Canadian top-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will begin his quest for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships glory against China's Zhizhen Zhang following Saturday's draw.
The 34th edition of the annual ATP event, which takes place from February 23 to 28, features eight of the world’s top-ranked male players, including five former winners.
With five former champions and three beaten finalists among the 32-man field, Saturday's draw for the ATP500 event served up several eye-catching matches.
Unseeded former champions Ugo Humbert and Stefanos Tsitsipas – Dubai winners in 2024 and 2025, respectively – will go head-to-head on Monday. Lebanon's Benjamin Hassan, the World No 287, will face Stan Wawrinka – champion in Dubai a decade ago – as the legendary Swiss embarks on his final ATP season.
“It’s a tough one; he’s a Grand Slam champion so I have nothing to lose,” said Hassan, who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the first Lebanese representative in men's singles tennis. Hassan also made his Grand Slam main draw debut at last year’s French Open, becoming the first Lebanese player to qualify for Roland Garros in the Open Era.
“I’m going to play freely,” added the 31-year-old. “He’s the older generation in his last season, but I know he can still play, and move, very well. On top of that, he has the experience and knows what he’s doing, so I’ll need to fight and find ways to keep up with him. The biggest thing is probably the motivational part, that I have fun playing him, that I want to win, give it my all, and fight until I die.”
Third-seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 winner, faces China’s Juncheng Shang; fifth seed and 2022 champion Andrey Rublev is up against France’s Valentin Royer; sixth seed and World No 16 Jakub Mensik was drawn against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz; eighth seed Jiri Lehecka meets France’s Arthur Fils; and Rinderknech takes on Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan will have to wait slightly longer to discover his opponent after drawing a qualifier. Britain’s Jack Draper, the fourth seed, and Karen Khachanov, the seventh seed, will also play qualifiers in round one.
Jessica Pegula crowned champion in Dubai - in pictures
-
Jessica Pegula after beating Elina Svitolina in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final on February 21, 2026. Getty Images -
Jessica Pegula of the US after her 6-2, 6-4 win over Elina Svitolina. Reuters -
Jessica Pegula with with the ball boys and girls after her win in Dubai. Reuters -
Jessica Pegula won her fourth WTA 1000 crown. Reuters -
Jessica Pegula celebrates after winning match point against Elina Svitolina. AFP -
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina was hoping to win her third Dubai crown. AFP -
Jessica Pegula secured her 10th career singles title. Reuters -
Elina Svitolina had come through three consecutive three-set matches to reach the final. Reuters -
Jessica Pegula has reached at least the semi-finals in each of her last seven tournaments. AFP
Following Saturday's draw, Ramesh Cidambi, managing director, Dubai Duty Free and chair of the Tournament Organising Committee, said: “After an amazingly successful WTA 1000 week where we saw a 44 per cent year-on-year increase at the Box Office, and 48% year-on-year jump in overall ticket sales, we look forward to carrying that momentum into ATP week.
“We’re thrilled that the response to our enhanced facilities – including the New Court 1 and expanded Fan Village – have been so universally positive. Best of luck to all the players this week.”
Salah Tahlak, deputy managing director, Dubai Duty Free, and tournament director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, announced the three wildcards during the draw, with Hassan and Wawrinka joined by Tunisia’s Moez Echargui, the World No 139. With Hassan and Echargui in the field, Tahlak said he hopes that the pair serve as “inspiration to kids across the Arab world.”
