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)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 15th February)

It was an inconsistent week for the Tennis Picks, but avoiding a big losing one is always important.

Karolina Muchova would have enjoyed the week much more than most as she picked up the WTA 1000 title in Doha and she will be looking to complete the Middle East double with the Dubai event beginning on Sunday.

There have been a couple of high-profile withdrawals from the next tournaments taking place, but in the main this looks like one where the top names are ready for one more big effort before resting and preparing for the Sunshine Double in the United States next month.

Sunday is usually a quieter day for the Tennis Picks with most tournaments concluding on the day, but that is not the case then the Middle East swing is in operation with Finals scheduled for Saturday.

This week we also have some big ATP 500 events taking place and so it could be one of the busier weeks for the Tennis Picks if matches fit the criteria being used for selections. 

Linda Noskova - 3.5 games v Ann Li: The swing through the Middle East takes in two WTA 1000 events and the second of those begins on Sunday in Dubai.

There are a few Byes littered through the draw, but World Number 12 Linda Noskova will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing run in Doha. She is Seeded low enough to have to begin in the First Round in Dubai, while the 21 year old will be looking to put together some momentum before the big Masters events in North America which are played through March to conclude the first half of the hard court season.

The faster surfaces have been more productive for Linda Noskova over the last twelve months and that will be a reason she will be a little disappointed with her early results.

Linda Noskova continues to serve with some authority, but she has been put under pressure to make sure enough first serves are put into play. That is partly down to the relatively weak returning numbers and that is going to be tested on what have normally been pretty quick hard courts.

Of course that will allow Noskova to get a little more out of the first serve, but her opponent, Ann Li, is going to be very confident of using the conditions to her own advantage.

Her own first serve has proved to be a strong weapon on the hard courts, but Ann Li is perhaps not averaging as many first serves landing as she would like. This has put plenty of pressure on her own second serve and return game and Ann Li has found herself coming up a little short at key moments.

She played well in Doha, which will also give her some confidence, but Ann Li was beaten in a match she would have been favoured to win.

Both players will be looking to contain the threat of the other with the serve, but it does look like Linda Noskova deserves to be given favouritism.

The loss in Doha will have been a blow, but Linda Noskova has been very solid when facing opponents Ranked outside the top 20 on the hard courts over the last twelve months. The numbers back that up, while Ann Li has struggled to impose her tennis on top 20 Ranked opponents on this surface throughout her career and that may be the case in this First Round match in the latest WTA 1000 tournament.

Liudmila Samsonova - 2.5 games v Leylah Fernandez: Both of these players are Ranked inside the top 30, but neither can really point to much positive form to open the 2026 season.

Out of the two, Liudmila Samsonova has reached a couple of Quarter Finals, including in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, but she did suffer an opening Round defeat in Doha.

That is still considerably stronger form than Leylah Fernandez who has lost five of the six hard court matches played this season and all of those losses have been in matches in which she entered as the higher Ranked player. The Canadian is a former US Open Finalist, but Fernandez has struggled to put the consistency together and she has a record that is only just over 0.500 over the last twelve months to underline the statement.

A real concern for Fernandez is that she has struggled to be competitive- her sole win in 2026 has been against the World Number 220, and all of her defeats have been in straight sets.

The serve has been vulnerable, but it is the return game which has really been troubling Leylah Fernandez and she may struggle to get a lot of joy out of the Samsonova serve.

In the three previous matches against one another, it is Liudmila Samsonova who has won twice, but the numbers have suggested she has been the better player each time. The two hard court matches have been split with a win apiece, but the edge has to be with Samsonova against an out of sorts Leylah Fernandez.

MY PICKS: Linda Noskova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Liudmila Samsonova - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 47-35, + 13.16 Units (148 Units Staked, + 8.89% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 13th February)

The business end of the current tournaments has come around with the Quarter Final matches scheduled at the three ATP events, while the WTA Doha event has reached the Semi Final.

It has been an inconsistent week for the Tennis Picks, but there is still an opportunity to finish with some strong form and to add some positive numbers to the season total.

Any selections from the tournaments in Dallas and Buenos Aires will be added to this thread once assessed after the markets have been fully formed.

Karolina Muchova - 3.5 games v Maria Sakkari: After dropping the first set in her Quarter Final match against Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari was a significant underdog to progress.

Not only is the 30 year old dropping down the World Rankings, but Swiatek had not been beaten in her previous 109 WTA 1000 level matches after taking the opening set.

The World Number 52 has had to spend two and a half hours on the court in the Quarter Final, but that victory will be pushing Maria Sakkari back up towards the top 30 in the World Rankings. She will have taken a lot of confidence from the win over the top Seed in Doha and Maria Sakkari has put together four good wins in the tournament to move into the Semi Final.

After a decline in 2025, Sakkari will be feeling much better about her level of performance in the early events in 2026 and she will certainly feel she has the tennis to give Karolina Muchova plenty to think about.

One mid-match withdrawal aside, Karolina Muchova has eased through the draw and her win over Anna Kalinskaya in the Quarter Final continues her fine form.

She has faced a much more manageable part of the draw compared with Maria Sakkari who has two top ten wins on the board.

However, Karolina Muchova has been playing at a higher level on the hard courts over the last twelve months and she has been winning a lot of tennis matches on the surface since the beginning of January.

With the upsets that have taken place in the tournament, Karolina Muchova will feel there is a big opportunity for her to win the title here, while that may be good enough to earn her a return to the top ten herself.

Both players have been backing up the serve very effectively here in Doha, but it is Karolina Muchova who has been getting slightly more out of that shot. It is the World Number 19 who has also been the slightly more effective return player and that could show up in this latest meeting between the two veterans of the Tour.

They have not faced one another since August 2023 when Karolina Muchova beat Maria Sakkari on the hard courts of Cincinnati, but it was a match that went the distance. Back then Maria Sakkari was the higher Ranked player and it may be tough for her to bridge the gap, especially having put in so much physical and mental effort to win the Quarter Final on Thursday.

MY PICKS: Karolina Muchova - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Alex De Minaur - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 8-7, + 0.23 Units (15 Units Staked, + 1.53% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 12th February)

The tournaments continue at a pace this week and we are into the Quarter Final Round at the WTA 1000 event being played in Doha.

Some of the players will have already made the short journey across to Dubai for the next 1000 event that begins on Sunday, while the ATP Tour continues with the stops made in Buenos Aires, Dallas and Rotterdam.

Wednesday proved to be an incredibly mixed day for the Tennis Picks, but Thursday is a new day and selections will be added to this thread.

Elena Rybakina - 4.5 games v Victoria Mboko: After coming through a match in which she had to Break serve to avoid losing, Victoria Mboko may feel she is playing with house money.

Beating Elena Rybakina in a big event is something that Victoria Mboko has already achieved in her young career when coming from behind to earn a Semi Final victory over this opponent in the Montreal Semi Final last year. That was also in a WTA 1000 event, but Victoria Mboko was beaten either side of that win in Washington and Tokyo and she has been second best in all three matches.

The youngster is plenty talented and Victoria Mboko continues to get on the front foot when the first serve lands, which has led to plenty of points won.

However, this is a player who has seen her numbers decline in each of the last three wins in Doha and Mboko has just had one or two issues dealing with the return of serve without having played someone like the Australian Open Champion.

Elena Rybakina also needed three sets to win her match to reach the Quarter Final, but she has played one fewer match in Doha compared with Victoria Mboko and there is a real confidence around this player.

The World Number 3 has kept the pressure on opponents with her very strong serving performances over the last several months. That is going to be important for Elena Rybakina again and she has had a considerable edge in the three previous matches against Victoria Mboko with all taking place on the hard courts.

This is a big spread when you think of some of the inconsistency that Elena Rybakina has put on the board when it comes to the return of serve, but she will have the edge if she sees enough second serves in this match and that can see her find a way to edge past this number set.

Karolina Muchova - 3.5 games v Anna Kalinskaya: A retirement helped Karolina Muchova past another compatriot, but she continues to put together some very solid tennis that has put her on course to just take a leap in the World Rankings and potentially win a big title.

The WTA 1000 events are as big as it gets below the Grand Slam level and Karolina Muchova would end the tournament in Doha back inside the top ten of the World Rankings if she can go on and win the title here.

That is not going to be easy and this Quarter Final could prove to be awkward.

Anna Kalinskaya had to play later than imagined on Wednesday, but she will have taken a lot of confidence from earning a win over Elina Svitolina as she prepares to face another opponent with a winning record against her.

Another couple of wins could see Anna Kalinskaya move back inside the top 20 of the World Rankings and there has been a real confidence around her performances this week. Twelve months ago, Kalinskaya was beaten early in Doha and Dubai, but the Middle East swing has been much more positive in her three wins in 2026.

There is a nice balance to the Anna Kalinskaya game, which makes her dangerous on both sides of the net, but this is another tough match to overcome.

Karolina Muchova has been very good behind the serve and the all court abilities continue to pose a threat towards opponents who have simply not been used to playing someone with this kind of skillset very often.

Both players are going to be leaning on some strong serving to put themselves in a positive position within the match, while Anna Kalinskaya may feel she has the superiority when it comes to the return.

The numbers are actually really competitive, but it is Karolina Muchova who has been able to impose her will on the Anna Kalinskaya in previous matches against one another. That may give her the slight mental edge, while Muchova may be the player who earns a few more easier points over the course of the Quarter Final, which can just see her come through some pressurised moments within sets.

This may ultimately show up on the scoreboard and Karolina Muchova can move into another Semi Final with a cover of the spread set for this battle.

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

Karolina Muchova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Denis Shapovalov - 2.5 Games @ 1.70 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 6-6, - 0.38 Units (12 Units Staked, - 3.17% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 10th February)

In the Monday Tennis Picks, I mentioned that this is a really busy week of tennis with some big events to be played, but finding selections on Tuesday have proven to be a little more difficult than anticipated.

There are plenty of matches scheduled, but the stricter approach taken that has led to a solid return in 2025 and a positive start to 2026 has to be applied.

With all of that said, there are two Picks from the matches to be played at the WTA 1000 event in Doha as the Second Round is completed.

The Monday selections are yet to be completed at the time of writing, but the numbers to start the week will be updated and placed in this thread on Tuesday morning.

Linda Noskova - 4.5 games v Varvara Gracheva: One of the more surprising names in the top 20 of the World Rankings on the WTA Tour is Linda Noskova, but the 21 year old is improving as a player. She did reach the Quarter Final at the Australian Open in 2024 and the Fourth Round at Wimbledon last year, but the majority of her better work has been done below the Grand Slam level and that does mean there are some big Ranking points to be earned with strong efforts at the Majors.

That did not go to plan in Melbourne last month when Linda Noskova was beaten in the Third Round, although she did make some use of the her Seeding for a third Slam in a row.

Strong runs in Asian events after the US Open helped the young player improve her World Ranking and Linda Noskova arrived in Doha twelve months after entering the tournament as the World Number 33.

A convincing First Round win will have given Linda Noskova some confidence and her numbers are solid on the hard courts, even if they are far from spectacular. Importantly Noskova has tended to beat those players she should and has won thirteen of the sixteen matches played against those Ranked outside the top 50 on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

The first serve has been a big weapon for Linda Noskova in the majority of her hard court matches, as it was in the First Round win over Maya Joint, and she will need to use that shot to keep Varvara Gracheva at bay.

Early losses to Elina Svitolina and Elena Rybakina have made it a slow start to the season for the World Number 73, but she has come through two Qualifying matches and beaten Laura Siegemund in the First Round here in Doha. The performance level in the three wins here have been impressive, but Varvara Gracheva would be the first to admit that this is a different kind of test and the fact is that she has struggled to compete with the top players on this surface.

A losing record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts is one thing, but the numbers have taken a serious dent when Varvara Gracheva has had to face a top 20 Ranked opponent over the last twelve months. The serve becomes a vulnerability, while the 25 year old has really struggled to make enough impact on the return to put any significant scoreboard pressure on those opponents.

This has ultimately made it very difficult to remain competitive and the biggest shots in this match up should be from the Linda Noskova side of the court.

The spread is set in a slightly awkward line for someone with Noskova's inexperience to cover- in the last twelve months, Linda Noskova has had twelve hard court wins against players Ranked outside of the top 50 which have been in completed matches (one a mid-match retirement win) and she would have covered this line seven times.

There are times when a loss of concentration can see Noskova throw away games or sets, but the key here is serving well enough to just get through a couple of sticky moments. If she can get enough first serves in play, Linda Noskova should be able to keep Varvara Gracheva under the cosh and she has shown she can return well enough against those lower down the World Rankings to really get after the serve she will face in the Second Round.

Karolina Muchova - 3.5 games v Tereza Valentova: There is always some kind of pecking order in tennis and two players from the same nation will be well aware of where they stand in that order.

18 year old Tereza Valentova is making her way into the WTA Tour and she has entered the top 50 of the World Rankings, while she reached the Third Round at the Australian Open last month before losing to eventual Champion Elena Rybakina.

This is still the early stages of her career and that has meant Tereza Valentova has had to win a couple of Qualifiers to earn her spot in the main draw in Doha. However, all credit has to be given to the teenager for winning those two matches before crushing her way past Alexandra Eala in the First Round.

Being comfortable in the conditions will give Valentova an edge, but she is facing a well known figure in Czechia tennis circles and a current top 20 Ranked player.

Karolina Muchova has a win over Elena Rybakina under her belt, but that was in Brisbane rather than Melbourne, while the only two losses suffered on the hard courts in 2026 have been against Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. The World Number 19 was a comfortable First Round winner here in Doha and Karolina Muchova has long been a consistent force on this surface, as well as having all court skills that makes her a tough out on the clay and grass courts too.

The serve is an important weapon for Karolina Muchova, while she is someone who can get up to the net and show off some of her volleying skills.

The real test here is whether Tereza Valentova can produce the level needed to take on one of the better players on the Tour and someone she would likely have followed as she was getting closer and closer to turning professional.

Tereza Valentova has played three hard court matches against top 20 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months and all have ended in relatively comfortable defeats. Two of those losses have been against Elena Rybakina, while the other has been against Madison Keys, but Valentova has a dangerous first serve and it will be important for her to get plenty of those into play to try and put some pressure on Karolina Muchova.

Another test will be getting a bit more out of the return of serve, but the youngster is still learning and this could be another somewhat painful lesson.

MY PICKS: Linda Noskova - 4.5 Games @ 2.05 William Hill (1 Unit)

Karolina Muchova - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 4-2, + 1.86 Units (6 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 5th February)

It has been a tough week and another match that saw the fine margins seemingly working against the selections will sting.

The tournaments are into the Quarter Final stage for the most part ahead of a set of events that will have some of the biggest names on the Tour involved.

That means this is not the time to press and on Thursday there will only be the one selection from the Quarter Final matches to be played in Abu Dhabi- another setback may mean calling time on this week and going again in a few days time.

Clara Tauson v McCartney Kessler: The Quarter Final Round at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi that begins the Middle East swing looks wide open after Belinda Bencic was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

An illness means the defending Champion remains unbeaten in Abu Dhabi, but she cannot retain her World Ranking points, while also opening the door for the remaining eight players in the tournament.

Both Clara Tauson and McCartney Kessler have to sense an opportunity to pick up a title and some vital Ranking points- both are currently inside the top 32 of the World Rankings, which means direct entry into some of the biggest tournaments as well as being Seeded when it comes to Grand Slam tournaments. It cannot be underestimated the importance of those Seeding places early in those Slam events and both would appreciate maintaining those spots after failing to reach the second week at the Australian Open.

Neither player has dropped a set in Abu Dhabi, although it is McCartney Kessler who has had to come through two matches to reach the Quarter Final. Both wins are going to give the American confidence and she will be looking to continue to serve well, especially on the second serve, to try and keep the pressure on all those who stand across the net.

This is also going to be a key part of Clara Tauson's game after a dominant opening win.

Her first serve has done more damage compared with McCartney Kessler's, but Tauson can sometimes be put under a bit more pressure when throwing in too many second serves.

However, that first serve has been a big enough weapon to put Clara Tauson to win a lot more matches than she loses and it is going to be the key to the outcome of this Quarter Final.

Neither player can really state they have been as effective on the return of serve as they would have wanted to be when it comes to play hard court tennis. That does put more pressure on the delivery to make sure the scoreboard does not get away from them, and it is Clara Tauson who has tended to have a slightly superior return game of the two players.

There is not going to be much in this match with both capable of taking the racquet out of the hands of the other behind a strong serve.

You just have to believe a bit more in the experience of Clara Tauson as long as she can get around 62% of her first serves in play- she was very good in the Second Round win, but an average of around 60% over the course of the last twelve months may still be good enough to edge past McCartney Kessler as the narrow favourite in this Quarter Final.

MY PICKS: Clara Tauson @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-4, - 4 Units (4 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 4th February)

In a long season, you cannot expect to have a winning day every day.

That is simply not a sustainable expectation, and there are going to be moments and periods of frustration.

Two of the three selections made on Tuesday were simply poor Picks and never looked like winning.

A third looked to be on course for a win, but Emma Navarro played some brutally poor tennis at the end of the deciding set that ultimately ripped that winner away from us- she had won the second set with a bagel and that meant just needing to get to four or more games in the final set to earn a victory for the selection, even if she would go on to lose the match.

At 3-3, Navarro moved into a 0-30 lead on the Hailey Baptiste serve and looked like she was ready to hit the four game mark, but it was right at that moment that she lost eight points in a row and was suddenly 5-3 behind.

Things like that will happen in a sport that is decided by the finest of fine margins, but that doesn't mean we have to like it and especially not on a day when it rounds out a poor performance.

Belinda Bencic - 3.5 games v Sonay Kartal: Playing in Abu Dhabi is clearly much to the liking of Belinda Bencic and she has won two of the last three tournaments played here. The defending Champion earned a Bye through the First Round as the top Seed in the tournament and Bencic is going to want a strong response to what was a disappointing Second Round exit at the Australian Open.

Opening up against a Qualifier can be challenging, even for the top players on the Tour and Sonay Kartal has won three matches at the tournament without dropping a set.

The British player reached the Semi Final in Auckland and pushed Elina Svitolina all the way to a final set Tie-Breaker, which is a big achievement considering how well Svitolina played in Melbourne. An early loss in the Australian Open would have been a blow, but Sonay Kartal has had a decent twelve months on the hard courts and that will give her some real confidence and belief.

A lot of credit has to be given to the World Number 61 for having a 3-3 record when facing top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts over the last twelve months. Sonay Kartal also has a pretty solid 9-8 record in that time when facing players that come into the match Ranked higher than herself and this is a player that has shown that she can keep the pressure ramped up through strong serving.

With that said, Sonay Kartal will not be intimidated about facing this opponent.

However, it is going to be a significant challenge to beat Belinda Bencic who has won nine matches in a row in Abu Dhabi and who has dropped just four sets in the tournament. The loss in Melbourne would have stung as Belinda Bencic will feel she was the better player in the Second Round, while the World Number 9 has a 21-4 record when facing opponents Ranked outside of the top 20 on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

Belinda Bencic did arrive at the tournament in much stronger form in 2025 having reached the Australian Open Fourth Round, but she did produce plenty of wins last month.

There will be some moments where Belinda Bencic will be challenged by Sonay Kartal and she will need a bit of time to become accustomed with the ball coming back over the net in this first meeting between the players.

At the end of the day, the conditions here have been ideal for Belinda Bencic and the defending Champion can protect her unbeaten record from the last two appearances in Abu Dhabi by winning and doing so in a manner capable of covering this spread.

Alexandra Eala - 1.5 games v Aliaksandra Sasnovich: It is always going to be difficult for a former top 30 player to have to go through Qualifying to enter main draws at events they would usually have taken in without the need for the extra, pressurised matches.

That has been the case for 31 year old Aliaksandra Sasnovich who has slipped out of the top 100 of the World Rankings and been struggling to turn things around.

She has Qualified in Brisbane and Melbourne, but that has been about as far as the run has gone, while Aliaksandra Sasnovich will enter the main draw in Abu Dhabi as a Lucky Loser.

Playing with house money can make any player dangerous, but it has been a tough year on the hard courts for Sasnovich when playing some of the better players on the Tour.

In this one the World Number 109 is also going to have to deal with a fiery crowd as the fans have lined up to support Alexandra Eala, although the experience edge is firmly with the underdog.

Over the last several months, Alexandra Eala has really made a strong move in the World Rankings, but the 20 year old is still vulnerable to an upset and has a 23-14 record against players Ranked outside of the top 50. The numbers are solid when only focusing on matches that are played against opponents lower in the World Rankings, but even then Eala is just 21-13.

As the experience grows, you would expect Alexandra Eala to be able to produce a much stronger record which would be more reflective of the numbers being put together.

For now it makes it a little tougher to believe in her, but Aliaksandra Sasnovich has been struggling at this kind of level and she could come up short again.

MY PICKS: Belinda Bencic - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Alexandra Eala - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Tennis Picks 2026 (Tuesday 3rd February)

The start of the men's Final at the Australian Open would have certainly gotten fans to sit up and take notice and just for a brief moment it felt like Novak Djokovic was going to be on his way to creating history by winning a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

Credit has to be given to Carlos Alcaraz for not panicking after seeing almost everything go wrong in the first set and he very quickly took control of the Final.

This time even the multiple Break Points saved by Novak Djokovic were not enough to fend off the pressure created by the World Number 1.

On the day I did write on 'X' that the 4-4 game where Novak Djokovic had a Break Point in the fourth set could have perhaps been the key point and the former World Number 1 mentioned the same moment in the post-match presser. After saving a bunch of Break Points, Djokovic finally found a chance on the Alcaraz serve and breaking there may just have changed the momentum that had built up within the match.

Unlike Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz fought off that pressurised moment and eventually found another chance within the set to avoid having to dig in further.

With seven Grand Slam titles secured, Carlos Alcaraz is going to threaten the numbers that the Big Three created, although there are always going to be new faces ready to enter the Tour and create their own pathway on the Tour.

Right now it feels like the era of the 'Big Two', and Carlos Alcaraz looks to have moved a step ahead of Jannik Sinner- his record in his Grand Slam Finals is incredibly impressive already and the Spaniard is likely going to be set as the favourite at the next two Slams and possibly in New York City too.

We should see some of those big names back in action sooner than later with the Tour moving onto the big Middle East events this month and also having the first of the ATP 500 events being played.

The WTA Tour goes a step further with those same events in the Middle East down as 1000 events and with some of the top names on the entry lists at the time of writing.

Australian Open Champion Elena Rybakina had been on the list to play in Abu Dhabi this week, but it will surprise absolutely nobody that she has decided to skip the week after the brilliant tournament put together in Melbourne.

Four tournaments are being played this week, including the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi, but most of the biggest names are resting and recovering.

As the month progresses, more of those top players will be back in action ahead of the two Masters events coming up in March.

The Australian Open was a successful start to the year for the Tennis Picks, but it is a very long year and can only be considered a solid opening foundation laid.

Emma Navarro - 2.5 games v Hailey Baptiste: Two 24 year old American players meet in Abu Dhabi and neither made much of an impact at the Australian Open, which means there is some pressure to perform during this Middle East swing.

The last several months have been disappointing for Emma Navarro who had entered the top ten in the World Rankings, but is no edging out of the top 20.

She was beaten very early in Melbourne, but Navarro has won all three previous Tour matches against Hailey Baptiste and the latter has not really competed with the top 50 on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

In that time Hailey Baptiste has a 3-7 record in those matches and two of those wins were in Miami.

At her best Baptiste can be dangerous with a powerful game, but Emma Navarro has found a way to just neutralise her threat at key moments and that may be the same again in Abu Dhabi.

Anastasia Potapova - 5.5 games v Lucia Bronzetti: Reaching the Third Round at the Australian Open and given Aryna Sabalenka all she can handle will have given Anastasia Potapova a confidence boost.

However, she is the defending Champion in Cluj and that means there is some pressure to try and defend the World Ranking points with her live Ranking slipping back outside the top 80.

She can put everything into this week with the next tournament set to be Dubai when Anatasia Potapova is going to have to win some Qualifying matches to join the main draw. That is an additional pressure to deal with, but you have to expect Potapova to continue to get the better of this opponent.

All five previous meetings on the Tour have been won by Anastasia Potapova and that includes coming from a set down to beat Lucia Bronzetti in the Final here twelve months ago.

It has been a difficult few months for the Italian player who has dropped out of the top 100 of the World Rankings as the losses have piled up. Lucia Bronzetti was beaten in the final Round of Qualifying at the Australian Open and her serve is the more vulnerable of the two players in this First Round match in Cluj.

Asking Anastasia Potapova to cover this spread is never going to be straightforward, but she should have the Break Point opportunities to edge past the number.

Elena Gabriela Ruse - 4.5 games v Rebeka Masarova: The home favourite is playing an opponent who has failed to come through Qualifying at a couple of events Down Under and who is playing in the main draw for the first time this season.

Rebeka Masarova has dropped out of the top 100 of the World Rankings and she had a mixed year on the hard courts.

The first serve is more of a weapon than some may think, but there is a big drop off when the second serve is needed and Rebeka Masarova has struggled to get her teeth into return games. Last year she did upset Donna Vekic on the surface, but Elena Gabriela Ruse can use the home crowd to get on top of this match.

A strong run would see Elena Gabriela Ruse getting back up towards the top 50 in the World Rankings and this is another player who can get on top of points when the first serve is going in.

The higher Ranked player has had the stronger returning numbers over the last twelve months, while Elena Gabriela Ruse did beat Rebeka Masarova in the Semi Final here in Cluj three years ago.

On that day Elena Gabriela Ruse had the edge on the return of serve and although her overall record here is not the strongest, she was a Finalist in 2023 and the Romanian may have enough to get past this number set for the spread.

MY PICKS: Emma Navarro - 2.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Anastasia Potapova - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

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

Season 2026: 37-23, + 16.30 Units (126 Units Staked, + 12.94% Yield)