norrie @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-2, + 0.46 Units (5 Units Staked, + 9.20% Yield)

World Matchplay Darts Day 8 Picks 2026 (Saturday 25th July)

The absence of Luke Humphries has made the World Matchplay feel like a tournament that Luke Littler is going to win, but credit has to be given to him for the level being produced.

It may have been easy to drop the standard, but Littler is not built like that and his averages have been exceptional throughout the week.

Next up is Dirk van Duijvenbode, but this is a big test for the Dutchman even if he has been playing really well himself.

The second Semi Final was set on Friday when Gian van Veen and Gerwyn Price held off opponents that had fought back towards the end of the last eight matches. These two are familiar with one another through the Premier League meetings, but the winner will know that another mountain stands between them and the title here IF Luke Littler does come through the top half of the draw.

Luke Littler over 11.5 180s & Dirk van Duijvenbode 1+ 100+ checkout: The World Matchplay has felt like a procession for Luke Littler as he continues to produce truly impressive numbers in dismissing all those in front of him.

It says something that the handicap for this Semi Final has been set at 8.5 Legs, but Dirk van Duijvenbode has shown enough this week to offer some resistance.

Wins over Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson will have been in matches where the fans were firmly behind the opponent and so Dirk van Duijvenbode is unlikely to be upset by the atmosphere. Instead the Dutchman has to focus on what he has been doing well this week and that is hitting plenty of big scores and then showing composure when the doubles have needed to be popped off.

Combination finishing has really helped his cause and Dirk van Duijvenbode is likely going to need at least a couple of 100+ checkouts if he is to at least give Luke Littler something to think about.

Four of those big checkouts were needed to see off Gary Anderson and Dirk van Duijvenbode had another against Michael van Gerwen so can secure his part of this selection.

Luke Littler has been crushing the maximums for fun throughout this tournament and he has had thirty-eight in three matches here and can contribute at least thirteen in this Semi Final. The layers are taking no chances compared with the Quarter Final prices for his maximums, but the World Number 1 can put plenty more on the board in this match and it is going to surprise no one to state that this is a Semi Final that Littler should win.

Gerwyn Price to win & both players 1+ 100+ checkout v Gian van Veen: This is going to be the eighth meeting between these players in 2026 and it is Gerwyn Price who leads with five wins from the previous seven matches.

All of those have been in the Premier League under the best of eleven format, but this is a race to seventeen Legs and that should mean a few more twists and turns.

However, the head to head cannot be dismissed and especially not when you consider how the two players have been performing at the World Matchplay.

Gerwyn Price started slowly, but is continuing to improve in each match played and that can only be a positive for him. A similar level to the one that beat Ross Smith would make The Ice Man a solid favourite to win this Semi Final and Price is rightly expected to do that.

He will be looking to come out and play at a similar level, but Gian van Veen is well aware that he needs to be more consistent if he is going to upset the odds again in this tournament.

Credit has to be given to Gian van Veen for the finishing qualities shown, and he will need all of his combination finishing in this one. The big checkouts have been a feature of the wins Gian van Veen has produced in Blackpool and both of these players are more than capable of finding at least one big finish during the course of this Semi Final.

As has been mentioned, Gerwyn Price deserves the edge and he can reach the World Matchplay Final again.

MY PICKS: Luke Littler Over 12.5 180s & Dirk van Duijvenbode 1+ 100+ Checkout @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gerwyn Price to Win & Both Players 1+ 100+ Checkout @ 1.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Matchplay: 12-13, + 0.55 Units (25 Units Staked, + 2.20% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 25th July)

The tournaments that are being played this week are being concluded over the weekend before both Tours move onto bigger hard courts events.

That begins the real lead into the US Open, but first we have to complete the events being played this week, although there may not be too many selections from the Semi Final and Finals that will be scheduled.

Barbora Krejcikova - 5.5 games v Lilli Tagger: Eight straight wins have been put on the board by Barbora Krejcikova and she is the favourite to win the title in Prague after picking up the trophy in Athens.

Once again the former French Open and Wimbledon Champion is pushing back towards the top 20 in the World Rankings and Barbora Krejcikova will be looking for one or two more big runs at the Grand Slam events.

She does have a Quarter Final run to defend at the US Open, but Krejcikova has been in dominant form this month on the hard courts and will be heading into August with a lot of confidence.

The expectation is that Barbora Krejcikova will have too much for Lilli Tagger- the World Number 26 has not only been winning matches, but winning convincingly and it may be difficult for the teenager to slow her down.

Lilli Tagger has played well this week, but this is a big step up and she had lost all three matches against top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts before the win in the Quarter Final on Friday. That was against another home player, but playing the Number 2 Seed is another challenge and Barbora Krejcikova may be able to maintain her current momentum in what could be another relatively comfortable win.

MY PICKS: Barbora Krejcikova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 5-5, - 0.88 Units (10 Units Staked, - 8.80% Yield)

2026 World Cup- Semi Final Picks (Tuesday 14th July-Wednesday 15th July)

There was some controversy around the FIFA decision to Seed the top four World Ranked teams when the draw was made, although they made it clear that it would only be the case if France, Spain, Argentina and England all won the Groups in which they had been placed.

All four did and have made it through to the final four, albeit with some bumps to negotiate along the way.

France are the favourites having cruised through the tournament behind a fearsome front four, but Spain stand in the way in a third Semi Final meeting in a third different competition from 2024 to 2026. Both previous matches have been won by Spain, but they have needed very late goals to beat Portugal and Belgium and the only real positive is avoiding having to go through Extra Time.

In real terms, both France and Spain have made pretty comfortable passage, but Argentina and England have been forced to dig deep.

The defending World Champions have twice needed to win games in Extra Time and came from 0-2 behind to beat Egypt with an injury time winner to avoid all three matches needing the additional thirty minutes. This accumulation can wear teams down and Argentina have looked fragile and heavily reliant on Lionel Messi, which is a disappointment considering the bid to develop since winning in Qatar.

Where Argentina have one superstar stepping up, England have had both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham provide big moments and stopping both is the challenge.

However, nothing has come easy for England after battling from behind to beat both DR Congo and Norway, the latter in Extra Time, while they also came through an epic battle in Mexico City to beat one of the co-hosts 2-3 in a memorable World Cup fixture.

All four teams at this stage of the competition will be confident, but you have to believe the winner of the France-Spain Semi Final will be going on to lift the trophy on Sunday, regardless of who they face in the Final.

Things could look very different at the end of the Semi Final Round, but it would be a surprise from here as the 2026 World Cup Finals wind down.

World Cup Semi Final Picks

Tuesday 14th July

France vs Spain Pick: The Euro 2024 Semi Final and the 2025 Nations League Semi Final matches were both won by Spain, but there has been a feeling in this tournament that the French team are playing at a superior level.

Strong attacking play will always make the headlines more than strong defensive work and Spain will still be feeling confident about their chances.

They will certainly believe they have come through a tougher pathway in the Knock Out Rounds and that can mean being more battle-tested. Wins over Austria, Portugal and Belgium means Spain are used to that rhythm and tempo provided by European opponents and those opponents make for better reading than France seeing off Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco.

It is not the fault of the French that they have not had to play Germany or a full strength Morocco, but Spain may take something from the fact that France did struggle to break down the last two of those opponents. We have certainly not seen a full performance from France in the tournament, which does make them dangerous, but Spain may feel they can contain the attacks to some extent, whilst also giving France so much more to think about on the defensive side of the field compared with the last three Knock Out opponents.

Spain should take heart from the chances Senegal and Sweden created before they fell behind and France have yet to had to battle back from adversity.

The same can be said for Spain, who have also not been behind in the tournament, but they have had to dig in to beat Portugal and Belgium and that will give the team confidence. Having Nico Williams back is also a big confidence builder for Spain, even if he cannot start, and the European Champions have shown they can hurt a vulnerable France defence over the last couple of years.

France have tended to be the superior World Cup team compared with Spain, who have been much stronger in the continental tournaments, but this has the makings of a classic World Cup Semi Final.

Whoever scores first will be confident, but it should be noted that recent games between these European neighbours have tended to be very competitive and with the attacking players usually coming out on top.

So while World Cup Semi Final matches can become tight and tense, this may be one where both teams feel they can hurt the other and it may be another fixture between France and Spain that ends with at least three goals shared out.

Wednesday 15th July

England vs Argentina Pick: There is little love lost between these nations and they are meeting in the biggest game between the rivals in the history of this sport.

Making a World Cup Final is obviously the motivation, but there will be a huge amount of pain for the loser to absorb if going down to the other in this Semi Final.

Both England and Argentina will know that they need to improve to beat the other and the squad that has dealt best with the Extra Time needed to win Quarter Final matches will have the edge.

Superstar names have stepped up for both nations during what have been inconsistent performances in the Knock Out Rounds and the defences have really had problems. That could be the case in this Semi Final with both England and Argentina going to be feeling like the attacking players can hurt the other and it may be a game in which one of the teams will make one too many errors to hand the game to other.

Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will receive the attention, but it could be a player at the back taking an unnecessary risk that proves costly.

Both teams will have their moments, but both are likely going to be relying on Emiliano Martinez and Jordan Pickford to step up when they are asked questions.

Out of the two, Martinez may just give Argentina the edge, but England have to know the defending World Champions are not looking nearly as good as they did in Qatar.

This has all of the makings of a tense night in both nations in a fixture that neither England nor Argentina dare to lose, but it could be one where the goalkeepers are forced into action more than some of the layers may think.

Extra Time and Penalties would not surprise anyone, but big saves are likely going to be needed before that and the defensive numbers have shown two teams that will give up shots on goal during this Knock Out run.

MY PICKS: France-Spain Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.95 William Hill (1 Unit)

England-Argentina Over 7.5 Match Shots on Target @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Semi Final: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.12 Units (4 Units Staked, - 3% Yield)

Last 16: 6-2, + 2.52 Units (8 Units Staked, + 31.5o% Yield)

Last 32: 10-6, + 4.38 Units (16 Units Staked, + 27.38% Yield)

Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)

Group Stage MD 2: 16-8, + 7.44 Units (24 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)

Group Stage MD 1: 12-12, - 0.30 Units (24 Units Staked, - 1.25% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 11 Picks 2026 (Thursday 9th July)

The 2026 Wimbledon has been a tournament filled with upsets throughout the first ten days of action and that all continued on Wednesday when Arthur Fery made it through to the Semi Final.

He has a day to rest before the biggest match of his young career, but the focus on Thursday will be on the Ladies Semi Finals with all four players remaining in the draw looking like they could win the title on Saturday.

The opening Semi Final looks the more likely to provide a Champion, but it is all to play for before the Men take over on Friday.

Karolina Muchova-Coco Gauff over 22.5 games: The winner of this Ladies Semi Final is likely going to be set as the favourite to win the Wimbledon title and that is going to be something that both Karolina Muchova and Coco Gauff will be thinking about in the day between the Quarter Final and this final four match.

Both players came through tough Quarter Final matches in impressive style and the layers are finding it tough to separate them.

The head to head clearly favours Coco Gauff, but this is the first time they are facing one another on the grass courts and it should be noted that Karolina Muchova ended her six match losing run to the American by finally edging past her in Stuttgart. One of those wins was earned by Coco Gauff at the Australian Open back in January, which will give her confidence, but Karolina Muchova has been playing really well on the grass courts and overcame a poor head to head with Naomi Osaka to get the better of her in the last Round.

If you take away the names and look at the numbers produced on the grass courts in 2026 and the Wimbledon runs alone, you would likely have Karolina Muchova down as a stronger favourite than she is right now.

However, the head to head and the much stronger Grand Slam experience is in favour of Coco Gauff and that likely means she enters the court with more confidence to turn things back in her favour even if it begins to go wrong. The performances have not been poor in her run to the Semi Final, but Coco Gauff has had to spend a lot more time on the court and has had to come through some mental battles, which can accumulate fatigue.

Experience of these kind of stages is important though and Coco Gauff has plenty of that in her locker, which could help significantly.

Karolina Muchova has been the more effective server in this tournament, and that has allowed her to take some chances on the return. However, Coco Gauff's match up with Muchova means she will believe she can impose her return on this Semi Final and that may ultimately give her the slight edge.

Both players are very capable though, and it would not be a surprise if this is another Ladies match that ends up being very competitive and possibly surpassing the total games line in just two sets. There is every chance that this will swing back and forth as it did when Karolina Muchova and Coco Gauff met in Melbourne earlier in the year and so backing this to be a match that finishes above the line set from the total games market is the plan.

Linda Noskova v Marta Kostyuk: A top ten place in the World Rankings will be secured by the winner of this Semi Final and there is a chance for Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova to make the kind of breakthrough on the Tour that could spark the young careers.

Last month Marta Kostyuk reached the French Open Semi Final, but struggled with the weight of expectation as she was beaten by Mirra Andreeva in straight sets. The World Number 13 will have taken a great deal of confidence from that run, even if it ended disappointingly, but Marta Kostyuk has used the experience to fuel this performance at Wimbledon.

It has been something of a surprising run when you think Marta Kostyuk decided to skip warm up tournaments and had a career 16-19 record on the surface and had lost all three matches played on grass in 2025. The draw has opened up, as it has for many, but Marta Kostyuk will take confidence from the wins over Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini who have both had successes on the grass.

She has only dropped a couple of sets in the five wins in the tournament, while Marta Kostyuk has used her serve to build up scoreboard pressure throughout the run. This has allowed the Ukrainian to play with aggression on the return of serve and Marta Kostyuk has put together a really strong Wimbledon, which is perhaps a reason she has been set as favourite.

Marta Kostyuk beat Linda Noskova in Madrid on the clay, but the latter has been playing with a lot more belief in her tennis on the grass courts.

Last month Linda Noskova won a title in Berlin, which included beating the likes of Alexandra Eala and Jessica Pegula, while the Czech player had runs to the Quarter Final in Nottingham, Semi Final in Bad Homburg and the Fourth Round at Wimbledon last year. Like many players that have been produced by Czechia, Linda Noskova has taken to the grass with real confidence and she has beaten Sorana Cirstea, Madison Keys and Elise Mertens in the last three Rounds.

Linda Noskova has also been serving well in this tournament and she has proven to be a consistent return player.

This is going to be a really tough match for Linda Noskova against a confident Marta Kostyuk that will have used that experience at the French Open to just help her settle ahead of this one.

Both players have served well enough to believe they can put the other under immense pressure, but the younger player has proved to be the superior grass court player beyond this tournament. Marta Kostyuk has played well enough to think she can win this one, but Linda Noskova looks a solid underdog to get behind in a Grand Slam that has been filled with upsets throughout the last two weeks and the World Number 12 may edge through this good looking Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Karolina Muchova-Coco Gauff Over 22.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

L:inda Noskova @ 2.20 William Hill (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 36-34, - 9.68 Units (138 Units Staked, - 7.01% Yield)

World Cup of Darts Day 4 Picks 2026 (Sunday 14th June)

The top Seeds all moved through to the final day of the World Cup of Darts and that means there should be some very good matches to be played throughout the day.

Building on what was a solid return on Day 3 is the key, while any selections from the Semi Final matches will be placed in this thread later in the afternoon when those markets have been released.

[EVENING SESSION] Some of the players may have suggested that the top four Seeded teams should not be given a Bye into the Second Round and instead join the Group Stage like the majority of the tournament.

Whether having two more days of rest ahead of the start of the tournament would make that much difference is up for debate, but the top four Seeds have made it through to the Semi Final.

Scotland and Netherlands were pretty dominant, but England and Northern Ireland needed to win last Leg deciders to earn their places in the Semi Final.

The World Cup of Darts will come to a conclusion in the Evening Session with the Semi Final and Final played through the night- and it should be a fun evening when you think of the quality of teams taking part.

Scotland - 1.5 legs v Ireland: These two teams moved through to the Quarter Final in very different ways on Saturday with Scotland dominating as favourites, while Ireland came through a tough match when they had been set as the underdog.

Both pairs look very good and have gelled together pretty effectively, although there is a very limited sample size when it comes to Scotland.

Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies are both very solid players when operating at their best, but the test will be much stiffer in this one after Norway capitulated. That will also mean a test of the temperament, while Ireland are much more relaxed having already come through the Group Stage before beating Poland in the Second Round.

Ireland are definitely dangerous, but the narrow edge may still be with Scotland who could be the heavier scorers in the contest and that may put them in a position to win without needing to go into a final Leg decider.

England over 4.5 180s v Wales: You have to imagine that the Luke and Luke pairing of England are going to get everyone's best effort, but they did enough to hold off the Spanish team on Saturday.

Pairs is a very different game, but by the end of that Second Round win, Littler and Humphries were beginning to really roll and they can take that into this Quarter Final.

You cannot dismiss the chances of the Welsh team, but Nick Kenny may have to be a little stronger to keep up with the other three players on the oche.

It does look like England are the stronger team, but the focus is on the power scoring again and the top two players in the world can get back into the maximum zone as they did on Saturday evening.

England should win, but the focus will be on the maximum market in this Quarter Final.

England & Scotland over 3.5 180s: This Semi Final has two quality teams involved and it could be a contest featuring plenty of big power scoring.

Of course it cannot be one-sided for either team if this selection is to come in, but it would be a surprise if either is blown away.

Both teams have been powering in the maximums, which is not a big surprise with the quality of player throwing, and both hitting at least three looks capable of getting very close.

Netherlands over 3.5 180s & Northern Ireland over 2.5 180s: Another very good looking match is set to take place in the second Semi Final and this one features three Premier League players.

Josh Rock put together a special Check Out to keep the Northern Irish in a position to defend the World Cup won twelve months ago, but this match against the Netherlands represents a big, big challenge.

Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen have gelled very well and both are capable of getting into the groove with the maximum hitting, while Josh Rock showed twelve months ago how quickly he can begin to pound the treble bed and with a huge amount of consistency.

The Netherlands have really impressed through the first couple of wins, but Northern Ireland are unlikely to let go of their World Cup crown without a fight and it could see both hitting plenty of maximums.

It is the Dutch who have the edge with both players capable of putting together stretches of power scoring, but Northern Ireland can add to the show in the second Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Scotland - 1.5 Legs @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

England Over 4.5 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

SEMI FINAL: England & Scotland Over 3.5 180s @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Netherlands Over 3.5 180s & Northern Ireland Over 2.5 180s @ 2.62 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Cup of Darts: 4-1, + 3.16 Units (5 Units Staked, + 63.20% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 13 Picks 2026 (Friday 5th June)

The French Open has been one of the more upset-driven Grand Slam tournaments we have seen over the last couple of years and that has made it very difficult to predict.

Both underdogs came through the Women's Semi Final matches on Thursday, but the favourites will be looking for better success when the Men's final four are played on Day 13.

They both look capable, but Jakub Mensik and Matteo Arnaldi will have something to say about that and the Picks from the two matches can be read below.

Jakub Mensik-Alexander Zverev over 37.5 games: The favourites have continued to fall throughout the two weeks at the French Open, but Alexander Zverev has been holding himself together and has been in this position for a number of days now. There is going to be little doubt in the German's camp that Zverev may never have a better chance to break his Grand Slam duck and win the title on Sunday, but it is imperative that all stay focused on the matches as they come.

For so long Alexander Zverev has been chasing a generation including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but two have retired and Djokovic looks like his best is finally behind him. Instead of allowing Alexander Zverev and his peers take over the top of the sport, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have broken through and over the last two years either one or the other has gotten the better of the World Number 3.

None of those players mentioned can stop Alexander Zverev at the 2026 French Open, but he is now fending off another generation of players having beaten a teenager in the Quarter Final and now taking on a 20 year old who has become just the fifth Men's player from his nation to reach a Grand Slam Semi Final.

But that is not enough for Jakub Mensik, who has been touted for the top of the sport ever since he upset Novak Djokovic to win the Miami Masters last year.

Unsurprisingly that also meant a target on Jakub Mensik's back and he has perhaps struggled with that, which has led to him dropping from World Number 12 in March 2025 to World Number 27 ahead of this tournament.

He is going to back up near his career best World Ranking mark at the end of this Grand Slam, but Jakub Mensik has shown plenty of grit and determination to believe he deserves plenty of respect in the Semi Final. No one will be surprised he is the underdog, but Mensik has battled through adversity throughout this tournament and that will have given him a lot of confidence.

Getting past Joao Fonseca in straight sets in the Quarter Final will also be a big help for Jakub Mensik, who looked to be struggling with some physical ailments at various times during that last eight clash. The 20 year old has spent a lot more time on the court compared with Alexander Zverev and you cannot ignore that as a factor, but being in this half of the draw and playing in the Tuesday Quarter Final does mean Jakub Mensik has had two full days of recovery time to prepare physically and mentally.

The players have a recent knowledge of playing one another and on this surface- a few weeks ago, Alexander Zverev beat Jakub Mensik in the Fourth Round at the Madrid Masters, but that was a match that needed a third set decider. Both produced a big serving day, although Alexander Zverev eventually had the edge, and that is going to be a key shot when it comes to the outcome of this Semi Final.

Most will make Alexander Zverev favourite, which is the right choice, but Jakub Mensik has shown he can dig in and produce some very good tennis on this surface.

Another windy day is expected, although not as windy as Wednesday and Thursday, and the match may come down to which of the players can get on the front foot the quickest.

Experience is certainly with Alexander Zverev and that should never be downplayed, but Jakub Mensik could push him hard through the first couple of hours on the court and the younger player can at least win a set.

With both players capable of rolling through service games, this could be a Semi Final that needs at least 38 games to find a winner who will then play for the French Open title on Sunday afternoon in Paris.

Flavio Cobolli - 4.5 games v Matteo Arnaldi: An all-Italian Semi Final that does not feature Jannik Sinner will come as a surprise to those tuning into the French Open on Day 13 of the tournament, but that is no concern to either Matteo Arnaldi or Flavio Cobolli. Both have taken advantage of their compatriot exiting the tournament in the Second Round and opening up the top half of the draw, but credit has to be given to both Arnaldi and Cobolli for making sure they are in this position.

If Alexander Zverev wins the other Semi Final, the winner of this one will be the underdog on Sunday, but that should not be the focus for either player as they look to reach a maiden Grand Slam Final in its own right.

The clay courts will be comfortable for Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli and it is going to be another Semi Final where the player who handles the occasion the best is likely going to find a way through. They are very familiar with one another being from the same country, while Matteo Arnaldi being 25 years old and Flavio Cobolli being 24 years old means they have likely known one another for many years.

Being familiar with the opponent should help settle the nerves somewhat and it is going to be the sixth meeting on the Tour with the first of those played back in 2021- Flavio Cobolli won that one before Matteo Arnaldi won three in a row, but it was Cobolli who was the winner again when these two met right here at the French Open last year.

It was a dominant Second Round win for Flavio Cobolli back in May 2025, although the setting around this one will be much different and that has to be a factor.

Despite that, Flavio Cobolli should be the fresher player, which gives him an edge, and he has made much more serene progress through the draw. His overall performances on the Tour have been a bit more convincing compared with Matteo Arnaldi, who was the World Number 36 when they met at Roland Garros last year, but who begun this event outside of the top 100.

Back to back five setters saw Matteo Arnaldi just get himself through some fine margins, but he looked a little fatigued in the Quarter Final- it was Matteo Berrettini who ultimately saw his body let him down and a two hour match abruptly concluded when Berrettini was forced out with an injury.

That will help Arnaldi in his recovery, but this is a much different kind of match against Flavio Cobolli and you have to expect the higher Ranked Italian to have too much for him once again at the French Open.

A battling win over Felix Auger Aliassime means Flavio Cobolli has only dropped two sets in his run to the French Open Semi Final and the conditions should not be as tough as they were on Wednesday.

Nothing will come easy with a spot in a Grand Slam Final on the line, but Flavio Cobolli may eventually wear down Matteo Arnaldi, who has to be feeling all of the tennis he has already played. Expect long rallies to wear down Arnaldi and that could allow Flavio Cobolli to eventually move into the French Open Final with a cover of this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Jakub Mensik-Alexander Zverev Over 37.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Flavio Cobolli - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

French Open Update: 26-22, - 1.54 Units (92 Units Staked, - 1% Yield)

French Open Tennis Day 12 Picks 2026 (Thursday 4th June)

The last four of the Women's tournament features plenty of young talent, but there won't be many who would have put a bracket together and come out with these four names.

A big opportunity is now in front of the players with a Grand Slam title to be won, but Aryna Sabalenka has to be kicking herself.

The body language had been pretty negative throughout the match, even when Sabalenka was very much in control, but losing 12 of the last 13 games was a complete capitulation.

It is not the first time the World Number 1 has managed to lose a match at the business end of a Grand Slam and not the first time Aryna Sabalenka has completely collapsed from a strong position. She was pretty downbeat in the press conference after the defeat, which is not a surprise, but it continues to show that the WTA Tour is missing that dominant force and perhaps a reason why Serena Williams is thinking about a comeback.

The former World Number 1 is back in Doubles action next week, but it would surprise no one if she did take a Wild Card into Wimbledon, which begins later in the month. One more Grand Slam is needed to match Novak Djokovic, although it would still take a monumental effort for a 44 year old who is turning 45 in September to be able to put together the kind of run needed to win a Grand Slam.

Serena Williams will be returning with that in mind, if she does indeed return to the Singles court and not just prepare for a shot at the Doubles Olympic Gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

That is something that may give the WTA another shot in the arm, but for now the focus for the four players still playing at Roland Garros is winning a Grand Slam title and moving into the upper tier of the sport in their own right.

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 games v Mirra Andreeva: There has long been an expectation around Marta Kostyuk and the potential she has, and at 23 years old she looks to finally be making her big breakthrough on the Tour. After getting the better of compatriot Elina Svitolina in the Quarter Final, Marta Kostyuk is moving very close to the top ten in the WTA World Rankings, while she has also reached a maiden Grand Slam Semi Final.

If she wins one more match, Marta Kostyuk will enter the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time, while a French Open title would mean she also becomes the Ukrainian Number One.

Putting together an unbeaten clay court season, which includes a big WTA 1000 title in Madrid, should mean Marta Kostyuk comes into this Semi Final filled with confidence, but it is the younger player in this match up that has the experience edge.

While there has long been an expectation about the kind of successes that Marta Kostyuk could have on a tennis court, Mirra Andreeva has been seen as a future multiple time Grand Slam Champion since the then 17 year old reached the French Open Semi Final in 2024.

The run at the French Open means Mirra Andreeva has reached the Quarter Final four times at Grand Slam level, and three of those have been in Paris- she has converted two of those into Semi Final appearances, including this season, but Mirra Andreeva will have to get the better of an opponent who has beaten her twice already this season, including once in the Madrid Final on a clay court.

There is the issue about the Russia-Ukraine war that has continued to be a feature of the press conferences, but the focus here has to be on the court.

During the run to the Semi Final, Mirra Andreeva has produced the stronger numbers and her crushing win over Sorana Cirstea in the Quarter Final will have given the teenager a huge amount of confidence. She has long been very happy on the clay courts and Andreeva has been involved in very big matches at the French Open in each of the last three editions of this Grand Slam.

Experience is a big edge when it comes to handling the sense of occasion and that is something that Mirra Andreeva will have to try and use.

However, the numbers may be stronger overall in this tournament, but it is Marta Kostyuk who has two top ten wins under her belt and she has definitely had to fight through the tougher path. Doing so, and being unbeaten on the clay in 2026, should mean Marta Kostyuk is not intimidated by the match, but it is all about handling the emotion on the day with so much on the line.

It will be important for her team to try and get Marta Kostyuk to focus on the court, although the war in her home country is going to be on the mind and facing a Russian opponent will make that impossible to ignore.

The current World Number 15 has beaten Mirra Andreeva twice this season and that will be a boost for the confidence.

Tellingly, Marta Kostyuk has been the much stronger player in both matches and has won both in straight sets, including that Madrid Final last month- the clay here plays differently to Madrid, but Kostyuk has proven to be the stronger server in those head to head matches and that could be a key to the outcome of this Semi Final.

Mirra Andreeva is a confident player when the serve is working, but Marta Kostyuk could dip those levels if she is able to get into thos return games as she has previously.

It is Marta Kostyuk who has broken serve at least four times in each match played in Paris and she has broken six times in four of the five wins- this may be the first time she drops a set to Mirra Andreeva with the nerves likely going to play a big impact, but the latter has not reached the Final of a Grand Slam herself and there are still those moments when Andreeva reminds everyone that she is still a very young player and that may be the case on Thursday.

Diana Shnaider - 2.5 games v Maja Chwalinska: The second Grand Slam of the season has been one that has featured upset after upset and you will struggle to find too many people who selected the final four in the Women's event before the French Open began.

At least some sort of case could have been made for Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk, who make up the other Semi Final, but how many would have predicted Diana Shnaider and Maja Chwalinska to have made their way through the top half?

Both won Quarter Final matches on Wednesday in awfully tough conditions at the tournament- instead of the brutal heat of the first week, both players had to come through windy conditions that made it very difficult to control the ball, but both Shnaider and Chwalinska deserve a lot of credit for beating higher Ranked players.

There is a real storyline around both players too- Maja Chwalinska has won eight matches to reach the French Open Semi Final having begun her tournament in the Qualifying Rounds. She began her run outside of the top 100 in the World Rankings, but Chwalinska is set to earn a top 30 Ranking going forward and that means the next twelve months will be an opportunity to play in the biggest tournaments on the Tour.

For Diana Shnaider, the clay court season had been a difficult one as she struggled to mix it with the best players on the Tour, but back to back wins over Grand Slam Champions will have given her a whole heap of confidence. Those two wins over Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka have come in three sets and Diana Shnaider has come through the final set decider in each match without dropping a game, and that will have given the World Number 23 plenty of belief in her own tennis.

The comeback against Aryna Sabalenka from 6-3, 4-1, 30/0 behind is a huge moment for Diana Shnaider and now it is all about recovery, more mentally than physically.

Nerves are going to be a huge feature of this match with a Grand Slam Final place on the line and that does make it that much tougher to predict.

On paper you have to give the edge to Diana Shnaider who has had a solid record on the clay over the last couple of years and while competing at a high level.

Nothing is wrong with the Maja Chwalinska numbers, but the 24 year old has played in Challenger level events, which is backed up by her World Ranking, while she has not beaten a top 20 Ranked player yet in the tournament. At the end of this tournament, Diana Shnaider will be a top 20 Ranked player again and the younger of the two left-handed players has also beaten Maja Chwalinska on the clay before, albeit back in 2022 when Shnaider was making her way up the levels.

An early injury has perhaps held Maja Chwalinska back, but this run has still come out of left field considering what has been produced in the build up to the French Open- the numbers have bene strong enough, but those had come about at a much lower level than the main Tour events, and even then the Pole had a 10-5 record.

It is a run that will have some thinking back to 2021 when Emma Raducanu came through Qualifiers to then go on and win the US Open- more recently, Dayana Yastremska came through Qualifying and eventually reached the Australian Open Semi Final in 2024, but the latter of those players had more Grand Slam experience than Maja Chwalinska, who is taking part in just her third main draw appearance at a Major.

People are comparing it more to the Raducanu run, and this is likely going to be a match that features a lot of Breaks of serve.

Wind is going to be a real problem again on Thursday, especially with the roof likely to be open if the thunderstorms of early in the day are not expected to return. That does make it tougher with the nerves and emotions already pretty high for both players and it could come down to who can handle the conditions best when the pressure builds up.

The edge has to be with Diana Shnaider considering her experience of playing in bigger events, while she has looked the slightly more consistent return player and that may see her earn one or two more Breaks than Maja Chwalinska in this surprising Semi Final at the French Open.

MY PICKS: Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Diana Shnaider - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

French Open Update: 26-20, + 2.46 Units (88 Units Staked, + 2.80% Yield)

Premier League Darts Finals Night Picks 2026 (Thursday 28th May)

Sixteen Premier League Nights have been completed and half of the field have been eliminated ahead of Finals Night.

You would say that the four best players have made their way to the O2 Arena where the Semi Final and Final will be played over the course of a few hours.

Defending Champion Luke Humphries is going to be involved in the second Semi Final having moved past Gerwyn Price and that means facing Jonny Clayton rather than Luke Littler.

Anyone who thinks that means we are definitely getting the Luke vs Luke Final for a third year in a row in the Premier League should be careful about overlooking two proud Welshmen, but it is no surprise that the layers have set that as the favourite outcome of the two Semi Finals.

None of these four players decided to take in the European Tour event played last weekend and that means there should be no excuses about fatigue with a big title and big prize money to be decided on the night.

Luke Littler to win & over 5.5 180s v Gerwyn Price: Twelve months ago, there was a real feeling that Luke Littler did not like playing Gerwyn Price and it did feel like the Welshman was winning just as many matches as the teenage star of the PDC Tour.

Fifteen of the last sixteen meetings between these players have now ended in Luke Littler wins- some have been competitive, but those are numbers that begin to get into a player's head and that has to be the case in this Semi Final.

The last eight matches between the players have all been won by Luke Littler and you have to believe the World Number 1 is going to be more focused on Finals Night than he has seemingly been in the last month.

Even then he has won matches and it would be a big surprise if Luke Littler is not competing in the Premier League Final later in the evening.

Gerwyn Price has been battling through some kind of health issue, although he has not mentioned exactly what he has been dealing with.

He sounded more positive about his status ahead of the Premier League Finals Night when stating that he would not be playing on the European Tour this weekend, but will be back looking to pick up Ranking Points after a short holiday. That is good news for Gerwyn Price and his fans and he should push Luke Littler, which will give the World Number 1 enough time to reach at least six maximums in any winning effort he can produce.

Luke Humphries to win & most 180s v Jonny Clayton: This is the sixth meeting between these players in 2026 and it is Jonny Clayton who has three wins compared with two for Luke Humphries.

That alone may make some believe there is value in backing Jonny Clayton as a significant underdog- he also finished seven points clear of Luke Humphries in the Premier League standings.

However, it should be noted that the last meeting between the players was in early April and there is no denying the quality that Luke Humphries has put together in May.

Luke Humphries reached the Final of the last four Premier League Nights and the defending Champion of this tournament has also won a Players Championship title in that time. Some consider Luke Humphries' recent form as being the best on the Tour and he will certainly be arriving at the O2 Arena with a lot of confidence.

Throughout this season, there has been little wrong with the power scoring produced by Luke Humphries, but the real turnaround of the form has been down to the doubling.

Misses almost cost him a chance to defend his title at the O2 Arena, but Humphries has shown some confidence at the Doubles and that is likely going to give him the edge.

On his day, Jonny Clayton is more than capable of matching any player on the Tour, but Luke Humphries has lifted his level considerably since they last met and the World Number 2 can book his place in the Premier League Final after completing the match double.

MY PICKS: Luke Littler to Win & Over 5.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Luke Humphries to Win & Most 180s @ 2.60 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 73-101, - 15 Units (171 Units Staked, - 8.77% Yield)

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 14th May)

The Rome Masters is into the last of the Quarter Final matches in the ATP event being played in the Italian capital and the two WTA Semi Final matches are scheduled for Thursday as well, although the weather will need to play ball.

It was the weather that changed the momentum of the Casper Ruud eventual win over Karen Khachanov and perhaps prevented the Norwegian from making it 2-0 for the Tennis Picks on Wednesday.

This has still been a decent tournament to add to the earlier positive clay court numbers and that is going to give the pages a boost ahead of the French Open, which is now a little over a week away from beginning at the end of the month.

Coco Gauff - 3.5 games v Sorana Cirstea: Retirement at the end of the season has already been announced, but there has to be some second thoughts in the Sorana Cirstea camp having played some of the best tennis of her career.

If the Rankings were released in the morning, Sorana Cirstea would be back at her career best World Ranking mark of Number 21 and she is very much trending towards cracking the top 20 for the first time. The veteran is also at Number 11 in the WTA Race to determine the best players in the world and Sorana Cirstea has upset Aryna Sabalenka during her run to the Semi Final here in Rome.

A confident player is a dangerous player and Cirstea has a very solid 10-2 record on the clay courts in the build up towards the French Open.

However, both losses have been against some of the better clay courters on the WTA Tour and one of those came at the hands of Coco Gauff at the Madrid Masters.

The defending French Open Champion has shown plenty of character to come through three setters in her run in Rome and Coco Gauff has long been very comfortable on the clay courts. This is a surface where a vulnerable second serve is not punished nearly as much as it is on the faster surfaces where recovering breaks of serve can be very difficult against the best players on the Tour.

On the clay courts, Coco Gauff will always feel she has enough quality from the return to neutralise rallies and ultimately break down an opponent and she is playing well on the surface this season. The numbers are not quite as good as the previous two seasons, but Gauff has shown she can dig in and overcome problems and that makes her the right favourite in this match.

Beating Sorana Cirstea in all three previous matches on the Tour, including twice this year, will also give the World Number 4 the confidence to push past this opponent again.

It was the Coco Gauff returning prowess that helped her beat Sorana Cirstea in Madrid and she created five more Break Points on the day.

Sorana Cirstea is playing with confidence and an almost 'nothing to lose' attitude, which makes her dangerous, but Coco Gauff can find those breaks of serve that helps her cover this spread set for this last four contest.

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 games v Martin Landaluce: There have been flashes of his ability on the clay courts, but Daniil Medvedev has long stated his dislike for this part of the season and he is never that far from completely losing his temper when things are not panning out as expected. Little form had been shown prior to the arrival in Rome, which is the last big tournament Daniil Medvedev is set to take in before the French Open, but this is one of the clay court events that the World Number 9 has enjoyed.

In his career, Daniil Medvedev has reached one Quarter Final at the French Open and a couple of Fourth Round runs, but he has won the title here in Rome and followed up with back to back Fourth Round appearances.

He has already progressed at least one stage further here in Rome in 2026 and Daniil Medvedev is rightly set as the favourite to get the better of Lucky Loser Martin Landaluce.

The 20 year old is going to take another leap in the World Rankings thanks to his performances in the main draw, but the Spaniard is not the most convincing of clay courters.

In most cases you would expect anyone from his country to be very comfortable on the clay, but Martin Landaluce had a 4-4 record on the surface before winning one Qualifier and losing the other here in Rome. He earned a reprieve with the Lucky Loser spot, and Martin Landaluce has taken full advantage by winning three matches in a row without dropping a set, although this is another step up in level of opponent compared with what the youngster has faced in the main draw.

Martin Landaluce had never beaten a top 100 Ranked player on the clay courts in his career before his three main draw wins here, but none of the opponents beaten have been Ranked higher than Number 47 and so Daniil Medvedev should offer a much tougher challenge.

Confidence in putting a run like this together will make Martin Landaluce dangerous, but his serve can be vulnerable and that has been the main reason he had a 0-8 record against top 100 Ranked players on this surface before the last few days.

The expectation is that Daniil Medvedev can exert some pressure with his own serve and the higher Ranked player may have enough to cover this spread set.

Iga Swiatek - 4.5 games v Elina Svitolina: The latter played a Quarter Final that ended after two and a half hours on Wednesday evening and that is going to have an impact on Elina Svitolina, who has lost both previous clay court matches against Iga Swiatek.

The lower Ranked player has produced some very good tennis on the clay, but Swiatek is rounding into the kind of form that has seen her win multiple French Open titles.

The Pole was not pushed at all by Jessica Pegula to continue her incredible form in Rome and that long match played by Elina Svitolina has to be a factor without a day of rest between Quarter and Semi Final.

Covering this kind of spread against Elina Svitolina is always a challenge, but Iga Swiatek would have done that in both previous clay court wins over this opponent.

Energy and intensity should be with Iga Swiatek from early in this contest and she can eventually roll into the Final behind another confident win.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Iga Swiatek - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Rome Update: 5-2, + 1.94 Units (7 Units Staked, + 27.71% Yield)