Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 19th August)

In a break compared with some of the other Masters events played through the course of the year, the Cincinnati Masters will have the entire Fourth Round played through Wednesday.

Manic Monday used to be the best day of the season when Wimbledon used to have the entirety of the Fourth Round played on a single day, but they have changed the schedule in SW19 and Cincinnati is one of those rare tournaments of this size that will have all of the top names in action over the course of several hours.

Of course it is also dependent on the weather with thundery conditions expected through much of the day and there is a significant chance that the majority of the Fourth Round matches are not completed.

Despite that, the Tennis Picks will be made as usual, although the short time between the end of the Third Round and one half of the draw having to play on consecutive days means there has not been the time to put the analysis down for every selection made.

Rafael Jodar - 3.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: He has had to dig in and come through a couple of very tough matches, but Rafael Jodar has managed to do that and continues producing a strong set of results during the hard court build up towards the US Open.

There will be a feeling of playing with 'house money' having somehow rallied to win his Second Round match against Denis Shapovalov, but credit has to be given to Rafael Jodar for taking advantage of any fortune that has come his way.

He is getting closer and closer to cracking the top 1o in the World Rankings for the first time and Rafael Jodar has to believe that is possible by the end of the season, while he may also harbour hopes of playing at the ATP Finals.

Winning this match against someone Ranked higher than himself would continue to the positive surge and Rafael Jodar has been set as the favourite against Flavio Cobolli.

The World Number 10 has won a couple of matches in Cincinnati to just rebuild some of the confidence that may have been lost since the disappointing Quarter Final defeat at Wimbledon. Flavio Cobolli did win the title in Acapulco, but would have a 6-8 record on the hard courts for the season if he had not won five matches at that event.

In reality, Flavio Cobolli is not quite doing enough behind serve or return, while the win over Alexander Blockx means he is just 2-3 in hard court matches against top 50 Ranked opponents. His numbers have been disappointing across those matches and Cobolli could find it tough to slow the momentum picked up by the teenager standing across the other side of the net.

The Italian can be tough to shake off with his ability to put a streaky run of points together within matches, but Rafael Jodar is playing at a level which is more than capable of producing a strong looking victory.

Thiago Agustin Tirante-Jakub Mensik over 0.5 tie-breakers: The conditions in Cincinnati have historically played faster than some of the other hard courts and both of these players have taken advantage of that by backing up huge serves and groundstrokes.

Thiago Agustin Tirante has already upset Novak Djokovic here as he built up pressure on the ailing former Champion through the serve.

He has already backed up the upset by winning his next match and the World Number 50 will continue his rise in the World Rankings by setting a new career best mark at the end of the tournament having coming into this one at his peak career Ranking.

Serving well will be key against Jakub Mensik, who has also used his delivery to strong effect throughout his time on the hard courts. He is a former Masters winner and Mensik is continuing to grow towards the very top of the sport with the potential to win Grand Slams very clear.

The lower Ranked player has played eight sets in Cincinnati this week and Thiago Agustin Tirante has played five tie-breakers in that time.

Jakub Mensik has only played a single tie-breaker in five sets, but it should be noted that both are very much stronger behind serve compared with return and this is a match that may feature plenty of easy service holds. Pressure at the back end of sets can do funny things, but there should be at least one tie-breaker played between them in the Fourth Round.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Sorana Cirstea: After dropping the first set, Sorana Cirstea did not look back in her Third Round crushing win over Anna Kalinskaya and the veteran will have picked up some confidence from earning consecutive victories.

The level is raised significantly in the Fourth Round when Cirstea is set to face Jessica Pegula, who has long been right in the mix for the biggest hard court titles.

Winning here in Cincinnati would lay a marker for the US Open, but Jessica Pegula will be aware she is still going to have to get through some difficult tests.

However, she will also be aware of not overlooking Sorana Cirstea who had put together such a strong first half of the season. Recent weeks have been tougher for a player that may see retirement looming over the horizon after announcing this will be the last year on the Tour and there is a case to be made that it has affected her recent performances.

She has always been a steady hard court player, but there is no doubt that Sorana Cirstea has found a new level this year.

In saying that, it may still not be quite as strong as Jessica Pegula can be on this surface and the more consistent tennis of the World Number 3 can help her breakthrough.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Diana Shnaider: Memories of the Semi Final loss at the French Open may have come flooding back for Diana Shnaider in the second set of her match against Maja Chwalinska and the higher Ranked player looked a little lost. She had dominated the first set and had missed multiple break points in consecutive return games early in the second set before Diana Shnaider dropped serve for the first time in the contest.

It rocked her and only a rain delay broke the negative momentu as Shnaider rallied on the return to the court and ultimately came through in straight sets.

Another level is going to have to be found if she is going to beat the Australian Open Champion Elena Rybakina in the Fourth Round.

The hard courts have long been a favoured surface of Rybakina's with her huge game perfectly suited to the surface. However, Elena Rybakina may have felt there has been an underperformance in terms of the results achieved before the Australian Open back in January, but she reached the Final in Toronto last week and is looking for another big run before the US Open begins.

If you are being critical of Elena Rybakina, you would say there is room for improvement on the return of serve- if she could move her returning points percentage by even a couple of points in a more favourable direction, Rybakina would be a player that is incredibly tough to beat.

Her current game is good enough to take care of most and the 21-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 10 underlines that statement.

Diana Shnaider can cause problems, but facing the elite has been an issue on the hard courts and she has a 1-4 record in those matches in 2026. In those matches, the serve has been more vulnerable and Shnaider has struggled with her consistency on the return, while the sole previous meeting between the players ended in a routine win for Elena Rybakina on an indoor clay court in Stuttgart and we could see something similar here.

MY PICKS: Rafael Jodar - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Thiago Agustin Tirante-Jakub Mensik Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 Games @ 1.66 William Hill (1 Unit)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Lorenzo Musetti - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Felix Auger Aliassime - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 12-12, - 1.51 Units (20 Units Staked, - 7.55% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 18th August)

For the second time at this tournament, a player has withdrawn from a match they were about to lose and that is now having a serious impact on the numbers.

Anna Kalinskaya retired at 7-6, 1-6, 0-5 on Monday to add to the Elena Gabriel Ruse retirement when three games away from losing her Second Round match on Saturday and it is frustrating.

Instead of two winners, which was looking incredibly likely, we have to void both and that has meant another mixed start.

Tuesday is the conclusion of the Third Round matches to be played and all will be hoping it is not a day impacted by too many rain delays- unfortunately there does look to be a real chance of some rain later in the afternoon (local time), but it should not prevent the schedule from being completed as planned.

At least the wind is not nearly as tough to deal with as it was this past weekend, which should give the players an opportunity to compete with confidence.

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 games v Nuno Borges: This will be the sixth time these two players have faced one another on the Tour and Nuno Borges is still looking to get the better of Andrey Rublev for the first time.

The most recent meeting came at the French Open and Andrey Rublev edged through in straight sets as he continued to win the big points when they were played.

It is a result that also means Andrey Rublev has won eleven of the twelve sets played between the pair, while all three hard court matches have been won in straight sets. The last of those came back in January in Hong Kong as the players prepared for the Australian Open and Andrey Rublev has been supremely dominant behind the serve.

The only nagging aspect going against this selection is that Andrey Rublev has been struggling for consistent form in recent weeks and he was beaten in the Second Round in Montreal last week. It was the fourth straight defeat in hard court matches, but Rublev will have exorcised some demons by beating Pablo Carreno Busta in the Second Round here, while also likely playing with plenty of confidence considering the head to head against Nuno Borges on the Tour.

Nuno Borges has come through a couple of matches in Cincinnati and had a decent run in Montreal last week, but he has struggled when facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts. The 3-5 record is a little disappointing and the World Number 47 may come up short against Andrey Rublev once again on Tuesday.

Lorenzo Musetti - 2.5 games v Michael Zheng: The return to the Tour has been pretty productive for Lorenzo Musetti with a couple of solid, if unspectacular, runs in Washington and Toronto before winning his Second Round match in Cincinnati.

The World Number 15 is in the midst of putting another solid year together on the hard courts, although that also means there is the pressure of defending the Ranking Points won last year to maintain a spot inside the top 20 of the World Rankings.

Lorenzo Musetti is down as the favourite to beat Michael Zheng who came through the Qualifiers before winning a couple of main draw matches. The young American is operating at his best career Ranking mark, but is set to move inside the top 100 for the first time and Michael Zheng will be comfortable competing on the hard courts.

However, his experience of facing top competition is pretty limited this year and the win over Ugo Humbert is the first against someone Ranked inside the top 50.

It is a performance that will give Michael Zheng confidence, but there is still some for improvement on the serve and that is an area that Lorenzo Musetti will look to exploit.

Both of these players will believe they have the return game to hurt the other and it would not be a surprise if there are a number of breaks of serve, but Musetti has remained very strong when facing those players Ranked outside the top 20. He has already won in that spot in this tournament and Lorenzo Musetti has been able to get enough out of his serve to take a real swing on the return and he can do that in this Third Round match.

Felix Auger Aliassime - 4.5 games v Juan Manuel Cerundolo: Having to miss out on competing at the Canadian Masters would have really hurt, but Felix Auger Aliassime came through his opening match in Cincinnati in impressive style.

The win over Stefanos Tsitsipas will have been a boost for Felix Auger Aliassime who had deep runs in Cincinnati and at the US Open last year.

He is facing an opponent who has won the sole previous meeting between the pair on the Tour, but Juan Manuel Cerundolo is pretty lucky to still be in the draw at this Masters event, while beating Felix Auger Aliassime on a clay court is a different story than beating him on a hard court.

It was a win in Madrid where the courts play faster, but Felix Auger Aliassime will feel he had the chances to turn that match in his favour and his strengths should be clearer on a relatively fast hard court.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo has improved his hard court record to 5-3 this year thanks to two wins here, but his numbers have been poor and Arthur Rinderknech should have beaten him in the Second Round.

Felix Auger Aliassime is not the best return player, which makes this spread a difficult one to deal with, but he should be able to serve himself into a strong position and that pressure can be applied to help him find the breaks needed.

Madison Keys - 4.5 games v Katerina Siniakova: Two previous meetings between the pair have ended in routine wins for Madison Keys, although the last of those came at the US Open in 2024.

At 31 years old, you do have to wonder how much motivation is left for Madison Keys as she has dropped out of the top 20 in the World Rankings and picked up the Grand Slam win in Australia over eighteen months ago. That Slam victory will have made it feel like Keys has achieved all she would have wanted having looked like the Major was going to escape her, but the upcoming US Open is where she will want to peak.

It has not been the best summer of preparation but Madison Keys has tended to beat those players that she would expect, especially on the hard courts where she has a 10-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 20.

Katerina Siniakova is a dangerous player when at her best, but it has been another inconsistent season and she did have to withdraw mid-match in Toronto last week.

A Second Round win here will have given Katerina Siniakova a boost as she performs as one of the Seeded players, but Madison Keys may have too much know-how on a hard court and can pull away for a solid win.

Iva Jovic - 3.5 games v Marie Bouzkova: Both of these players are Seeded in Cincinnati and that is expected to be the case when the US Open begins, but Iva Jovic is definitely a player on a stronger positive trajectory at this stage of the respective careers.

The 18 year old has had some very strong moments on the Tour throughout 2026 and that has helped Iva Jovic move into the World Number 16 position, which is the career high so far.

It is an improvement that will allow Iva Jovic to try and put together a strong end to the season, although her Second Round win means she has only matched the run in Cincinnati produced twelve months ago.

Back then Iva Jovic had a reprieve to enter the tournament as a Lucky Loser, and the American has put a solid year together on the Tour, albeit one that still sees her having a few off days.

Marie Bouzkova will be looking to exploit any dip from the opponent on the other side of the net, but that also means finding her own consistency in what has been a difficult season on the hard courts.

The Czech player has really struggled when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the surface and has a 2-6 record in those matches, while the numbers have taken a significant drop on the return of serve.

You always have to respect a veteran of the Tour who can call upon ample experience to change things around, but Iva Jovic has been the stronger hard court player and can push through to the Fourth Round.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Janice Tjen: Winning the French Open means Mirra Andreeva has already begun to fulfil the obvious potential she has and this is a player who has been comfortable on the hard courts, although perhaps not putting up the results expected.

It is telling that she has yet to reach the Quarter Final at either the Australian Open or US Open with a Third Round effort the best she has had in New York City before the last Grand Slam of the season begins later this month.

Quite comfortably the best results have been at the French Open, but Andreeva has won the Indian Wells WTA 1000 event and also a big tournament held in Dubai on the hard courts.

Both of those titles were won in 2025 and Mirra Andreeva has had some disappointing early exits in the WTA 1000 events this season, including a Third Round loss in Toronto last week.

The World Number 6 did not play in Cincinnati last year, but that means the pressure is not on her shoulders and Mirra Andreeva has continued to be good enough to beat those she would expect to beat. A couple of the hard court losses have been disappointing, but a 14-3 record against those Ranked outside of the top 20 has to be respected, especially coupled with the overall numbers produced.

Janice Tjen will be looking to make it four losses in that spot for Mirra Andreeva, but the World Number 37 is still trying to find the consistency on the Tour.

She is almost certainly going to be putting up a new career-best World Ranking mark at the end of the tournament and Janice Tjen has a first serve that can put some pressure on opponents. Serving well here may give her a chance to keep things competitive, as Tjen has proven to be against many opponents on the hard courts this season, although both matches against top 10 Ranked opponents have ended in one-sided losses.

This whole match could come down to how effective Janice Tjen can serve against someone like Mirra Andreeva who has very strong returning numbers.

Janice Tjen was not able to impose the serve against Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova in matches earlier this year and someone like Mirra Andreeva is capable of producing a very good looking win in this Third Round contest.

MY PICKS: Andrey Rublev - 1.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Lorenzo Musetti - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Felix Auger Aliassime - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Iva Jovic - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Cincinnati Update: 8-10, - 2.99 Units (14 Units Staked, - 16.61% Yield)

Cincinnati Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 17th August)

The Tennis Gods can giveth and the Tennis Gods can taketh away.

That is how it has felt through the opening two days of selections at the Cincinnati Masters after a baffling Sunday.

Players were getting into positions to win matches as expected, but wasted Match Points or a loss of focus at the wrong time swung things against the Tennis Picks made and it proved to be a tough pill to swallow.

Things like that can happen across a long season, but the key is to not lose focus or faith with what has worked and instead work to bounce back immediately.

We will be moving into the Third Round in Cincinnati on Monday, but the forecast does not look very good for the day with thundery showers accompanied by an out of date drying system meaning it could be a frustrating day for players and fans alike. However, there are still selections to be made from the Monday schedule, even if the likelihood is that some of these matches will need to be carried into Tuesday, when it is forecasted to be hot and dry.

Tommy Paul - 4.5 games v Adolfo Daniel Vallejo: An upset in the Second Round has seen Adolfo Daniel Vallejo make it through to the Third Round here in Cincinnati and give himself a big boost in the World Rankings.

This is not a player that spends a lot of time on the hard courts and so the two wins in the main draw will have given Adolfo Daniel Vallejo confidence to take into the next couple of tournaments. Backing up the upset in the Second Round is the immediate challenge though and that may be beyond a player that has limited experience on the surface and who is now going up against an opponent who should receive plenty of backing from the crowd.

Tommy Paul has put together decent numbers on the hard courts this season, but he has not had the deep runs that he would have hoped.

His win over Hubert Hurkacz is a reminder of what Tommy Paul can do on this surface and half of the hard court wins in 2026 have been against players Ranked outside of the top 50.

Conditions have been tough in Cincinnati through the opening few days, but the wind looks to be dying down on Tuesday, although a wet day is predicted and there is no guarantee this match will be played as scheduled.

Despite all of that, Tommy Paul should have the edge whenever he does get on the court and he should be able to put himself in a position to cover this handicap mark as long as he has not overlooked Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Terence Atmane: There is every reason to respect Terence Atmane as he continues to try and defend the World Ranking Points from reaching the Semi Final here in Cincinnati twelve months ago.

His run was ended by Jannik Sinner, but Atmane had three top 15 wins and two top 10 wins and that will give him confidence, even if he has struggled for consistency on the hard courts in 2026. The 12-11 record is boosted by two wins here in Cincinnati to reach the Third Round, but that record reads 6-7 when only focusing on matches against top 50 opponents.

Terence Atmane does have a dangerous serve and that should work well in the Cincinnati conditions, as it did last year, but he is now facing the top Seed in the draw and someone who should be motivated to put a strong tournament on the board.

Alexander Zverev was upset early in Montreal at the Canadian Masters, but this is a player who has reached the Semi Final here in each of the last three years and the top players on the ATP Tour are not around to stop his run this time.

He dominated Cameron Norrie in the Second Round and Alexander Zverev is also very comfortable in the conditions as shown in previous visits.

The serve can contain much of the Terence Atmane threat if Alexander Zverev is performing close to his usual level, while the Number 1 Seed is the superior return player. That was on display in the altitude of the Madrid clay courts earlier this year and Alexander Zverev can match that margin of victory against this French opponent for the second time.

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 games v Maja Chwalinska: The run to the French Open Final will live long in the memory of Maja Chwalinska, but there had been little to suggest that was about to happen for the Polish player before Roland Garros in 2026.

It was only the second time she had played in a main draw at any Grand Slam and the results since that run have been more in line with what you would expect.

Maja Chwalinska upset Diana Shnaider in the Semi Final in Paris and these two players renew acquaintances on the hard courts of Cincinnati, which should favour the latter a little more.

It was a breakthrough Slam for Diana Shnaider, despite coming up short in the Semi Final, but she has backed that result up a lot more decisively than her opponent.

The hard courts should favour Diana Shnaider more than Maja Chwalinksa, although the latter did put together a strong performance in the Second Round, which does deserve respect.

She frustrated Diana Shnaider when they met on the clay courts of Roland Garros, but that may be harder to do on a relatively quick hard court and Diana Shnaider can back up recent results in Washington and Toronto to move through to the Fourth Round here.

Sorana Cirstea v Anna Kalinskaya: The second half of the 2026 season has yet to hit the same heights as the first half as Sorana Cirstea continues to push towards a planned retirement. The early season form had some questioning whether Cirstea should postpone those plans for another year, but the veteran of the Tour may be slowing down right now.

Despite those concerns, there has still been enough coming from Sorana Cirstea to believe she can edge past Anna Kalinskaya, even though the latter reached the Quarter Final in Cincinnati twelve months ago.

2026 has been a lot more inconsistent for Anna Kalinskaya and the 13-9 record on the hard courts is a bit of a disappointment.

You do have to state that eight of those nine losses have been against top 20 Ranked opponents and Anna Kalinskaya has struggled to impose herself in those matches. This has to be a concern for her ahead of a match against Sorana Cirstea, who has beaten Kalinskaya at the US Open three years ago, while the World Number 19 has also been effective when facing higher Ranked opponents this season and certainly more so than Anna Kalinskaya.

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 games v Emma Navarro: There may not be a lot of World Ranking Points to defend to conclude the 2026 season, but Emma Navarro will still be largely disappointed with the efforts to this point of the campaign.

A Second Round win has improved her hard court record to 6-11, but Navarro is going to have to put together some strong runs if she is going to extend her run of winning seasons on the surface.

Doing that here in Cincinnati looks a tough ask when going up against Jessica Pegula, who has won all three previous meetings between the compatriots on the Tour.

Jessica Pegula is the World Number 3 and she has produced much higher form on the hard courts throughout this season compared with Emma Navarro. The former will also go into the home Grand Slam as one of the favourites and Pegula has always enjoyed playing in Cincinnati having reached the Final and Semi Final in 2023 and 2024 ahead of strong runs at the US Open.

Last year was a disappointment at this WTA 1000 event, but Jessica Pegula produced a strong win in the Second Round and can back that up with another victory over Emma Navarro.

Despite all three matches being won by Jessica Pegula, she will respect the fact that Navarro has been a competitive opponent in all of those.

However, the 2026 version of Emma Navarro has not quite been able to put it all together and the two previous hard court meetings between these players has seen Jessica Pegula dominate the serving numbers.

If she can do that in this match, Jessica Pegula has the return game to find the breaks needed to cover this handicap mark set.

MY PICKS: Tommy Paul - 4.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Sorana Cirstea  @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

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

Cincinnati Update: 6-8, - 2.59 Units (14 Units Staked, - 18.50% Yield)

Canadian Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 8th August)

It continues to be a frustrating week filled with selections that have been on the edge of stringing the wins together, but ultimately finding a way to come up short.

That was the case for both Tallon Griekspoor and Alexandra Eala on Friday- the former had the double break needed to cover in his eventual win over Matteo Arnaldi, but lost focus for a moment to hand one back and missed the cover by a single game.

Later Alexandra Eala had the chance to serve out the match, and to cover, but blew the opportunity and eventually needed to come through a final set decider in which more chances were wasted to put a strong win on the board.

These things happen in a long season on the Tour and the only positive is that there has been little wrong with the identification of the selections being made.

Saturday will be the beginning of the Fourth Round at the Canadian Masters and eight matches have been scheduled to be played.

However, there are plenty of competitive looking matches out there and the large majority deserve a watching brief with the two selections made both coming from the WTA Toronto tournament.

Jessica Pegula - 3.5 games v Diana Shnaider: These two met in Washington last week and both Jessica Pegula and Diana Shnaider are playing with the kind of confidence that will make them dangerous when the US Open begins later this month.

The back to back WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati is an opportunity for players to really lay down a marker for the US Open and the top names have made it through to the Fourth Round on this side of the draw.

Both Jessica Pegula and Diana Shnaider are top 15 Seeds here in Toronto- the former has always been very comfortable on the hard courts, while the latter has shown she can perform very well on the surface and has used the run at Roland Garros to bolster the confidence.

It was Jessica Pegula who won the Semi Final played in Washington last weekend and that makes it four wins from four matches played against this younger opponent. The three hard court wins have all been in straight sets with the sole set won by Diana Shnaider coming in a clay court tournament held in Charleston, which is very different to the European clay on which she had considerable success at the second Grand Slam of the season.

Diana Shnaider played well enough in the match last week, but this has proven to be a tough match up for her in previous meetings and that was the case again in Washington.

The Pegula first serve has proven to be a key shot, but it is the impressive numbers defending the second serve that can make the difference on the scoreboard at pressurised moments. It is the World Number 3 who has had a clear edge on the second serve and that is likely going to be something we see in this Fourth Round match on Saturday.

For all of the improvements we have seen from Diana Shnaider, it should be noted the loss to Jessica Pegula last week has dropped her to 1-6 in matches against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts this season. The second serve and the return have simply not been good enough against the elite players of the WTA Tour and that is where Shnaider may end up coming up short again in this match.

Iga Swiatek - 1.5 games v Marta Kostyuk: Revenge has to be on the mind for Iga Swiatek who was upset in the Fourth Round at the French Open by Marta Kostyuk, one of the most improved players on the Tour this season.

That improvement is underlined by the fact that Marta Kostyuk has arrived at this WTA 1000 event at her career best World Number 11 Ranking, although cracking the top 10 is going to be the ambition through the remainder of the season.

Marta Kostyuk does have some important World Ranking Points to protect here in Toronto and at the US Open, but the Ukrainian is playing with a real confidence having reached the Semi Final at both the French Open and Wimbledon. The Asian swing after the US Open will give Kostyuk the opportunity to really push for the top 10 finish, while she is actually on the edge of the top eight and a place in the WTA Finals.

All of that will give her confidence and beating Iga Swiatek on her favourite surface can only be another boost.

However, the World Number 8 has been operating at a very high level on the hard courts and her two wins here in Montreal is a reminder of the kind of tennis that Iga Swiatek can produce.

One of the problems has been consistency within a tournament- Iga Swiatek could be cruising through the Rounds, but any time she has felt some pushback, the response has not come quickly enough and that has seen her fall away within matches.

There has been little wrong with the numbers, but it is also important to state that Iga Swiatek has yet to reach the Semi Final at any hard court tournament in 2026!

Half of the six hard court losses have been against top 10 Ranked opponents and Iga Swiatek will take heart from the fact that Marta Kostyuk is 3-3 against top 10 Ranked opponents herself this season. All of the wins came in the same event in Brisbane where she lost in the Final and Kostyuk has lost the last three hard court matches under that parameter, albeit to Elena Rybakina (twice) and Aryna Sabalenka.

The improvement in the Marta Kostyuk game that has been mentioned is highlighted by a 7-4 record against t0p 10 players overall in 2026, but Iga Swiatek may just produce a reminder of her own capabilities ahead of the US Open.

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

Iga Swiatek - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Canadian Masters: 12-13, - 3.37 Units (25 Units Staked, - 13.48% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 1st August)

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

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

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

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

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

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 30th July)

It was not a very good start to the week, but the tournaments being played this week are continuing into the Second Round on Thursday and there are three selections that have been identified below.

Ben Shelton - 1.5 games v Ugo Humbert: Two players that are hugely reliant on the serve have come through the opening Round in Washington and the layers are finding it quite difficult to split them as far as this handicap mark is concerned.

It has not been the 2026 Ben Shelton may have hoped for and he has perhaps taken a bit of time to recover from the injury that forced him to withdraw in the Third Round at the US Open last year. The recovery may have been more about the mental disappointment of having to pull out of his home Grand Slam, rather than the physical recovery, but Shelton has to find his way with some big Ranking Points to defend before the last Slam of the 2026 season begins.

He dropped a set in coming through the First Round, but Ben Shelton continues to be one of the tougher outs on a hard court.

Disappointing defeats at Indian Wells and Miami in Masters events earlier this year will have stung, but Ben Shelton tends to have plenty in the tank to overcome those players he is expected to beat.

One of those will be Ugo Humbert who was a dominant winner in the First Round, but who fell in straight sets when he faced Ben Shelton at the Australian Open back in January.

The Frenchman has struggled when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts this year- Ugo Humbert's service numbers dip a little, but it is the return where he has struggled to have any kind of consistent impact and that has kept him under scoreboard pressure.

Overall his return numbers show Ugo Humbert breaks in 16% of return games played on the hard courts, but that dips to around 5% when only focusing on top 20 opponents in 2026.

It is an edge that Ben Shelton can exploit having created ten Break Points in the match between these two at the Australian Open.

Those fashioned against him amounted to three Break Points and the American player can use his serve to make sure he comes through this Second Round match.

Diana Shanaider - 1.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: Both of these players can point to strong runs during the clay court season for the current World Ranking position, but Diana Schnaider and Anastasia Potapova are both comfortable enough on the hard courts to build on those successes.

Disappointing grass court campaigns are behind both Schnaider and Potapova, while the latter has already beaten Venus Williams here in Washington.

This is the first match for Diana Schnaider who is a top four Seed in the draw and that has allowed her to earn a Bye through the First Round. Sometimes players would rather have a match under their belt than having a Bye through a Round, but Diana Schnaider will have known about her opponent for a couple of days and should be pretty familiar with the Anastasia Potapova game.

They have met on the hard courts earlier this season in the lead into the Australian Open, but Diana Shnaider will be expecting a much tougher match.

Both have struggled in hard court matches against top 50 Ranked opponents this season, but Diana Schnaider has had the edge on the numbers being produced and that could be key in this Second Round match.

The return numbers are similar, but Diana Shnaider is capable of getting a bit more out of the first serve and that could make all the difference on the day.

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 games v Cruz Hewitt: It is quite ridiculous to think Lleyton's son is now a pro Tennis player not because he is, but because it is a reminder of how old some of us have become.

Cruz Hewitt upset the odds to beat Marcos Giron in the First Round, but this is a much stiffer test against the defending Champion who came through a very tough opener in Washington.

Alex De Minaur should be pretty aware of the qualities of Cruz Hewitt and it may feel like the latter is playing a version of his own father in this match. Like Lleyton, Alex De Minaur looks to use his movement to frustrate opponents and make sure he is getting plenty of balls back in play, but also has an ability to turn things around in his favour when the opportunity comes up.

He will have a lot of respect for Cruz Hewitt and the kind of tennis he has been playing in recent weeks, but De Minaur's edge in experience cannot be dismissed.

A two hour match on Wednesday may have done Alex De Minaur some good in building up his rhythm for the remainder of this tournament and he can wear down Cruz Hewitt, who has already achieved plenty from his time in Washington over the last few days.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 1.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Diana Shnaider - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Alex De Minaur - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 25th July)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Saturday 16th May)

The WTA Final at Rome takes centre stage on Saturday and the winner is going to be heading to the French Open in confident mood.

It has long been considered that the majority of the best players will skip the last week in between this tournament and the start of the French Open, especially with a Sunday start in play at that Grand Slam and that is looking like being the case next week.

And that means Rome is the last big opportunity for those top names to make a statement ahead of the second Grand Slam title of the 2026 season.

Coco Gauff - 2.5 games v Elina Svitolina: You cannot ignore the fact that Elina Svitolina has beaten Coco Gauff twice this season on the hard courts, including at the Australian Open, while the World Number 10 is not going to be lacking for confidence in the Rome Finals.

Victories over Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, two of the French Open favourites, on back to back days have carried the Ukrainian into the Final, although the numbers suggest Elina Svitolina was perhaps a touch fortunate in both matches. In those two wins, Svitolina faced 36 Break Points compared with the 22 created, but she has played the big points as effectively as possible and this is a tournament the veteran has enjoyed playing.

Her best run at the French Open has been reaching the Quarter Final and Elina Svitolina has done that five times, but she was back to back Rome Champion in 2017 and 2018. and has reached the Quarter Final on three occasions since then.

Of course she is enjoying her best run in Rome since last winning the title here eight years ago and that makes Elina Svitolina dangerous.

There is room for improvement when you look at the Break Points faced and being created, but this will be a confident player and those two wins over Coco Gauff will stand her in good stead.

The American is very comfortable on the clay courts and her Semi Final win and the manner in which it was delivered will have given the World Number 4 plenty of reason to believe she can finally win a big clay court event at 1000 level.

Coco Gauff has been a consistent figure at the French Open- she has reached the Quarter Final five times in a row, while turning one of those into a Semi Final run, another finishing Runner Up and then finally winning the Grand Slam title in Paris eleven months ago. At the same time, she has reached the Final in Madrid and Rome, but losing both times, and Coco Gauff has two other Semi Final runs in the Italian capital before reaching another Final here on Thursday.

On the clay courts, serving numbers are going to make difficult reading compared with the faster surfaces, but both have been doing well enough- the difference here is that Coco Gauff has been the superior return player in Rome and that could see her begin to exert some control on this Final.

The second serve continues to be a vulnerability and Elina Svitolina should be able to attack that part of the Gauff game to real positive effect.

The same can be said for the higher Ranked player and this has the makings of a Final that should see both players pick up some momentum at different times.

However, the edge has to be with Coco Gauff who has shown a bit more consistency compared with Elina Svitolina, even if the latter seemingly matches up pretty well with the World Number 4.

Both winning a set would not be a surprise, but Gauff may still have enough in her return game to cover this spread even if the contest does need that deciding set to determine the Rome Champion in 2026.

MY PICKS : Coco Gauff - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Rome Update: 6-4, + 0.74 Units (10 Units Staked, + 7.40% Yield)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indian Wells Tennis Day 6 Picks 2026 (Monday 9th March)

The opening five days at the Indian Wells tournament have been disappointing for the Tennis Picks, but it is still early and the opportunity remains to turn things around and get this event back on track.

Things could have been worse, but they certainly could be a lot better and there are a few more selections from Day 6 with the Third Round set to be completed.

A bit of fortune at key times would be nice, but this is just one of those moments on a long Tour when things are not quite going to plan and that is just something we have to navigate, while also remembering it has been a positive start to the 2026 season to back up the winning 2025 campaign.

Novak Djokovic - 4.5 games v Aleksandar Kovacevic: The crowd is likely going to give Aleksandar Kovacevic some decent support at Indian Wells, but Novak Djokovic is a legend and there will be plenty backing him to make the Fourth Round.

This is the first tournament taken in by Novak Djokovic since coming up short at the Australian Open Final and the win in the Second Round means he is already putting some World Ranking Points in the bank.

These days Novak Djokovic is unconcerned about his Ranking with the focus being on winning another Major, but staying in the top four would mean avoiding having to face the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz before the Semi Final at any Grand Slam coming up. He knows how tough it will be to beat both players, but facing them in the Semi Final and Final is better than having to use up too much energy early in a Slam and Novak Djokovic will be confident in his chances at the remaining three Majors.

Motivation for other tournaments is harder to find, but Novak Djokovic should have enough quality to get past the World Number 72 who has a 5-9 record on the hard courts over the last twelve months when facing top 50 Ranked opponents.

When he finds a rhythm, the serve can be a big weapon for Kovacevic, but he has struggled on the return of serve and that has kept him under pressure.

Novak Djokovic can exert that pressure on this opponent and he remains a solid return player on the surface, even if the former World Number 1 is not at the level he once was.

He did drop a set in the Second Round, but this may end up being a more routine win for the Serb as he progresses into the Fourth Round at Indian Wells.

Madison Keys - 3.5 games v Sonay Kartal: She has had a mixed time at Indian Wells, but Madison Keys reached the Semi Final here twelve months ago and looked in decent form on her return to the Tour.

This is the first tournament that Madison Keys has played since the defence of her Australian Open crown ended in the Fourth Round in Melbourne.

There is room for improvement on the Second Round win over Diane Parry, but Madison Keys showed enough on the return of serve to be feeling pretty good about her latest run in Indian Wells. She did need to save eight Break Points to avoid being dragged into a real battle, but Keys did what was needed and is rightly favoured in this Third Round match on Monday.

Sonay Kartal has once again reached the Third Round in Indian Wells, but she would be dropping in the World Ranking if she is not able to at least match the performance of 2025 when she made it through to the Fourth Round.

Saving Match Points to beat Emma Navarro will have given the British player a lot of confidence and Sonay Kartal has reached a couple of Quarter Finals on the hard courts this season. The Middle East swung began well, but Kartal has just had issues with her consistency and she had lost four in a row against top 50 Ranked opponents on the surface before beating Navarro in the Second Round.

Over the last twelve months, Madison Keys has won twelve of fourteen hard court matches against opponents Ranked outside of the top 20.

She has also beaten Sonay Kartal on the grass courts of Wimbledon, although that was in a match played in 2023 and the World Number 54 is a much more experienced player now.

That should mean Kartal is able to have some successes, but she has struggled with the return of serve against the higher Ranked players faced this year and Madison Keys may do just enough to clear this handicap line.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Madison Keys - 3.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Belinda Bencic @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

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

Indian Wells Update: 5-7, - 2.94 Units (12 Units Staked, - 24.50% Yield)

Indian Wells Tennis Day 3 Picks 2026 (Friday 6th March)

It has been a conscious decision to make a slower start to the Tennis Picks at Indian Wells and that is partly down to the uncertainty as to how conditions are playing here this year.

The other reason is the continuous rumours of illnesses surging through the field, which is something that slightly concerns me whenever I've seen a price drifting.

Two selections have been made from the opening Second Round matches at the tournament as Day 3 gets underway.

On Thursday, the two selections were split with a win apiece, but that meant the narrowest of positive returns- at the moment the idea is to slowly build into the event, but you just never know when there are multiple matches that hit the criteria being used to move from shortlist to selection.

Victoria Mboko - 5.5 games v Kimberly Birrell: Like many sports, there is always going to be times when you want to identify the next big stars coming through.

Two teenagers are making waves in the top ten of the World Rankings and Victoria Mboko may be feeling most confident.

The 19 year old has reached the Final at a couple of tournaments on the hard courts in 2026, although Victoria Mboko has come up short both times. The latter of those appearances was in the Final of the WTA 1000 event in Doha and Mboko has also reached the Fourth Round at the Australian Open.

Twelve months ago, Victoria Mboko was sitting outside the top 150 in the World Rankings and would have been taking part in tournaments far below this elite level. It means the Canadian has little to defend in terms of Ranking Points until the Tour moves significantly into the clay court season in preparation for the French Open and Victoria Mboko has been playing well enough to believe she can have a strong impact in Indian Wells.

Playing here for the first time will be challenging, but Mboko has to be pretty comfortable with the opponent she is facing in the Second Round.

Kimberly Birrell was a comfortable winner in the First Round and reached the Semi Final in Austin last week, but it has been a real struggle for the World Number 69 when she has stepped up to face some of the top players on the Tour.

Over the last twelve months, Kimberly Birrell has a 4-8 record on the hard courts when facing top 50 Ranked opponents and her numbers have taken a significant dip in those compared with her overall form on the surface.

The first serve has perhaps not had the impact she would have hoped and Kimberly Birrell has struggled on the return, which are both going to pose problems for her in this kind of match.

Both Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina have secured very strong wins over Kimberly Birrell on the hard courts in 2026, while Victoria Mboko beat her for the loss of just three games in the Adelaide Semi Final back in January.

This is the second time Victoria Mboko has beaten Kimberly Birrell on the hard courts over the last seven months and the younger player has been a much more confident server in those head to head matches. When they played in Montreal last August, Mboko wasn't quite as effective on the return, but still won pretty handily and was much improved in that aspect of her tennis when facing the Australian in Adelaide.

You have to expect Kimberly Birrell has picked up some confidence from her performance in Austin and then winning an opening Round match here, which also means being a bit more comfortable in the conditions.

However, not only has she lost all five hard court matches against top 20 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months, but Kimberly Birrell would not have covered this line in four of those defeats and that may be the case again in the Second Round.

Alexandra Eala v Dayana Yastremska: One player who seemingly plays at an unexpected level when she is opposed on these pages, but is so far off it when she is backed, is Dayana Yastremska.

However, she is going to be opposed in this Second Round match at Indian Wells.

A win in the First Round will have made the World Number 52 feel a lot better about her tennis, but she has a 4-7 record prior to Indian Wells on the hard courts. Dayana Yastremska has struggled for any kind of consistency and her numbers on serve and return both back that up.

Draws can slant any record, but it should be noted that Dayana Yastremska is just 4-4 when going into a match as the higher Ranked player- even in those matches, the numbers remain disappointing for a former Australian Open Semi Finalist.

Without a doubt that has to have had an impact on the confidence.

At the moment it does feel like Alexandra Eala is a touch overrated in the main- she has played at Rafael Nadal's Academy, which will generate headlines, and the youngster has put some solid results on the board that means she climbed 100 places in the World Rankings from January 2025 to January 2026.

An early exit at the Australian Open would have hurt considering the support she received, but Alexandra Eala has bounced back with a solid run through the Middle East.

Out of the two players, Alexandra Eala has been putting up some solid hard court numbers and she will have taken confidence from the crushing win produced over Dayana Yastremska on the grass courts of Eastbourne last June.

A slow hard court is a different test, but Alexandra Eala comes into the match having won nine of the thirteen matches played against opponents Ranked outside of the top 20 on the hard courts this season. Her numbers have been very good, and she looks like she can edge past the Ukrainian into the Third Round.

MY PICKS: Victoria Mboko - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alexandra Eala @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Indian Wells Update: 1-2, - 0.90 Units (3 Units Staked, - 30% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 18th February)

A tough day in the office has to be set aside in what has been a difficult week with two poor days out of three.

That is a disappointment and it did feel like some meat was left on the table with a couple of selections not quite making the grade, but ultimately coming in as winners.

However, the last thirteen months have produced a positive return and that means 'trusting the process' rather than worrying about what may have been.

The opening Picks on Wednesday are concentrating on the Third Round matches in Dubai- the Second Round matches in Doha look awkward with some big spreads set, but not big enough to want to trust the underdog either.

Any selections from the ATP tournaments in Delray Beach or Rio will be added to this thread.

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 games v Janice Tjen: There are going to be questions about the WTA Tour calendar when scheduling consecutive 1000 events on back to back weeks in the Middle East. While the tournament in Doha largely went as planned, there have been a huge number of withdrawals and mid-match retirements here in Dubai as we only get into the Third Round.

Something will have to change, although neither Doha nor Dubai are going to want to hear that the tournaments they run are being downgraded- both are ATP 500 events rather WTA 1000, but even that may not be enough to appease them and a new Council will come together and see how they can help.

Amanda Anisimova has been one of the beneficiaries of a walkover in the Second Round, which means she has only played one match since the Australian Open. Even that match ended with a mid-match retirement when Anisimova had to pull out with an illness, but she has stated she is feeling better and a couple more days of recovery can only help.

This is an important week for Amanda Anisimova who won the title in Doha last year, but who was not able to defend those World Ranking Points last week.

There is some room for improvement in the early season form, but Anisimova is very comfortable on the hard courts and she can get the better of Janice Tjen.

The 23 year old enters the tournament in Dubai under a new career-high World Ranking of Number 46 and this season offers Janice Tjen a big opportunity to really build on that mark. Improving the World Ranking means being able to enter bigger tournaments and Janice Tjen showed how comfortable she is on the hard courts with a huge amount of wins on the surface in 2025.

Of course it should be noted that those were against players of a lower level than what she will be facing at the tournaments she will now be entering and a 5-4 record over the last six weeks suggests this is something of a learning curve. Janice Tjen has won two matches here, which will help the confidence, but she has yet to really get to grips with the return of serve at this level.

The Indonesian player has struggled against the very best players on the Tour and that has led to two straight-forward losses to top 20 Ranked opponents. In those two losses, Janice Tjen has not only struggled to protect the second serve, but she has won just 23% of return points played and someone like Amanda Anisimova can put her under enough pressure to pick up the Breaks of serve needed to cover this spread.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Jaqueline Cristian: Another player who earned a walkover in the Second Round in Dubai is the defending Champion Mirra Andreeva.

She had a dominant run here in 2025 and Mirra Andreeva just reached the Doha Third Round, but there will be some pressure to get as close as possible to defend the title and the Ranking Points. That may not be a big issue for older players, but Mirra Andreeva is still developing and will not want to slip out of the top eight of the World Rankings ahead of the Grand Slams to be played.

The lack of competitive tennis this week may be a potential problem, but Andreeva should be happy enough with the conditions having had so much success at the tournament already.

There has been a lot to like about the level being produced early in 2026 and Mirra Andreeva has a 20-6 record on the hard courts when facing players Ranked outside of the top 20 over the last twelve months. She has won over 49% of the return points played in those matches and the World Number 7 will certainly feel she can put this opponent under some extreme pressure.

Jaqueline Cristian won the first set of her Second Round match without dropping a game before her opponent decided to call it a day.

That means the World Number 39 has played three completed sets in Dubai on her way to the Third Round and Cristian has only dropped two games. However, both of those matches have been against opponents Ranked Number 69 or lower and this is a considerable step upwards for a player who had a 5-5 record on the hard courts before the tournament in Dubai begun.

The year started with a run to the Quarter Final in Adelaide, but it has been tough for Jaqueline Cristian since then with early losses becoming the norm before this event.

Over the last twelve months Jaqueline Cristian has played well on the hard courts, but she is just 1-8 when facing top 20 Ranked players on the surface. In those matches, Cristian has been put under significant pressure when serving, and she has struggled to really make a big impact on the return, which is going to be something that Mirra Andreeva looks to exploit in this Third Round match.

It should be noted that in those eight losses against top 20 Ranked opponents, Jaqueline Cristian would have won enough games to stay within this spread four times.

However that also means she has failed to cover in the other half of those defeats and Mirra Andreeva has covered this spread in seventeen of the twenty hard courts wins produced against players Ranked outside the top 20.

Coco Gauff - 3.5 games v Elise Mertens: A really disappointing performance in the Australian Open Quarter Final loss to Elina Svitolina saw Coco Gauff's anger on display when cameras caught her backstage smashing her racquet. She stated in her press conference that she did not want her frustration to be shown to those who look up to her and that was the reason she waited until she had left the court, while other players have not been happy with what they feel was too much intrusion at that opening Grand Slam.

An early defeat in Doha has just kept Coco Gauff out of the headlines, but she showed some character to come through some sticky moments in beating Anna Kalinskaya in the Second Round here.

Despite her own early exit in Doha, Coco Gauff was restored to the American Number 1 spot on the WTA Tour and she will certainly be looking to build on the solid win over Kalinskaya.

Next up is a match against a reinvigorated Elise Mertens who has won all four sets in Dubai by the same 6-2 scoreline as she has cruised through the draw.

Three wins at the United Cup and a run to the Fourth Round at the Australian Open have given the Belgian some real confidence and there is no denying that the overall numbers have been impressive.

It is the first serve in particular that has been a big weapon for Elise Mertens and she will need plenty of those to try and keep the American opponent under some pressure.

Elise Mertens has also won a couple of matches against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts this season, which is a big improvement on the 0-5 record against those players in 2025. The second serve has been a weakness in those matches, although Mertens may have more success against the Coco Gauff serve than she has had in the main against those higher Ranked players.

Double Faults have been the big problem for Coco Gauff for some time and that was the case in the Second Round win.

She cannot afford to give away too many points to Elise Mertens, but Coco Gauff will take confidence from the perfect 4-0 record that she has against the World Number 22 on the Tour.

Two of those wins have been on the hard courts, although Coco Gauff and Elise Mertens have not met for a couple of years and that may help the underdog from a mental point of view.

Even with that in mind, Coco Gauff may still find herself coming out on top at key moments and she can do enough to get through to the Quarter Final with a cover of the handicap set for the match.

MY PICKS: Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 1.61 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Coco Gauff - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alejandro Tabilo - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-6, - 2.49 Units (10 Units Staked, - 24.90% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Monday 16th February)

That was not the start to the new week that I would have wanted, but it is frustrating that it was a point or two that saw both Picks slip into the losing side of the ledger.

Linda Noskova and Liudmila Samsonova both had opportunities to break serve which would have put them in command of the opportunity to cover the spread.

Instead those Break Points were won by the opponents and that leaves work to do in order to get this week back on track.

On Monday the rest of the First Round at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai will be completed and there are a couple of Second Round matches also scheduled.

The ATP 500 events in Doha and Rio will also get into main draw action, as will the 250 tournament being played on the hard courts of Delray Beach. Selections from the two tournaments played on the North and South American continents will be added to the threads on most days over the coming week and that is simply because those markets will come out much later than for the two events being played in the Middle East.

Ultimately it is all about getting back on track and trying to put the best week together since the end of the Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic - 4.5 games v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro: After stating her excitement about being back in Abu Dhabi where she had won titles in the previous two appearances, Belinda Bencic would have been extremely disappointed to have had to withdrawn before her first match with an illness. She did not take part in Doha last week either, which has meant slipping back outside the top ten in the World Rankings, but Belinda Bencic has begun 2026 in solid form and will be looking to pick up some important Ranking Points this week in Dubai.

This has not been a tournament in which Belinda Bencic has had nearly as much success as Abu Dhabi, but that does mean she has little in terms of Ranking Points to defend. In 2025 she was beaten in the Second Round and Belinda Bencic will certainly be targeting a longer stay before heading over to the United States to take part at Indian Wells and Miami.

A Second Round defeat in Melbourne would have hurt, but Belinda Bencic had a really strong run at the United Cup and she will know she should have won that match at the Australian Open.

Every player on the Tour will feel there is room for improvement and Belinda Bencic may want to protect the second serve a little more efficiently, but the overall performances on the hard courts over the last twelve months makes her a contender to win titles on the surface.

As much as you have to respect Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for working her way into the top 50 of the World Rankings, it cannot be ignored that she has had a difficult start to 2026.

The 23 year old has lost three of the four matches played since the beginning of the new season, while Bouzas Maneiro also finished with a losing record on the hard courts last year.

It would be something that could be excused if Jessica Bouzas Maneiro had been given some really tough draws, but she crushed Coco Gauff at the United Cup and has since lost to the then World Number 66 and World Number 367. The manner of those defeats would be a real concern, while Bouzas Maneiro was beaten by Anna Kalinskaya in very routine fashion last week in Doha.

As long as Belinda Bencic is still not feeling a lingering effects from the illness that forced her out of Abu Dhabi, the Swiss player should have too much on this surface and she can win with a break or two more in each set.

Emma Navarro - 2.5 games v Elena-Gabriela Ruse: You are never going to get over a difficult period where you have lost form and confidence very easily, but Emma Navarro did put at least one win on the board in Doha last week. That was not something she could extend to consecutive matches for the first time since Adelaide, but the American has an opportunity to at least the Second Round here in Dubai.

She will be opening up against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who was beaten very comfortably in Cluj in front of the home fans.

The World Number 72 came through Qualifying wins in Brisbane and Adelaide, but was not able to win main draw matches, before Elena-Gabriela Ruse reached the Third Round at the Australian Open. Winning two Qualifying matches here in Dubai has to have given Ruse a boost in confidence, while the familiarity with the conditions is a factor that goes in her favour too.

Like many on the Tour, Elena-Gabriela Ruse knows the importance of backing up the first serve on the faster surfaces and that has led to a winning record on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

However, the numbers have taken a significant dip when only considering matches played against top 50 Ranked opponents on this surface in that time period. In those Elena-Gabriela Ruse has a 3-8 record, while she has not been able to serve nearly as effectively as she would like and that has placed additional pressure on the return game.

Of course she is facing an opponent who is not in confident mood and that will help, but Emma Navarro is still getting enough of her own serve to believe she will begin to turn things around.

Having little in terms of World Ranking Point to defend in the Middle East run is a help, but Navarro will also suggest she is still playing at a high enough level to beat this opponent in front of her.

Two previous matches, both on the hard courts, have gone in Emma Navarro's favour with the most recent being played around six months ago in Beijing.

It was far from a win as comfortable as the scoreboard may suggest with both players giving the other plenty to think about on the return of serve.

That is likely to be the case again on Monday in the First Round in Dubai, even in the quicker conditions we tend to see at this tournament.

Those conditions could help Emma Navarro a little more though and that is where the World Number 18 may find a way to battle past the opponent and the line set for this match.

Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 games v Jelena Ostapenko: A spread like this one does look a little disrespectful to a former Grand Slam Winner in Jelena Ostapenko, but these days her most consistent tennis tends to be played on a Doubles court.

With that being said, respect has to be given to the World Number 24 for reaching the Doha Semi Final at a WTA 1000 event.

The run was unexpected considering Jelena Ostapenko had been 2-4 on the hard courts in 2026, but she took advantage of a number of upsets around her in Doha. While beating one top 20 Ranked opponent, the other three wins in the tournament were against players Ranked Number 57 or lower and Jelena Ostapenko found herself well beaten by Victoria Mboko in the Semi Final.

Over the last two and a bit years on the hard courts, Jelena Ostapenko's numbers have been declining and she finished with an 8-14 record on the surface last year.

Reaching the Semi Final in Doha will help the confidence, but Ostapenko played a lot of tennis at that tournament having also reached the Doubles Final. The Latvian, and her partner, blew a massive lead in that Final before being beaten and this is a match up that has given Jelena Ostapenko problems in the past.

Anna Kalinskaya has made a much stronger start to 2026, although she was beaten in the Quarter Final in Doha to eventual Champion Karolina Muchova.

All four of the defeats suffered in 2026 have been against top 20 Ranked opponents, which also deserves a lot of respect, and the Anna Kalinskaya numbers being put together on the hard courts have been much better than those produced by Jelena Ostapenko.

The World Number 28 will certainly feel she can be more effective behind the second serve compared with Jelena Ostapenko, while the latter is much more likely to throw in too many Unforced Errors.

In the three previous matches on the Tour, Anna Kalinskaya has not only won all three, but she has not dropped a set and the service numbers have been much stronger on her side of the net.

Having had a little more time to prepare for this tournament in Doha, most factors seem to be in favour of the lower Ranked player and Anna Kalinskaya can lay the foundation for another strong Middle East run by producing a strong win in this First Round match in Dubai.

MY PICKS: Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Emma Navarro - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Anna Kalinskaya - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Daniil Medvedev - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)