Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered an early exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday, falling to Ugo Humbert in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament. The upset came as other top seeds advanced, including Daniil Medvedev, Félix Auger-Aliassime, and Andrey Rublev.
Medvedev, the 2023 Dubai champion, dispatched Juncheng Shang 6-1, 6-3 in just over an hour. The Russian converted 81% of his first serve points and did not face a break point, securing the victory with 20 winners, including 10 aces. Medvedev will next face Stan Wawrinka.
Pablo Carreno Busta scored an upset of his own, defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4. The Spaniard committed fewer unforced errors than his opponent, despite registering only six winners compared to Shapovalov’s 25. Carreno Busta will face either Arthur Fils or Jiri Lehecka in the next round.
Jenson Brooksby also advanced, overcoming Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4. Brooksby was efficient on serve, winning 85% of his first serve points, and forced numerous errors from Bergs, who committed 36 unforced errors to Brooksby’s 20. He will now play Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov himself had a more challenging path to victory, needing just over two hours to defeat Alexander Shevchenko 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3. Despite a dominant performance in the first set tiebreak, Khachanov had to rally after dropping the opener.
Arthur Rinderknech secured a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fabian Marozsan, breaking a five-match losing streak. Marozsan saved five match points although serving to stay in the match, but Rinderknech ultimately prevailed. He will face Jack Draper in the second round.
Alexander Bublik also advanced with a straightforward win, defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour. Bublik saved all break points he faced and converted his own opportunities, leveling his head-to-head record with Struff at 3-3.
Jakub Mensik continued his impressive form, defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6(7). Mensik, fresh off a win against Jannik Sinner in Doha, maintained a high level of play, hitting 24 winners to Hurkacz’s 26, while committing fewer unforced errors. He will face Alexander Popyrin next.
Andrey Rublev secured his place in the next round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Victor Royer. Rublev dominated Royer’s service games, breaking him multiple times throughout the match. He will next face Ugo Humbert, the player who eliminated the defending champion Tsitsipas.
