Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 6th August)

Plenty of people have come out and criticised the new format being used by the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters with the extended schedule causing some problems.

While we have yet to have a conclusion to the two tournaments being run north of the border, the Cincinnati Masters First Round will begin on Thursday, which is the same day the Canadian Finals have been scheduled to be played.

Traditionalists will be baffled by a Thursday Final for the tournaments in Canada, but they will be pretty unhappy that the Cincinnati Masters is set to be concluded on a Monday, which is less than a week before the US Open begins.

The Tours are likely going to make some adjustments with the events, but the back to back nature of the two Masters ahead of the final Grand Slam means needing more space in the calendar. At least those events earlier in the season at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome are all in a part of the schedule where they can begin on Thursday and have the traditional Sunday finish, but the Canadian Masters is played right after a big event in Washington and there has already been some overlap with that tournament without the pre-weekend start.

Fans are not that happy, but players are also aggrieved with the scheduling and so it has to be assumed something will be done to appease everybody, including the Masters events that want to sell extra sessions.

The Grand Slams have done the same with the First Round now beginning on a Sunday at all but Wimbledon, while the Night Session approach of the other three Slams also means they can make that extra revenue. Maybe in the years ahead Wimbledon will be following suit, especially if they do finally begin work on the ground extension that was given approval by the courts in the UK, and that will be another blow to what traditionalists have become used to seeing on the Tour.

It has been a solid week for the Tennis Picks at the Canadian Masters, but there are still six matches to be played before the Tour can all move onto Cincinnati.

There are three selections from the Semi Finals that have all been scheduled for Wednesday and those can be read below.

Alexander Zverev - 2.5 games v Karen Khachanov: In a tournament that was missing the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the field will have arrived in Toronto with the belief that a deep run could be possible. Those three players will go into most tournaments as the favourites to win the title so the absence is a big boost to others, although that may have increased the pressure on the Seeded players involved.

That may have been the case for someone like Alexander Zverev who had such a disappointing Wimbledon, but who has always been able to make a big impact at the US Open.

He came close to winning the French Open last year, but Alexander Zverev's biggest miss feels like the US Open in 2020 when leading 2-0 in sets and also serving for the title in the Fifth Set. Playing on the hard courts have been a comfortable experience for the top Seed and his numbers over the last couple of years means he has to head to New York City as a genuine contender.

The performances here in Toronto have been very strong and dumping out the defending Champion after dropping the first set will have given Alexander Zverev confidence. It is the second time he has won a match in Toronto having lost a first set tie-breaker, but Zverev looks a player performing with a lot more belief than even a month ago and that has shown up in the strong finishes to those matches.

Karen Khachanov is the Semi Final opponent and the World Number 16 deserves plenty of respect as a hard court player, even if 2025 had been disappointing prior to his run here. He had been just 5-7 in hard court matches before the four wins at this Masters event, but Karen Khachanov had won 65% of his hard court matches in the previous two seasons and is someone who loves playing on the surface.

With a big serve, Khachanov is able to build plenty of pressure on the hard courts, and an aggressive style means he will look to get on the front foot on the return.

His numbers have been very good in Toronto with 71% of his service points being won and Karen Khachanov will know he needs to serve well to try and keep a lid on Alexander Zverev.

It is the lower Ranked player who has found a bit more joy out of the returning numbers, but Karen Khachanov has seen those declining in each of the four wins produced in the tournament run. He was tested by Alex Michelsen in the Quarter Final win and now arguably faces the toughest serve he will have seen in this event.

Alexander Zverev does have the upper hand in the head to head having beaten Karen Khachanov in five of seven meetings on the Tour.

That includes two hard court wins in North America in 2024 in matches where Zverev had a significant edge as far as the serving numbers go as he comfortably dismissed Karen Khachanov both times. Add in the fact that the latter has tended to struggle when facing higher Ranked opponents on the surface, despite the win over Casper Ruud earlier in the tournament, and you have to believe Alexander Zverev can get the better of the World Number 16 in two tight, competitive sets.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Victoria Mboko: It has been a really strong season for Victoria Mboko as she continues her development as a professional tennis player with a huge amount of expectation on her shoulders. The 18 year old has won a lot of matches and reached a career high World Ranking of Number 85 in the lead up to a big event in her home country, but even the biggest advocate of Mboko could not have been prepared for the tournament she has put together.

An upset of Coco Gauff will have made headlines, but Victoria Mboko has refused to allow that victory to overwhelm her and she has won two more matches to make it through to the Semi Final in Montreal.

She has already climbed into the top 50 of the provisional World Rankings and now Victoria Mboko takes aim at reaching her biggest Final in her young career.

That would mean overturning a result from Washington when she was beaten by Elena Rybakina and this looks a big challenge considering how well the former Wimbledon Champion is playing right now.

As mentioned previously this week, Elena Rybakina has been struggling on the Tour as off-court issues have regularly been making the headlines instead of her tennis. However, she has looked much more comfortable back on the hard courts over the last month and Elena Rybakina has been in very strong form here in Montreal, while also perhaps benefiting from the fact that Victoria Mboko will have made the majority of the headlines.

Both players will feel they can dominate behind a big first serve, while it is the younger player who has perhaps impressed most with her return game.

In saying that, it was Elena Rybakina who was the stronger of the two players in Washington and she was able to make many more inroads into the Victoria Mboko serve compared with the other way around.

This week the home support will make it that much tougher for Elena Rybakina, but she has a very strong game for the hard courts and the expectation is that she can frank the form with another win over the youngster. In that match in Washington, it was Elena Rybakina who managed to protect the second serve much more effectively compared with Mboko and that may be the case again in this Semi Final with the former World Number 3 also having the advantages of being much more experienced at the latter stages of these big tournaments.

Victoria Mboko will have learned plenty out of that defeat in the previous tournament, and she is playing with a lot of confidence. She will have her moments, but the feeling is that Elena Rybakina may have a few more as she looks to put a big tournament in the books ahead of the US Open.

Naomi Osaka - 1.5 games v Clara Tauson: Both of these players earned dominant Quarter Final wins on Tuesday and so there will be no excuses for Naomi Osaka and Clara Tauson when they have to play again on Wednesday.

The performances throughout the runs in Montreal have been very impressive, although you have to perhaps say the wins that Clara Tauson has produced have been superior to the ones that Naomi Osaka has on the board.

Beating two of the three Grand Slam Champions of 2025 will give Tauson so much confidence and she will feel she is serving well enough in these conditions to try and shorten the points against a dangerous player standing on the other side of the net.

Naomi Osaka has some very strong wins on the record, but she has not faced the likes of Madison Keys or Iga Swiatek and that has to be a potential factor. Crushing Elina Svitolina in the manner she did on Tuesday would have gotten the attention and Naomi Osaka is set to be Seeded at the US Open, which is important to allow her to work her way into that Grand Slam.

Much like her opponent, Naomi Osaka has been using the serve to contain the threats posed from the other side of the net and this has the makings of a close match.

Earlier this year, it was Clara Tauson who will hold the win over Naomi Osaka in the Auckland Final, but the latter withdrew from that match after winning the first set. The numbers really were heavily skewed in favour of Osaka in that match and so she will certainly enter the court with a lot of belief that her game is going to match up well with Clara Tauson's.

The expectation is that both players are going to have plenty of success behind the serve, but Naomi Osaka looks to be playing with a lot of confidence. Her numbers at the event look similar to Clara Tauson's, but Osaka may not make the errors that ended up costing Madison Keys in the Quarter Final defeat to the Dane.

The first set will be important, and Naomi Osaka could be tough to peg back if she is able to get in front.

Clara Tauson is going to be playing at a career high World Ranking from next week and has to be respected, but a big hitting match may end up just slipping away from her at the end.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka - 1.5 Games @ 1.66 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 13-4, + 6.99 Units (17 Units Staked, + 41.12% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Monday 4th August)

After the setback on Saturday, Sunday proved to be a bounce back day for the Tennis Picks and the Canadian Masters are in a decent position to end on a positive and with momentum to take into the two big tournaments to be played in August.

The Quarter Finals will begin in Toronto and Montreal on Monday and the remaining four matches will be played on Tuesday as we fast approach the end of the tournaments here and the beginning of Cincinnati. The midweek Finals are still feeling awkward, both to players and fans, but there is a big prize on the line and that has to be the focus for the players still involved.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Alexei Popyrin: The serve is a big weapon for Alexei Popyrin and he has found plenty of consistency from out of this shot on the hard courts. In recent years he has averaged winning around 66% of the points played behind the serve on a regular basis, but the Australian had put some strong results on the board in 2024 because he had shown plenty of improvement on the return of serve.

However, that has not been the case this season with Popyrin breaking in just 11% of return games played and that is a massive reason he has gone from winning twenty-one hard court matches last season compared with just two wins from ten hard court matches prior to the Canadian Masters winning.

In just a few days, Alexei Popyrin has won more matches on the surface than he has for the entirety of the season and it will give him confidence with the US Open fast approaching.

He has fought back to beat Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune in consecutive Rounds and there will be encouragement from the amount of Break Points that have been created in the deserved wins.

Alexei Popyrin is also the defending Champion in Canada, albeit in a tournament that was played in Montreal rather than Toronto, and that has clearly offered him some belief that has taken him through to the Quarter Final.

He has yet to earn a win over Alexander Zverev on the Tour, although the two hard court losses were several years ago when Alexei Popyrin was still building as a professional player. The last match was on clay at the Paris Olympics last year and that is a surface on which Alexander Zverev would be considered a significant favourite.

Even then, Alexander Zverev has been putting together some very solid hard court numbers over the last two seasons and he is a genuine threat to have a deep run at the US Open. The serve is a big weapon, but the top Seed here in Canada has been much more consistent when it comes to the return and that should give him the edge over Alexei Popyrin.

The handicap line is a tough one with Alexander Zverev potentially needing at least two more breaks of serve compared with Alexei Popyrin, but the former has been playing well all year on the hard courts and that should give him the advantage. There will be times when Popyrin is pretty dominant on the serve, but Alexander Zverev can keep plenty of scoreboard pressure on him and that should see him find a way to win and cover.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Marta Kostyuk: This is a very big line for any Quarter Final match, but the power of Elena Rybakina can see her come through with a solid win against Marta Kostyuk.

If the latter is able to serve well, she can put some pressure on Elena Rybakina, but Marta Kostyuk's second serve continues to be the issue.

She is also not the strongest of return players when it comes to matches on the hard courts and both of those aspects of her tennis take a significant dip when only considering Marta Kostyuk matches against those Ranked higher than herself.

Earlier this season, Kostyuk suffered pretty comfortable defeats to Qinwen Zheng and Jessica Pegula and it may be tough for her to stick with Elena Rybakina, who continues to serve extremely well.

Confidence, or lack of confidence, has been an issue for Elena Rybakina, but she has looked good in the last couple of tournaments and that can only bode well for the World Number 12 at the upcoming US Open. She also showed plenty of character to come from a set behind to beat Dayana Yastremska in the Fourth Round and that is a victory that will do Elena Rybakina the world of good.

In the victories produced in Montreal, Elena Rybakina has looked to be in the more convincing form of the two players and she has also beaten Marta Kostyuk in their last two meetings on the Tour. One of those was a routine victory at the US Open in 2023 and it does feel like the higher Ranked player is going to be in a position to move through to the Semi Final behind another solid looking win.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 10-4, + 4.06 Units (14 Units Staked, + 29% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Sunday 3rd August)

The Quarter Final lineup at the Canadian Masters will be confirmed at the end of the Sunday action and there were a couple of upsets on Saturday that will have made the leading contenders a little more focused.

It looks a difficult day from which to make Picks, but there are two matches on the Men's side of the tournament in Toronto that seem to fit the bill.

Alex De Minaur - 3.5 games v Frances Tiafoe: This is the time of the season when Frances Tiafoe has tended to flourish with strong runs in his home Grand Slam the highlight.

He also reached the Final at the Cincinnati Masters in 2024, although Frances Tiafoe has not had a big impact at the Canadian Masters with some early exits in the last couple of years. It looked like being another opening Round defeat earlier in the event, although Tiafoe showed his character to rally, while following up with another victory that needed all three sets to be played.

Now he has to take on Washington Champion Alex De Minaur who has benefited from a Walkover in the Third Round.

This should mean the Australian is fresh having played through to the weekend in Washington and he has only needed to play a single match here in Toronto to take his place in the Fourth Round. It has been a really solid season for Alex De Minuar on the hard courts and he is getting closer to surpassing the career best World Ranking mark of Number 6 which was set thirteen months ago.

With nothing to defend in terms of Ranking points in Canada and Cincinnati, Alex De Minaur can play with some freedom and he continues to operate as a player that tends to beat those he is expected to beat, but perhaps still looking to find a way to get closer to the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

The World Number 8 is getting plenty out of an improving serve, and Alex De Minaur remains a very dangerous return player.

These players have not met on the Tour since October 2022 so there will be some learning to be done on the court with both Tiafoe and De Minaur stronger than they were when last facing off on an indoor court at the Paris Masters.

Frances Tiafoe is going to have to serve well to try and keep Alex De Minaur contained, but there is a big difference in the way they have gone about their return games and the successes that they have had.

He is better than the sum of his parts, but Frances Tiafoe continues to operate at very fine margins and someone playing at the level of Alex De Minaur may have too much about him. As long as the higher Ranked player continues to return as well as he has been, he can wear down Tiafoe in a tournament where the latter has not had the same type of successes as Cincinnati and New York City.

Andrey Rublev v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: One Washington Finalist can force their way through to the Quarter Final of the Canadian Masters, but it may be tougher for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to work his way past Andrey Rublev.

After playing so well in Washington and arguably deserving to win the title, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has been very good in winning two matches in Toronto. The form is hard to ignore and he is at a peak career World Ranking inside the top 20, although it feels like the Spaniard has operated at a higher level than that.

It is the third Final lost on the hard courts in 2025, but the Alejandro Davidovich Fokina numbers have not exactly leapt off the page.

The serve is sometimes a vulnerability on the hard courts, but the Spaniard is a capable returner and that does give him chances.

Andrey Rublev has fallen out of the top ten in the World Rankings and he has a 13-9 record on the hard courts in 2025, although he has been a dominant winner to keep the numbers at a decent level. He has won two good matches in Toronto, but there have been plenty of disappointing losses over the course of the season as Andrey Rublev has tried to turn his form around, at least from a consistency point of view.

His serve can be very productive on the hard courts and that is going to be important to try and keep the opponent under the cosh.

He has also broken in 20% of return games played on the hard courts this season and that makes Andrey Rublev dangerous against an opponent he had beaten five straight times before losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won their last match on the clay courts of Barcelona earlier this season.

They have been competitive matches between the players, but the Rublev serve could be key with a few more cheaper points that can be earned. This can make the difference in what should be another close match and Andrey Rublev can come through as the narrow underdog in this Fourth Round encounter.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 9-4, + 3.34 Units (13 Units Staked, + 25.69% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 2nd August)

The Canadian Masters continues through the weekend with Fourth Round action in Toronto and Montreal.

There are some good matches scheduled for Saturday and there are three selections made, which can be read below.

With the majority of the Tennis Picks from Friday being played in the evening in Canada, the weekly totals will be updated and placed in this thread once they have all been concluded.

Casper Ruud v Karen Khachanov: It was not a surprising decision to see Casper Ruud miss the entirety of the grass court season after suffering an injury issue at the French Open. He has been rehabbing for some time now and the Norwegian has returned to the Tour with two solid wins here in Toronto as he has moved through to the Fourth Round.

Casper Ruud will feel his tennis is well suited to the hard courts and he has had plenty of successes at the US Open in the past.

However, he has been set as the underdog in this match against Karen Khachanov and that is something of a surprise.

Of course you have to acknowledge the fact that Casper Ruud has been out of action for some time, but he should have gotten his legs back under him having put two wins on the board. Karen Khachanov has been playing pretty well himself and he did have a solid showing at Wimbledon, which will have boosted the confidence, but the overall hard courts record is just 7-7 for the season.

It has been a particular struggle for the World Number 16 when facing opponents who are Ranked higher than himself.

He has lost all four hard court matches in that spot this season and Karen Khachanov is just 2-8 in those matches over the last twelve months, which is something he is likely going to have to battle against. The serve has been put under pressure by the fact that Khachanov has really struggled with his return against the higher Ranked opponents faced and Casper Ruud will feel he can exploit that fact.

In two previous matches on the Tour, Casper Ruud has been much the better player although the last of those came at the US Open in 2022. Casper Ruud beat Karen Khachanov in the Semi Final of that Grand Slam, and he has been serving well enough in his two wins at the Canadian Masters to be able to edge through this contest.

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 games v McCartney Kessler: Both of these players have had to dig in and work hard to move through to the Fourth Round in Montreal, but having a day of rest between matches should help.

There are similarities in the performances that Marta Kostyuk and McCartney Kessler have been able to produce on the hard courts and that should lead to a competitive match.

It is McCartney Kessler who has won a title on the surface earlier this season, and she also reached the Final in Austin, but the most recent hard court results have perhaps been a little disappointing. That makes the two wins in this tournament feel important and she will have the confidence to take on an opponent who beat her convincingly at the US Open last year.

Marta Kostyuk has really been struggling for consistency on the hard courts and she has only reached the Quarter Final in one tournament in 2025.

The second serve has been a vulnerability and that is something that McCartney Kessler has to look to attack and try and build the pressure on the World Number 28.

However, the Kostyk first serve seems to have a bigger impact compared with the American's same delivery and it may give the higher Ranked player a few more cheaper points.

She has the slightly superior returning numbers too and Marta Kostyuk may end up getting better of the match, even if she needs three sets to move through.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Dayana Yastremska: There are still plenty of wins being produced by Elena Rybakina, but she has dropped out of the top ten in the World Rankings. Off court issues have been affecting her for several months and that has really not helped Elena Rybakina to consistently challenge the very best players on the Tour.

Over the coming weeks, Elena Rybakina has a really good chance to reverse the drop in the World Ranking with very few points to defend and she is already doing a good job of that here in Montreal.

Two solid wins have been earned by the World Number 12 and she has been playing at a pretty consistent level on the hard courts, although Semi Final defeats have been a feature of her season on this surface. Underwhelming showings at Indian Wells and Miami would have hurt too, but there is every chance that Elena Rybakina will make it through to the Quarter Final here.

Dayana Yastremska will have plenty to say about that, although she has not been as convincing in her two wins compared with her opponent.

In both victories, the Ukrainian has actually allowed more Break Points to be created against her serve and that can be tough to sustain if she wants to keep winning matches.

At her best, Dayana Yastremska can be an effective server and she will need to do that if she is going to challenge Elena Rybakina. The latter is not always at her best on the return of serve on the hard courts and it has long felt like an area of her tennis that can be improved, but Elena Rybakina can build plenty of scoreboard pressure with her own serve.

That could be key to the outcome of this match as Rybakina looks to beat this opponent for the second time on the Tour.

Earlier this season, Elena Rybakina beat Dayana Yastremska at the Australian Open and it was a relatively comfortable win too. She had been the much stronger server in that match and created almost three times as many Break Points as she faced and the feeling is that Rybakina can do something similar here to edge past the handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Casper Ruud @ 2.10 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Marta Kostyuk - 1.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 8-2, + 4.47 Units (10 Units Staked, + 47% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Friday 1st August)

The Canadian Masters continues on Friday and after an emotional night a couple of days ago when Eugenie Bouchard called time on her career in front of the home fans.

Injuries limited the impact Bouchard was able to make following a breakthrough year on the Tour over a decade ago and in reality it has felt like she had moved onto the next stage of her career already having joined the Pickleball Tour.

Some top names are in action on Friday as we conclude the Third Round and edge ever closer to the strange end of the tournaments, which are scheduled for next Thursday rather than the weekend as most events conclude.

The US Open is beginning at the end of August and the move into the month may just double down the focus for all of the players involved here before the Tour moves onto Cincinnati. Winning events now are no guarantee of playing well in New York City, but the confidence boost cannot hurt, especially in the men's tournament which is missing arguably the three favourites for the final Grand Slam of the year.

The weekly total will be added to this thread on Friday morning when the night session in Toronto/Montreal has been completed with the sole selection made on Thursday to be played in the early hours of the morning.

Ben Shelton - 2.5 games v Brandon Nakashima: In individual sports like tennis, there does sometimes feel like a hierarchy is in place between compatriots- the World Ranking will show that more often than not, but there is also a mental challenge for a lower Ranked or younger player when it comes to facing someone whose game they will be very familiar with.

Maybe that is the case for Brandon Nakashima when going up against fiery Ben Shelton who has won all four of their previous matches on the Tour.

Two of those wins have been this year on the hard courts of Melbourne and Indian Wells, while twelve months ago, Ben Shelton also beat Brandon Nakashima in Washington. All nine sets have been won by Shelton, the World Number 7 and a leading hope for American fans when it comes to the US Open which will begin later in the month.

Brandon Nakashima made harder work of his Second Round win on Wednesday than it needed to be, but he played well and continues to beat those that he is expected to beat, especially on the hard courts. However, it is not only Ben Shelton who has caused him problems on the surface and Nakashima has something to prove in this Third Round match in Toronto.

Over the last twelve months, Brandon Nakashima has a 9-12 record on the hard courts when facing opponents Ranked higher than himself, but that reads 1-6 when only considering matches played in 2025. The numbers have been really poor as far as the World Number 32 is concerned with the hold of serve percentage dipping to 78% in those matches and breaks of serve being converted in just 10% of return games played.

You would have to expect Brandon Nakashima to be able to roll through some of his service games in this match, but it is hard to know how he will be able to create chances against the Ben Shelton serve.

Scoreboard pressure becomes a factor if that is the case and in the three previous hard court matches between the compatriots, Brandon Nakashima has broken in 8% of service games and won fewer than 30% of the points played on the Shelton delivery.

Ben Shelton is still a player looking to develop his game into a position where he can win a Grand Slam, even if he has made big impacts at Major level in his short time on the Tour. One of the key areas that needs to be improved is the return of serve and Shelton should be given credit for the fact that he is winning a few more points and breaking a bit more in hard court matches in 2025 compared with 2024.

One may be all that is needed to cover this handicap mark set and Ben Shelton's history against his fellow American is tough to ignore as he looks to reach the business end of the tournament north of the border.

Emma Raducanu v Amanda Anisimova: She toughed out her first match on the Tour since the Wimbledon Final and Amanda Anisimova has to be given credit for getting back to winning ways.

There is no doubt that the confidence will have been hurt by the manner of the loss to Iga Swiatek, but over the next few weeks Amanda Anisimova will be on familiar ground in the United States and the fans are going to be firmly behind her. This should help in Cincinnati and at the US Open, but it may be tougher to find support in Montreal against Emma Raducanu, who was born in Canada, although moved to the United Kingdom when very young and so represents Great Britain.

It has been tough for Emma Raducanu to live up to the hype of the US Open win in 2021, but there have been some positive signs that the tennis is picking back up.

Two more solid runs in Montreal and Cincinnati may see Emma Raducanu Seeded when the US Open draw is made and there have been plenty of wins put on the board to rebuild some confidence. Solid runs on the grass courts would have been expected and Raducanu has backed that up by beginning her bid for a second US Open when reaching the Semi Final in Washington.

She has had to play through two Rounds at the Canadian Masters and Emma Raducanu has really impressed in her wins over Elena Gabriela Ruse and Peyton Stearns.

Of course this is a much tougher match, but Emma Raducanu will hold the mental edge over Amanda Anisimova having beaten her at the Australian Open and in Miami. Both hard court wins have been deserved with Raducanu creating 10 Break Points in each match and Amanda Anisimova has yet to win a set.

The overall hard court numbers produced by these two players are actually very similar over the course of the season- Amanda Anisimova may have more faith in her second serve, but Emma Raducanu has been the slightly more effective return player and it is the latter who has been able to impose her strengths with more consistency in the two matches played against one another.

Amanda Anisimova is a very good player and the World Number 7, but the momentum may be with Emma Raducanu right now and she can edge through in this good Third Round match.

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 games v Anna Kalinskaya: Outside of the absolute elite, women's tennis have had a number of upstarts put together a solid year, but who have been unable to sustain the success they have been having.

Anna Kalinskaya was just outside of the top ten in the World Rankings in October 2024, but injury and a loss of form has held her back and her overall hard court numbers in 2025 have been disappointing.

However, she reached the Final in Washington last weekend and two wins have been earned in Montreal, which will just help the World Number 31 as she looks to secure a Seeding for the US Open. However, it has been far from easy this week at the Canadian Masters with Kalinskaya needing to play all six sets possible in her two wins, while also spending a lot of time on the court.

She has perhaps been fortunate to win her opening two matches having put in so much effort last week in Washington and you have to wonder if that is going to catch up with her.

Next up is a match against Elina Svitolina, who won't find it hard to be motivated when facing a Russian national, and the World Number 13 continues to be a consistent performer on the hard courts. Winning a Grand Slam remains the ambition in what has been an era of opportunity for women's players without a dominant Champion leading the way, but Elina Svitolina has not quite been able to get over the line.

A 28-15 record on the hard courts since the beginning of 2024 underlines the confidence Elina Svitolina has when playing on this surface.

She was a solid Second Round winner in Montreal and Elina Svitolina should have plenty more in the tank compared with her opponent having not played a tournament since Wimbledon.

These two players have met twice on the Tour on clay and on the hard courts and both matches have been won very well by Elina Svitolina. She should be able to exert her will on this match against a potentially tired opponent and that could allow the highest Ranked player to also cover a decent sized line on the handicap.

Naomi Osaka - 3.5 games v Jelena Ostapenko: Overall the numbers have continued to look decent, but Naomi Osaka is perhaps still struggling with dealing with the twists and turns that any match can potentially take.

There is something to be said about playing points with the match state in mind, but that is not always something that is seen from Naomi Osaka and especially not since returning to the Tour in a full time capacity.

Talent-wise, no one is going to deny how good Osaka can be- she has won four Grand Slam titles and that is more than the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. However, the lack of consistency has held her back and that is going to be the main reason that Naomi Osaka will enter the US Open as a dark horse, rather than a favourite like she would have been when at her very best.

She did show plenty of fight and desire to beat Liudmila Samsonova in the Second Round, although Naomi Osaka was very close to being dumped out of the tournament.

In that match, Osaka was not seen as nearly the same strength of favourite as she is going to be in this Third Round match against Jelena Ostapenko.

Prior to the tournament, Jelena Ostapenko had a 6-8 record on the hard courts and five of those wins came in the same event in Doha when reaching the Final. One other win was in Adelaide and the World Number 26 might find the opponent standing across the other side of the net as having too much firepower for her.

Jelena Ostapenko is a steady performer on the hard courts, but she is very reliant on the first serve landing. If she is serving well, she is tough to beat, but her first serve average is not that high and that has allowed opponents to attack the second serve and force an aggressive player to ramp up that aggression on the return.

Any loose balls offered up to the former French Open Champion will be thumped, but there is going to be plenty of power coming from the other side of the net and Naomi Osaka will feel she can out-hit this player.

That was the case at the US Open last year, although Naomi Osaka has to find a bit more consistency in her return game if she is going to have serious ambitions of getting back amongst the elite. She can be helped in this match if Jelena Ostapenko is giving up plenty of looks at the second serve and that should help the lower Ranked player come through with a solid victory.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Emma Raducanu @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-1, + 2.12 Units (5 Units Staked, + 42.40% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Thursday 31st July)

The Canadian Masters has been stretched over the space of around twelve days like so many of the big Masters events and that has replaced the old format of the Tour when this event and the Cincinnati Masters would be played in a fortnight.

It also means that some of the players who were competing in the Finals of events at the last tournament have had little time to prepare for a Masters event that began on Sunday and that has cost Leylah Fernandez in her home tournament.

She did win the title prior to the Canadian Masters beginning, but I am sure she would have liked to have had a bigger impact here in Montreal and it may be something that the Tour have to fix in the years ahead.

We move onto the Third Round on Thursday, but finding selections has not been easy with just the sole pick made on the day.

The tournament totals will be added to this thread on Thursday morning once the final selection from Wednesday has been completed in the early hours of the day.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Matteo Arnaldi: After having to go through the Big Three in his younger days, it feels like a path towards a maiden Grand Slam title remains very difficult for Alexander Zverev with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating.

He did reach the Australian Open Final earlier this season and Alexander Zverev has reached the Quarter Final twice, the Semi Final and the Final in the last four appearances at the US Open.

However, the World Number 3 was beaten in the First Round at Wimbledon and admitted that he was feeling the pressures both on and off the court. In theory the life of a top professional athlete seems to be very fortunate, but Alexander Zverev spoke of the feeling of loneliness during the grind of a Tour and his early exit at Wimbledon really did hurt.

Alexander Zverev more than deserved his win in the Second Round, even if the scoreline was far more competitive than it felt it should be.

With the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner and Novak Djokovic all missing in Toronto, Alexander Zverev does have a chance to lay down a marker for the final Grand Slam of the season and also boost his own confidence.

Next up is a match against Matteo Arnaldi, the World Number 41 who is yet another Italian making an impact on the Tour.

Of course it is tough to reach the heights of Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Jasmine Paolini, but Matteo Arnaldi has cracked the top 30 in the World Rankings. That was twelve months ago and he does have some big points to defend having reached the Semi Final at the Canadian Masters in 2024, although Arnaldi has struggled for some consistency on the hard courts this season.

Last week in Washington, Matteo Arnaldi was beaten by Taylor Fritz and he has lost five of the nine hard court matches played against top 50 Ranked opponents in 2025. The serve can be a very effective weapon for Matteo Arnaldi and that was the case when he pushed Alexander Zverev in Acapulco, albeit in a losing effort.

He will have to serve more effectively than he did last week against Taylor Fritz if this is going to be a match he can win, but that might be beyond Matteo Arnaldi.

Alexander Zverev looked in decent shape in the Second Round win and he can build on that by finding the breaks of serve needed to cover this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 3-1, + 1.42 Units (4 Units Staked, + 35.50% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Wednesday 30th July)

While there is a bit of a wait between the opening Grand Slam and the second one of a season, the gaps between the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open are much shorter.

The titles were handed out at the third Grand Slam of the season earlier this month, but the Canadian Masters has begun and is a big part of the build up towards the US Open.

Cincinnati is another big stop between now and the final Grand Slam of the season beginning in New York City, but the focus is on this expanded tournament which is split between venues in Toronto and Montreal,

Some big names are missing out and should be ready to return when Cincinnati begins, but that means there is a chance to put a confidence building tournament in the books for those involved. Big Ranking points can also be earned ahead of two more important tournaments coming up in the next few weeks and there are still many players involved who will feel they are genuine contenders to win the next Major.

Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 games v Ethan Quinn: The build up to the final Grand Slam of the season continues with the Canadian Masters one of two big events before the US Open gets underway in New York City.

For those playing in the ATP event in Toronto, it does feel like a big opportunity has opened up with some many of the top names missing.

Players like Brandon Nakashima have a chance to pick up valuable Ranking points that may mean a Seed at his home Grand Slam event and the 23 year old arrives having reached the Quarter Final in Washington. His run was only ended by eventual Champion Alex De Minaur and Brandon Nakashima continues to be a player who is well suited to the hard courts, but perhaps not quite ready to become the latest American to have a really deep run in a Grand Slam event.

There is nothing much wrong with the serving numbers, but Brandon Nakashima may be the first to admit that he has not found the consistency he may have hoped when it comes to the return. The numbers on that side of the court have remained steady on this surface, but Nakashima would have hoped to have shown better signs of development.

It also should be noted that Brandon Nakashima has really struggled when it comes to playing those he is not expected to beat compared with those that he will feel he is favoured against. The service numbers are decent enough when facing higher Ranked players, but the return is really problematic in those matches, whereas the World Number 32 has been so much better when facing those Ranked lower than himself.

Fortunately for Brandon Nakashima, that is the case in this Second Round match ahainst compatriot Ethan Quinn who reached his career high World Ranking mark of Number 82 earlier this month.

Much like so many players from the United States, Ethan Quinn is very comfortable on the hard courts, although his numbers are still a work in progress. At 21 years old and without the experiences of others, that is not a big surprise and it has been tough work for Ethan Quinn when facing top 100 Ranked opponents, even on a familiar surface like this one.

Earlier in the year, Ethan Quinn did take a set from Tommy Paul in Dallas, while he has beaten Christoper O'Connell in the First Round in Toronto. However, Quinn was second best when facing Brandon Nakashima last week in Washington and it does feel like the higher Ranked American is going to be able to frank that victory with another north of the border.

Ethan Quinn has served well in the matches against the top 100 Ranked opponents he has faced, but the return has not really made the kind of impact he would have hoped. It was the case when losing to Brandon Nakashima in Washington and eventually the scoreboard pressure and feeling that 'you must hold at all costs' can wear on an inexperienced player.

The spread is potentially hazardous when you think of some of the issues Brandon Nakashima has had on return, but he was able to exert enough pressure in the win in the last tournament and can likely do the same here.

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Lulu Sun: Any player who reaches the Final of a Grand Slam is very successful at their job, but there is no doubt that the Wimbledon Final would have been a really tough experience for Amanda Anisimova.

She will look back at the grass court season with a real fondness and she enters the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time.

However, this is the first match back since the Wimbledon Final when the American failed to win a match and she will need the fans to get behind her.

The return takes place in Montreal and Amanda Anisimova is a very comfortable hard court player, while she may benefit from facing Lulu Sun who has really had a very difficult year on the surface.

The 24 year old was within the top 40 in the World Rankings ten months ago, but Lulu Sun has slipped all the way back to World Number 97 as the lossed have piled up. It is important to have won her First Round match and Sun has the chance to turn things back around, but the lower Ranked player is just 4-10 on the hard courts in 2025 and this is a significant challenge for her, especially if Amanda Anisimova has overcome what happened in London earlier in the month.

Lulu Sun is a lefty and the serve has been a solid weapon for her, but she has struggled to make an impact on the return and that could show up in this Second Round match.

It may take a set for Amanda Anisimova to settle on the court, but she can move through the gears with her aggressive returning and the serve to contain the threat from the other side of the net. Covering will not be easy, but the American may return with a confident win and one that reminds the rest of the field about the yeat that Amanda Anisimova has been putting together.

Naomi Osaka v Liudmila Samsonova: She clearly was not very happy with some of the questions posed to her after the defeat in Washington, but Naomi Osaka will be looking to make her biggest impact on the court at the Canadian Masters.

There has been enough time since Naomi Osaka returned to the court to have expected her to have a stronger World Ranking than her current mark.

Inconsistency continues to blight her tennis, even if the numbers have been strong and Naomi Osaka will be keen to put some strong results together in what should be her strongest surface. It may have been a while, but Osaka does hold four hard court Grand Slam titles and the style is well suited to those in North America.

She was a pretty comfortable winner in the First Round, but Naomi Osaka has not had the kind of impact on the Tour as she would have hoped.

However, there is an opportunity to reach the Third Round here in Montreal when Naomi Osaka takes on Liudmila Samsonova, even though the latter was able to win their most recent match on the grass courts in the build towards Wimbledon. That was a match that Osaka will feel she should have won, while the former World Number 1 has beaten the current World Number 16 twice on the hard courts of North America in Indian Wells (2024) and Miami (2025).

Naomi Osaka has been dominant in those wins, while Liudmila Samsonova has not been producing the strongest numbers on the hard courts over the last eighteen months.

The higher Ranked player is a solid hard court performer, but Samsonova may struggle to get into the Naomi Osaka service games, while also having a vulnerable second serve that can be attacked.

Too often Naomi Osaka has been in a position to win matches that she has lost, but the confidence will be there within this match up thanks to the two hard court wins produced over Liudmila Samsonova.

That should be a factor in this Second Round match and the former World Number 1 can come out on top.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: This is going to be the twelfth time that Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari are facing each other and it is the American who has been getting the better of the recent matches.

The hard courts are a very comfortable surface for Jessica Pegula, but consistency has long been her biggest problem at the biggest events.

She did reach the US Open Final last year and that means Jessica Pegula has a lot of Ranking points to defend in the next six weeks, but one Fourth Round in three Grand Slams is a disappointing return in 2025. After winning a title on the grass, Pegula would not have expected to have been dumped out of Wimbledon in the First Round and the window does feel like it is closing as far as winning a Major is concerned.

An early loss in Washington is far from ideal preparation, but overall the hard court successes in 2025 makes Jessica Pegula a favourite to move into the Third Round.

Jessica Pegula may be older than Maria Sakkari, but the decline of the latter has been much sharper and she is now playing as the World Number 72. It is imperative for Maria Sakkari to begin to turn that around and avoid having to Qualify for some of the bigger events on the Tour and she does need to back up her Quarter Final run in Washington last week.

Holding a 9-12 record on the hard courts, Maria Sakkari has to find a way to break through the Pegula defences without losing her own consistency.

Ultimately she has not been returning as well as her opponent and Maria Sakkari has a second serve that can be exploited.

The second serve has been attacked relentlessly by Jessica Pegula in the three most recent meetings, all on the hard courts, and that has seen the American dominate those matches. The most recent came earlier this year before the Australian Open and Jessica Pegula looks capable of getting back to winning ways against an old rival who has not been playing with the same kind of consistency as she once did.

MY PICKS: Brandon Nakashima - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (August 10th)

The run up to the final Grand Slam of the season sees two Masters events played back to back and that is the last chance for the majority of the big names and favourites to win the US Open to fine-tune their Tennis.

Some of those names have decided to skip the Canadian Masters having taken part in the Olympic Games, while others may choose to miss out in Cincinnati next week too. I am not sure that is going to leave any of them undercooked mainly because you do get an opportunity to work your way into a Grand Slam, and especially at the back end of what has been a trying year on the Tour with the late start in Australia put into consideration.

Novak Djokovic is the biggest name missing out, while Roger Federer's participation at the US Open has to be in doubt as his knee continues to slow down the ageing legend. I would expect the World Number 1 to be ready to go in New York later this month, but it does mean there is an opportunity for players to build momentum over the next two Masters events and go into the final Grand Slam with momentum and confidence behind them.

The Canadian Masters is played across two venues with the WTA Tour heading to Montreal and the ATP Tour in Toronto before both mix together for Cincinnati and then the US Open. Conditions can be quite different in the two Cities, but it is a good opportunity for players to lay down a marker. Novak Djokovic is missing as I have mentioned, but Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka are both out of the WTA event and I think that leaves the door open for the other players in what has become a very open Tour with multiple players capable of getting hot enough to win a Major event.

I didn't have any Picks from the Monday action at the Tennis despite looking through the matches scheduled, but there look to be more options on Tuesday with the remainder of the First Round to be played and the Second Round beginning.

MY PICKS: Kei Nishikori - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Benoit Paire + 3.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ugo Humbert + 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Anastasija Sevastova + 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Johanna Konta - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Elise Mertens - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Harriet Dart + 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2019 (August 7th)

After two miserable days at the Canadian Masters, I have decided to take a short break from the Tennis Picks and get back to them when the Cincinnati Masters begins on Sunday.

I don't mind having a bad day or two, but when you see the way the luck is working against you and with other negative thoughts around the mind after a difficult ten days, it is very much the best decision to hit the reset button and just allow things to settle down.

My decision was made during the early matches on Tuesday- Gilles Simon had basically lost nine more points than Radu Albot, but that had translated to a 5-10 deficit in terms of games which showed that every big point was being won by the the player I had opposed. In fact he was very fortunate to have such a lead and my frustration was added to when noting the amount of break points Dan Evans saved in multiple games compared to Alex De Minaur who was broken without saving a single break point.

It kept going like that and has followed on from a poor Monday, when more poor break point conversion rates hurt my selections, and I think it is the best decision to allow the mind to settle down before cracking on with a positive season.

I have found my selections have been really poor at the Canadian Masters whenever the men head to Montreal and the women play in Toronto too so this is the best 'Picks' I can make this week to shut things down for a few days.


That doesn't mean it is going to be a quiet week for this blog- on Friday I will have the first Fantasy Football thread of the season with my thoughts on the opening weekend of the Premier League. I am also preparing a short piece about Manchester United although that is likely to go live early next week and the Cincinnati Masters will begin on Sunday.

Good luck for those playing the Tennis for the remainder of this tournament. Season totals will be updated when the Cincinnati Masters begins.

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2019 (August 6th)

Monday was not a great day for the Tennis Picks, but things can be turned around over the coming days as we get further into the Canadian Masters being played in Montreal and Toronto.

I have updated the totals from the Canadian Masters at the bottom of this thread, and you can see my selections from the remaining First Round matches and the Second Round matches that are scheduled for Tuesday in this thread too.


Gilles Simon - 1.5 games v Radu Albot: As you can get in any of the Masters events that are played throughout the season, there are some good looking First Round matches that take place. One of those that has me intrigued is this match between a veteran who is finding an Indian Summer and a player who has produced some of his best tennis of his career over the last few months to reach a new career high Ranking to open this week.

Gilles Simon is the veteran who has reversed what had been a declining position in the World Rankings and who could be Seeded at the US Open if he can put together some solid wins over the next couple of weeks. His opponent is Radu Albot who is five places behind him in the World Rankings, but who is fresh off a run to the Semi Final in Los Cabos which means he is at a career best Number 39 in the Rankings.

Both players will look to play a similar brand of tennis- they will feel their serve can be a little vulnerable, but they can make plenty of balls back on the return to win a large amount of points to earn the breaks of serve too. It really is going to come down to which of these two players can find their consistent tennis the best on the day to determine which will move through to the Second Round.

Radu Albot may feel he has been playing the better tennis since Wimbledon having taken in a couple of tournaments and reaching the Semi Final last week. However I do think Gilles Simon will feel like he was a very unfortunate loser to Nick Kyrgios in Washington last week and the defeat doesn't feel so bad when you think of how the Australian played on his way to winning the title in the United States capital.

The very slight edge in terms of the numbers over the last twelve months on the hard courts at the main ATP level have to be given to the Frenchman too. Gilles Simon has won a higher percentage of points behind serve and on the return when it comes to the hard court matches in that time period compared with Radu Albot and that has led to an edge in terms of percentage of service games held, although he has slightly fewer breaks of serve.

These two have also met on the hard courts twice before and Gilles Simon is yet to drop his serve against Albot while winning all five sets they have competed with the last match between the players coming in Metz less than twelve months ago. Gilles Simon has been very comfortable getting into the Albot service games and finding the breaks of serve in their previous matches and I give the veteran the edge to come through and win this match with a cover of the number too.


Diego Sebastian Schwartzman - 4.5 games v Marco Cecchinato: The last twelve months have just seen Diego Sebastian Schwartzman fall back from his career best World Ranking achieved in June 2018. He will be looking to return to the top 20 in the weeks ahead as someone who is perhaps under-rated on the hard courts and Schwartzman picking up the title in Los Cabos a few days ago should be playing with confidence.

It can be very difficult to win a title and then produce some of your best tennis for a second week in succession, but Schwartzman has been given a chance to get his teeth into the Canadian Masters being played in Montreal. He is facing Italian Marco Cecchinato who is really struggling for his form and who has not been at his best on the hard courts.

Marco Cecchinato is just 5-16 on the hard courts over the last twelve months and he is now down at Number 61 in the World Rankings. He did reach the Semi Final in Doha to open the 2019 season, but for the most part it has been a struggle for Cecchinato and this could be a very tough match up for him.

In the last twelve months Marco Cecchinato has held just under 77% of his service games played on the hard courts, but the issues he has mainly faced is working out the best way to approach return games. The Italian has won just 31% of the return points played on the hard courts in that time and he has broken in 11% of return games played.

There is a chance that Cecchinato has more success against Diego Sebastian Schwartzman who has a serve which can be attacked by opponents. The Argentinian has held just 76% of the service games he has played on the hard courts over the last twelve months, but he makes a much stronger impact on the return of serve with almost 30% of the return games played ending in a break in his favour.

Having a long week in Los Cabos could also go against Schwartzman, but I think his ability on the return of serve will give him a chance to cover this number. These two met twice on the clay earlier this season and it is Schwartzman who had the slight edge with breaks in 30% of return games played compared with Cecchinato's 27% mark.

The last of those matches came in Madrid where the conditions tend to be quicker and it was Schwartzman who won comfortably that day. Quicker courts should suit him more here in Montreal too and I will look for the higher Ranked player to cover a big mark.

MY PICKS: Gilles Simon - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Diego Sebastian Schwartzman - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Taylor Fritz @ 2.20 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Alex De Minaur - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Ekaterina Alexandrova - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Anastasija Sevastova - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Kiki Bertens - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Canadian Masters Update: 1-4, - 6 Units (10 Units Staked, - 60% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2019 (August 5th)

Last week was not the best for the Tennis Picks in 2019, but on a personal level the last few days have been a real reminder of what actually matters.

Of course I write these threads with an ambition to win every day, every week, every month, but ultimately there are things going on around us that matter more than anything else. I can win every day or lose every day, but those people you interact with a daily basis are the foundations for getting up and going through every day.

It's been a difficult time when you feel that someone has perhaps been let down and not just by others, but when you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if there was more you could have done yourself. Mental health has really come to the fore in the last couple of years and I do think you have to reach out to those around you that you may feel are in a bad place and try and help them out of what can be a spiralling issue.

During emotional and intense periods of your life these issues really do come into the light, but the key is to not let everyday nonsense place them back in the darkness. If you know someone is struggling or perhaps just needs a drink and a chat, reach out to them and don't allow things to become too late to make a difference.


I've never been a fan of those who feel it is right to abuse anyone on social media when they feel the opinions being expressed are different to your own. Athletes feel it when they lose and have thousands of trolls come out of the woodwork to abuse them behind a faceless social media account. Seriously I have always understood how much of a piece of garbage you have to be to do that, but it does sadden me that so many toxic people walk around amongst us.

Personally I try and steer those people out of my life as soon as I feel their negativity and poison, but others struggle to do that which doesn't help them from getting out of any hole they feel they have fallen into. Offering to throw a rope and hoping those can remove themselves from environments that are no good for them is what you can do, although the person holding onto it has to want to recover into a better position too.


The past is the past though and when bad things happen there really isn't a lot you can do about it once it is too late. You can only hope to learn from these moments and bid to improve yourself and those around you.


The Tour moves onto the Canadian Masters this week although the ATP event is being held in Montreal and the WTA event is in Toronto which those two tournaments switching each year. After that it is onto Cincinnati in the last major tournament before the US Open begins later this month so this is a big opportunity for players to just fine tune their Tennis before the final Slam of the season begins.

With that in mind it is a surprise that the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have decided to skip this event, but both played a long Wimbledon Final and perhaps just need more time to recover mentally rather than physically. Both events being played this week still have draws filled with some big names although the majority of them won't begin until the Second Round having received byes in the First Round.

Below I have placed the Tennis Picks from the Monday matches and I have also updated the season totals.


Nikoloz Basilashvili - 2.5 games v Dusan Lajovic: Both of these players are coming off the European clay court season that follows Wimbledon and now they play their first hard court matches since the Miami Masters back in March. Out of the two players, Nikoloz Basilashvili has been the more productive and consistent on the surface and I do think he is a worthy favourite over Dusan Lajovic in this First Round match in Montreal.

That isn't to say that Lajovic should be disregarded having had a win over Kei Nishikori on the surface back in March. He has a fair few top 50 wins in the last twelve months on the hard courts so again this is a player that can be a tough out when producing his best, but the Serb has struggled with his consistency and has a serve that can be vulnerable.

In 2019 Lajovic has only held 70% of the service games he has played on the hard courts, while a twelve month look at his record shows he he has held 75% despite only having won 2% more points behind serve in the full period compared with 2019. Those numbers do put some pressure on the return of serve and Lajovic has broken in 20% of return games played on the surface over the last twelve months.

Nikoloz Basilashvili has been slightly more consistent both behind the serve and the return having held 81% of service games played and broken in 22% of return games on the hard courts in the last twelve months. He has been slightly more effective on the return when you consider just his 2019 matches and the fact that the Georgian has a 3-1 head to head record against Lajovic will help him from a mental point of view.

Their sole hard court match came almost three years ago and was won by Basilashvili who was the much stronger player on the day. You do worry when backing the higher Ranked player that he can be a little hot and cold considering he will not back away from going for his shots and has a fairly low margin of error on those shots.

However Basilashvili should have the edge in this match and I do think he is at a handicap where he can be backied in this situation. I would not be surprised to see a few breaks of serve, but I think Basilashvili gets the better of things on the day and he can win this match and cover the number too.


Grigor Dimitrov + 2.5 games v Stan Wawrinka: I have to admit I am getting to the point where I don't think I will be recommending Grigor Dimitrov too many more times until he can turn his form around or until the layers have got a better grip of where he is in his career right now. In the weeks ahead he could be someone that can be opposed when set as a big favourite, but Dimitrov might be better placed to thrive as an underdog in this First Round match.

A couple of years ago Dimitrov versus Stan Wawrinka would have been a huge match, but both have slipped down the World Rankings thanks to injuries or a loss of form. It says a lot that they have met in the First Round of both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 and faced off in the Third Round at the French Open back in May with both currently Ranked outside the top 20.

All three of those matches have been won by Wawrinka and he is a strong favourite to win this match too. However over the last twelve months these two players have produced very similar levels of performance on the hard courts and I have a feeling that Stan Wawrinka may be a touch over-rated for the win.

I do think he is more likely to produce the victory as Dimitrov has been in a poor place mentally when it comes to closing out matches. However the Bulgarian can do enough to stay within this number if he is able to take the chances he gets even if Stan Wawrinka has been the superior server of the two players.

It is Wawrinka who has held 85% of his service games on the hard courts compared with Dimitrov's 79% over the last twelve months, although the overall numbers produced have been similar because Dimitrov has been the better returner. You do have to believe the stronger server will have the edge, but Dimitrov has been able to play Wawrinka pretty close outside of the heavy loss in New York City last year, and I think he can do that here too.

At least Dimitrov has played some hard court tennis since Wimbledon, even with the lack of success he has had, and this being Wawrinka's first match since Wimbledon is difficult. Stan Wawrinka does not have a great record in Canada either and he has lost his first match in Montreal in his last two visits to this tournament so I will back his opponent with the start on the handicap and look for Grigor Dimitrov to make things competitive at the least.

MY PICKS: Nikoloz Basilashvili - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Grigor Dimitrov + 2.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Cameron Norrie - 1.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Johanna Konta - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Season 2019: + 111.15 Units (1449 Units Staked, + 7.67% Yield)