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The Official Draw for the ATP500 event at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has set up a series of compelling first-round matches, including an early clash between two recent champions. Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, the World No.7, and second seed Alexander Bublik, the World No.10, sit in opposite halves of the draw as they look to go one better than their respective runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025.
The Official Draw for next week’s ATP500 tournament at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has confirmed the first-round line-up, with several high-profile matches already taking shape across the 32-man draw.
Five former champions and three beaten finalists feature in the field. Canadian top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year’s final, opens his campaign against China’s Zhizhen Zhang. Second seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan draws a qualifier in round one, as do fourth seed Jack Draper of Britain and seventh seed Karen Khachanov.
The draw’s most talked-about result was the confirmed meeting between unseeded former champions Ugo Humbert and Stefanos Tsitsipas, winners in Dubai in 2024 and 2025 respectively, who will meet on Monday. The announcement drew a clear reaction from the audience of tournament officials, partners, and global media. ATP players Benjamin Hassan and Arthur Rinderknech, who were present at the draw, responded with visible anticipation.
Hassan, who represents Lebanon and was born in Germany, is ranked World No.287. He draws Stan Wawrinka, the Dubai champion ten years ago, in round one as the Swiss veteran prepares for 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 singles tennis player to represent Lebanon. He also became the first Lebanese player to reach a Grand Slam main draw in the Open Era when he qualified for last year’s French Open.
“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.”
Other notable first-round matches include third seed Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 winner, against China’s Juncheng Shang; fifth seed and 2022 champion Andrey Rublev against France’s Valentin Royer; sixth seed Jakub Mensik, ranked World No.16, against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz; eighth seed Jiri Lehecka against France’s Arthur Fils; and Rinderknech, who reached his first ATP Masters final last season, against Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
ATP Supervisor Ahmed Abdel-Azim led the draw event, joined by Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chair of the Tournament Organising Committee; Salah Tahlak, Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director; His Excellency Saeed Almarri, Secretary General of the UAE Tennis and Padel Federation; Sinead El Sibai, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Dubai Duty Free; and the tournament’s silver dhow trophy.
“After an amazingly successful WTA1000 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,” said Cidambi. “This the longest sporting event in Dubai and 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.”
Tahlak confirmed the three wildcards during the draw: Hassan, Wawrinka, and Tunisia’s Moez Echargui, the World No.139. He expressed his hope that Hassan and Echargui would act as “inspiration to kids across the Arab world.”
Now in its 34th edition, the annual ATP event runs from 23rd to 28th February and features eight of the world’s top-ranked male players, including five former Dubai champions. Dubai Duty Free owns and organises the Championships, which takes place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting from Dh65. For full details, visit dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com or ticketmaster.ae.
