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)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 11th August)

Rain wiped out the play scheduled for the ATP Montreal tournament on Monday and that means one of the selections had to be held over- Brandon Nakashima and Luciano Darderi are scheduled to go out first on Tuesday on a day when all four Quarter Final matches should be completed with better conditions expected.

It may not have rained in Toronto, but it has been tough conditions for players there with the wind picking up and making things difficult.

Despite that, one Semi Final is ready to go and the last four will be completed when the last two Quarter Final matches are played.

The next couple of days look wetter again, but the tournaments should be on schedule to finish as expected with the windows available through the day and especially as Tuesday looks like a day in which all of the Quarter Finals remaining should be completed.

Coco Gauff - 2.5 games v Belinda Bencic: Big names have begun to drop out of the WTA Toronto tournament, but that does allow those remaining to make a statement ahead of the US Open.

A former US Open Champion faces a former US Open Semi Finalist in this Canadian Masters Quarter Final and both Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic have to be feeling like they have all of the qualities needed to win the final Grand Slam of the season.

Negotiating the early Rounds at the Grand Slam events can be difficult, even for the top players, but both Gauff and Bencic have impressed here.

The numbers produced in the three wins here back that up- Belinda Bencic has the highest Ranking win, but Coco Gauff has had to navigate a tougher draw, but that should not impact the belief that both will bring into the match.

Coco Gauff has won six of the previous eight matches between the players, including the last four in a row, although the former will very much respect what Bencic brings to the court solely by how competitive previous matches have been.

The last three wins have all been earned in a deciding set and that will underline how tough this match up can be.

However, Coco Gauff has shown time and time again that she can come through those pressurised deciders and not just in wins over Belinda Bencic- this makes her very tough to beat and especially on a hard court and the World Number 4 can edge this contest.

The Gauff second serve is a concern, but she has been the stronger return player and that may end up being the difference between these two players in a good looking Quarter Final.

Naomi Osaka-Elena Rybakina over 22.5 games: Before leaving the Tour to become a mother, Naomi Osaka was the top hard court player in the world and there are real signs that she is getting back towards her best form on the surface.

For the second year in a row, Naomi Osaka is loving her time in Canada and this looks like a Quarter Final in which she can lay down a marker for the US Open that begins later in the month.

Winning the tournament would be the ultimate statement, but beating Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open Champion, would really lay down the gauntlet to the other top players on the Tour.

Naomi Osaka has produced some really strong numbers here and it is no surprise that she has been set as the favourite, albeit an incredibly narrow one.

The serve has always been a big shot for Naomi Osaka, but she has improved on those numbers and, most importantly, has found a really good formula for attacking on the return. Those numbers have been the issue for Naomi Osaka on the hard courts since taking her place back on the Tour, but the World Number 13 has been winning 47% of those points at this tournament and that will place a lot of pressure on her opponents.

Elena Rybakina is a steady force on the surface.

She has a very good serve for the hard courts, but much like Naomi Osaka, the World Number 2 has found her feet on the return on the Toronto courts and that has seen her win 46% of return points played compared with the 42% mark she has for the season.

Both players are still going to be looking to back up strong serving in what is the first meeting on the Tour between these big hitters.

It would not be a big surprise if we need a deciding set, but both Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina are capable of putting together two competitive sets, which may be enough to cover this total games line.

MY PICKS: Coco Gauff - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Naomi Osaka-Elena Rybakina Over 22.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 15-15, - 2.83 Units (30 Units Staked, - 9.43% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 7th August)

After a pretty disappointing start to the Canadian Masters, the Thursday selections all returned winners, which has also pulled back the numbers for the tournament.

There is still more work to do on what is expected to be a potentially wet day in both Montreal and Toronto, but not to the extent that matches will need to be postponed and set for Saturday instead.

However, rain delays are expected and those can change the momentum of any match if a possibility of leaving the court and reassessing the tactics come into play- those can sometimes work in favour of the selections so it is not something to overly worry about, although it should be noted as the Third Round is completed at both tournaments being run for the ATP and WTA.

It has been a busy day and so while these selections have been researched, the timing of the schedule of play means only a 'MY PICKS' section is added to the Friday thread, as well as the updated numbers from the tournament.

MY PICKS: Tallon Griekspoor - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alex Michelsen - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Tommy Paul - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Botic van de Zandschulp-Hubert Hurkacz Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jakub Mensik - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alexandra Eala - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 10-9, - 0.92 Units (19 Units Staked, - 4.84% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 6th August)

It has been a frustrating first few days at the Canadian Masters as far as the Tennis Picks have gone with some fine margins falling the wrong way.

So far, every day has ended up with a slight loss, but those have added up over the course of the opening few days in Montreal/Toronto and a turnaround is needed.

The Third Round is being played on Thursday and there are sixteen matches to be played, but it looks a much more difficult day to find good angles and the four matches that have passed the criteria to provide selections can be read below.

Diana Shnaider - 1.5 games v Anna Kalinskaya: These players met in an epic match in Tokyo last year and it was Anna Kalinskaya that came through in three sets on a hard court, but Diana Shnaider may have what it takes to earn a revenge victory here in Toronto in the Third Round of the Canadian Masters.

It is a quality looking match for this stage of the tournament and Diana Shnaider may believe that she should have beaten Anna Kalinskaya when they met in the Japanese capital during the Asian swing portion of the Tour. She had been the better player in the match, but Kalinskaya won the big points and that proved to be the small margin needed to edge past her compatriot.

Diana Shnaider played well in Washington last week and will have taken a huge amount of confidence from the performance at the French Open.

There is a lot to like about her all round game, but Diana Shnaider has sometimes struggled against some of the very best players on the Tour.

Anna Kalinskaya is very capable and has reached the Quarter Final at a couple of hard court events this season, including last week in Washington.

However, she is just 2-7 in hard court matches against opponents that are Ranked higher than her this season and Kalinskaya's numbers have been heavily impacted in those matches. The first serve has not been as effective and Anna Kalinskaya has struggled to impose her return and that may be where Diana Shnaider has the edge in this good looking match.

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: She reached the Quarter Final at Roland Garros and lost a tight match, but a poor grass court campaign and an early loss in Washington means Elina Svitolina has arrived in Canada with little momentum behind her.

A tight win in the Second Round will have helped and Elina Svitolina will need little motivation when facing someone who only recently has changed nationality from Russian to Austrian.

Doing so may have earned Anastasia Potapova some respect from the Ukrainian players on the Tour, but Elina Svitolina, and others, have made it clear that they do take those matches even more seriously when they come up. That should be the case again, while Elina Svitolina has also been the stronger hard court player of the two anyway.

Anastasia Potapova is Seeded here and her win in the Second Round means she is now 9-9 on the hard courts this season.

However, that becomes 2-7 when only considering matches in which Potapova is the lower Ranked player and her second serve has been a real issue in those matches. A return player like Elina Svitolina should be able to exploit that second delivery and the World Number 9 has been dominant in matches she would expect to win.

It has been over four years since these two players met on the Tour, but Elina Svitolina should still be the stronger hard court player of the two and that may show up on the final scoreboard in the last Singles match of the day.

Cameron Norrie + 3.5 games v Alex De Minaur: Six previous matches have been split with three wins each, but it is something of a surprise to note that Cameron Norrie has won three of the four matched played on a hard court.

The British player has been in good form over the last couple of weeks and Cameron Norrie should be confident with how this match up against Alex De Minaur has worked out.

At the same time, it should be noted that Alex De Minaur's sole win over Cameron Norrie on a hard court came three years ago at the Canadian Masters, albeit when hosted by Toronto and not Montreal. Despite that, the Australian should feel pretty good about that even having lost to Cameron Norrie at the Indian Wells Masters back in March.

Alex De Minaur has been struggling for consistency in recent weeks and this has proven to be a tough match up for him, even as he has been Ranked considerably higher than Cameron Norrie. Both matches this season have been competitive affairs, but Norrie has shown he has a bit more behind the serve in the head to head and that can make the difference.

The expectation is on the shoulders of Alex De Minaur, but this spread looks a game too high.

Even in a winning effort, Cameron Norrie is certainly good enough to keep the final score within this handicap mark set as long as he continues to serve as effectively as he has been in the lead up to the US Open.

Rafael Jodar - 1.5 games v Lorenzo Musetti: These two players could be rivals for many years to come as they both look to also push up closer to the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the leading younger players on the Tour.

It is the second tournament in a row that Rafael Jodar and Lorenzo Musetti are meeting and it was the teenager from Spain who won the Quarter Final contest in Washington last week.

Rain meant Rafael Jodar did not complete his time in Washington until Monday when he was beaten in the Final by Taylor Fritz, but he made a relatively strong start to the tournament here in Montreal. At 19 years old, tiredness cannot be a huge factor for Rafael Jodar, but it is a factor and that cannot be completely ignored.

He needed three sets in the Second Round win, whileLorenzo Musetti came through in straight sets having only recently returned to the Tour.

The Italian missed both the French Open and Wimbledon before returning in Washington last week and it has been a season of injury for Lorenzo Musetti.

His hard court numbers have been solid, but Musetti was second best in the loss to Rafael Jodar last week and he may need a bit more time to rebuild his match fitness before he can close that gap. Another week my not be enough time and Lorenzo Musetti may find himself coming up a little short in this match again, although Rafael Jodar is going to be aware of the threat posed by the higher Ranked opponent having seen that at firsthand last week in Washington.

MY PICKS: Diana Shnaider - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Elina Svitolina - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cameron Norrie + 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Rafael Jodar - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 6-9, - 4.25 Units (15 Units Staked, - 28.33% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 5th August)

Better weather is going to help both the ATP Montreal and WTA Toronto events get back on track, but it does mean Wednesday is a much busier schedule than would usually be the case at these extended Masters event.

Almost the entire Second Round of the tournament in Toronto is scheduled to be played over twelve plus hours, while the WTA event is on much better timing, although the forecasts for the days ahead look troubling for the organisers and the players.

The ATP selections have some analysis attached to them, but the WTA Toronto selections have been placed in the 'MY PICKS' below.

Valentin Vacherot - 1.5 games v Mariano Navone: An injury back in May has held Valentin Vacherot back and he is still finding his feet back in competitive action.

Taking in a couple of clay court events last month may have been a decision to try and rebuild some rhythm, but Valentin Vacherot is a confident hard court player and the Masters win in Shanghai last year has been key to his current World Ranking.

That run does also mean there is some pressure on Vacherot to put together some strong runs ahead of the defence of the title in Shanghai to make sure World Ranking Points are keeping him inside the top 30.

The lack of recent tennis is a concern, but Valentin Vacherot is taking on Mariano Navone in the Second Round, who is a player much more comfortable on slower surfaces.

His win over Matteo Berrettini in the First Round deserves a lot of respect, but the Italian created more than double the amount of Break Points and will feel he let Navone off the hook. Mariano Navone is a decent hard court player, but does not spend a lot of time on the surface and had lost both previous matches against top 50 Ranked opponents this year before the win over Berrettini.

One of those defeats came against Valentin Vacherot in Miami and the World Number 18 can do enough to back that up here.

Zizou Bergs - 1.5 games v Sebastian Baez: He may not be the most trustworthy of players on the Tour, but Zizou Bergs is playing at a career best World Ranking mark and is facing an opponent who has had little time for hard court tennis.

Sebastian Baez did begin the season very well on the surface, and that may prevent him finishing up with another losing record on the hard courts. However, recent years have seen Sebastian Baez spend very little time within these tournaments and his numbers have highlighted a vulnerable serve.

This is never going to be good enough for sustained success on the hard courts and Zizou Bergs should be able to create enough Break Point opportunities to get on top of this match.

It has not been the most convincing year on the surface for the Belgian, but Zizou Bergs has a serve that should keep the scoreboard pressure on Sebastian Baez.

The return of serve has been the problem, but the Baez serve should aid Zizou Bergs and he can beat the World Number 48 for a second time on the hard courts on the pro Tour.

Cameron Norrie - 2.5 games v Ignacio Buse: The higher Ranked player has built his position on successes on the clay courts and it does feel like this could be a difficult time of the season for Ignacio Buse.

Back in March, Ignacio Buse was the World Number 63 and trying to Qualify for the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami- he failed at the former and was beaten in the First Round of the main draw in the latter and that is the limit of his hard court experiences in 2026.

Last year, Buse finished with a 7-8 record on the surface and the majority of those matches were played at Challenger or Qualifying level.

Credit has to be given to Ignacio Buse for making it through three Qualifying Rounds at the US Open in 2025, which will not have to be negotiated in 2026, but he has yet to find his rhythm at this level and British player Cameron Norrie should be able to take advantage.

Cameron Norrie has reversed his slide down the World Rankings and reached the Semi Final in Los Cabos last week and has already won a match here in Montreal. The serving and return numbers on the hard courts have been pretty solid so far this season and Cameron Norrie should have enough experience to believe he can work his way through this Second Round contest and continue to add to the World Ranking Points.

Earning a Seed for the US Open is still a possibility for Norrie and he should have enough to cover the handicap mark set for this match.

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 games v Thiago Agustin Tirante: The likelihood is that Taylor Fritz will have big decisions to make about the remainder of the season following the US Open as he continues to play through an injury that can make it tough to compete with the elite of the Tour.

However, he showed in Washington earlier this week that he remains one of the tougher outs on a hard court and so missing his home Grand Slam does not seem like an option.

Instead Taylor Fritz may look for one more big effort in New York City and then perhaps choose to rest and prepare for the 2027 season rather than taking in the Asian swing and, likely, the Tour Finals.

His level remains strong on a hard court and Taylor Fritz is expected to open his Canadian Masters with a solid win, even if the American is not the most convincing of return players on this surface.

Instead it is the serve that can place a lot of pressure on opponents and Thiago Agustin Tirante may already feel he has overachieved by simply making the Second Round in Montreal.

Like many of his compatriots, Thiago Agustin Tirante is much more comfortable on a clay court rather than a hard court, but he has played well enough on the surface to deserve respect.

The problem has been when it comes to taking on the elite of the Tour on the surface as Tirante has suffered a couple of one-sided defeats in 2026 and his career record is now 0-3 in hard court matches against top 20 Ranked opponents. His service numbers on the hard courts are decent overall, but have taken a massive dip against those top 20 opponents played, while Thiago Agustin Tirante has struggled on the return.

Both of these issues could come up in this Second Round contest and Taylor Fritz may ride the momentum of the title win in Washington to a strong start in Montreal.

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 games v Botic van de Zandschulp: The gap between the Wimbledon exit and the start of this tournament in Montreal raises some concerns, as does the recent Daniil Medvedev set of results when playing in Canada after that layoff.

However, the match up should be one that makes the World Number 6 pretty comfortable and he looks capable of winning with something to spare.

Over the course of his career, Daniil Medvedev has been at his best on the hard courts and he looks like he is going to reach at least 30 wins on the surface again in 2026. Winning another Grand Slam remains the ambition, but Medvedev has to find something different against the elite of the Tour, even if his current level is good enough to win matches like this one.

The hard court numbers when facing opponents Ranked outside of the top 50 have been impressive in 2026 and Daniil Medvedev has regularly got the better of Botic van de Zandschulp when they have met on the Tour.

Botic van de Zandschulp has a solid win on the board in Montreal, but has a 0-4 record against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard court this season and his serve has faced the pressure. That is likely to be the case in this one against Medvedev, who has won 43% of the service points played on the van de Zandschulp serve in the four previous meetings, which have all been on the hard courts.

Lack of recent competitive tennis could make things a bit tougher for Daniil Medvedev, but he will be encouraged by the performances of Botic van de Zandschulp when he has been asked to step up his level and the former World Number 1 can produce an opening win with a degree of comfort.

MY PICKS: Valentin Vacherot - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Zizou Bergs - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cameron Norrie - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Iva Jovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Elise Mertens - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Sorana Cirstea - 4.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 2-4, - 2.29 Units (6 Units Staked, - 38.17% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 4th August)

The next couple of days are forecasted to be dry, and hot, for the Canadian Masters in Montreal and Toronto, but more wet weather is just around the corner.

At least the tournaments will have a chance to get back on track with the conditions meaning some of the First Round matches at the Canadian Masters in Montreal have been held over until Tuesday.

It also means a very busy day of action, although there are 'only' four matches that have appealed enough to be worthy of backing a selection.

Those Picks can be read below.

Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 games v Moyuka Uchijima: For a lot of players, reaching the Quarter Final at the French Open and the Fourth Round at Wimbledon in the same season that they have finished Runners Up at the Australian Open may be considered a successful campaign.

Aryna Sabalenka is the World Number 1 and not most players and she will be hoping the time away from the court since the defeat at Wimbledon has just given herself the time needed to have a reset.

Despite that loss in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka continues to show she is the best hard court player on the WTA Tour and it was the World Number 1 who won both titles at Indian Wells and Miami. She is the defending US Open Champion and Sabalenka will head to New York City as the player to beat, although she would like to put a statement tournament on the board either here in Toronto or in Cincinnati.

Relatively early defeats have been the feature of the last two times Aryna Sabalenka has played in Toronto, but she should have too much for Moyuka Uchijima who is Ranked outside the top 100 and had to win a Qualifier and one main draw match to earn this opportunity.

The First Round win was impressive, but this is a significantly tougher test for Moyuka Uchijima and she is going to need to get plenty of first serves in play to try and put pressure on Aryna Sabalenka.

However, this is a Second Round match that will likely be dominated by the top Seed and Aryna Sabalenka has offered little encouragement to those Ranked outside the top 50 when facing them on the hard court.

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 games v Lanlana Tararudee: The 2025 US Open Champion is expected to make a strong start to her return to competitive tennis this month and the 2025 Runner Up can do the same.

Like the top Seed, Amanda Anisimova has taken several weeks off after losing in the Third Round at Wimbledon twelve months after reaching the Final at SW19.

2026 has not been the best year on the hard courts for Amanda Anisimova, who has a bigger target on her back after the strong Grand Slam showings in the second half of last season. However, she continues to be someone who can put together high quality tennis when facing thos she is expected to beat on the surface and the challenge is for Lanlana Tararudee to change that momentum.

It has been a good summer for Lanlana Tararudee who has won a title on the hard courts at a lower level before reaching the Quarter Final in Prague, but the World Number 79 is going to be well aware that this is a much tougher test than she has faced in recent weeks.

Lanlana Tararudee has shown she can be very effective on the hard courts, but the lack of experience of facing someone as good as Amanda Anisimova should eventually show.

She did offer real resistance to Ekaterina Alexandrova at Wimbledon in what is the only other top 20 match that Lanlana Tararudee has played, but Amanda Anisimova may have the power and ability on this surface to make sure the scoreboard looks a little more comfortable in her own favour.

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 games v Juncheng Shang: There had been a huge amount of excitement around Juncheng Shang as he continued to grow onto the Tour, but injuries have hurt his development over the last two years.

He is still only 21 years old, but Shang has playing with his Protected Ranking and needs to find some very strong results in order to rebuild his real World Ranking.

If he cannot do that, Juncheng Shang will have a very difficult road back towards the top 100 and his win in the First Round is a bonus.

Backing that up would really begin to clear things over the next few days, but that means upsetting one of the Seeded players joining the party in the Second Round.

Andrey Rublev has struggled for some consistency over a number of months, but picked up a title on the clay courts between Wimbledon and Montreal. That will give him a boost in confidence and the World Number 16 has a perfect record on the hard courts when facing an opponent Ranked outside of the top 50 this season.

His numbers have been really impressive in those matches and Andrey Rublev can get this hard court tournament off to a strong start.

Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 games v Daniel Altmaier: It was not for the lack of trying, but Daniel Altmaier had not won a hard court match in 2026 and it had looked like the run was going to continue as he trailed by a set and a break in the opening Round here in Montreal.

Six previous hard court matches had ended in one-sided defeats, but Daniel Altmaier can take confidence from the way he battled to move into the Second Round.

He now faces one of the Washington Semi Finalists from last week and someone who is very, very comfortable on the hard courts.

Brandon Nakashima is going to expect to put another winning year on the hard courts into the history books at the end of this season, but he still has room for improvement if he is going to take the next step in his career. Most notably there has to be some development in the return game to back up what has been a solid serve.

This is something that can hold him back at the business end of tournaments, but Brandon Nakashima should have more than enough against someone who has struggled on the hard courts as much as Daniel Altmaier has this season.

The lower Ranked player is only winning around 56% of his service points and that should offer up chances for Brandon Nakashima to really get on top of this match.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 6.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Brandon Nakashima - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 1-2, - 1.09 Units (3 Units Staked, - 36.33% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 3rd August)

We are now less than a month away before the final Grand Slam of the 2026 season begins and that means the Tour has to move through the first of two very important Masters tournaments on the North American hard courts.

Rain has been an issue over the first couple of days at the Canadian Masters and wet weather is expected in both Montreal and Toronto.

However, it is the tournament in Montreal where the ATP First Round is scheduled to be completed on Monday that looks to be most in danger of a washout.

Later this week, Toronto could also experience a few rain delays, but they should have a clearer Monday to get through the busy First Round and also a couple more clear days, which will give the Seeded players an opportunity to find some rhythm back on the court.

With that said, the focus for the opening Picks is on the First Round matches from the WTA Toronto event as we get this Masters run underway.

Yulia Putintseva - 3.5 games v Shuai Zhang: This has been a head to head dominated by Yulia Putintseva and she has produced the stronger hard court results in 2026.

The lack of competitive tennis since Wimbledon is a concern, but Shuai Zhang was beaten early in Washington last week and the 37 year old has not enjoyed this match up with seven straight defeats behind her.

Making it even tougher is that Zhang has won a single set in those seven matches and six of those have been on the hard courts.

Neither player has put together many strong hard court runs sincer very early in the season, but Yulia Putintseva may have enough of an edge to find a way to move past Shuai Zhang with a cover of this handicap mark.

Liudmila Samsonova - 3.5 games v Janice Tjen: Both played in Washington last week, but it was Liudmila Samsonova who impressed a little more than Janice Tjen and she can beat this opponent for the thitd time in 2026.

One previous win has been on a hard court, while the other was on a clay court, but both were very one-sided wins for Liudmila Samsonova and that can give her the mental edge when this First Round match is played.

The fact that both have a losing record on the hard courts is a disappointment,  but Liudmila Samsonova has the stronger numbers and that should not be ignored.

Adding that to the manner in which she has beaten Janice Tjen this season makes the higher Ranked player someone who can put an impressive win on the scoreboard in this one.

Alycia Parks - 2.5 games v Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva: Any player that comes through Qualifiers should be respected, but it did take Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva almost two hours and three sets to win her match.

The 20 year old will need a bit more out of the serve if she is going to earn an upset in the First Round, but that may be something that holds Kasintseva back in this match.

Alycia Parks is not easy to trust with her high-risk approach meaning great rewards, but also the lack of consistency that can lead to poor defeats.

The American looked in decent form in hard court events building towards the 2026 Canadian Masters and the edge in the serve gives Alycia Park the edge in the contest.

It has been the serve that has proved to be the difference in the two previous matches between the players and both have been won by the stronger server in Alycia Parks, which could be the case again on Monday.

MY PICKS: Yulia Putintseva - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Liudmila Samsonova - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alycia Parks - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 187-157, + 9.73 Units (529 Units Staked, + 1.84% Yield)

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)