Humbert Edges Tsitsipas in Tense Dubai Duel
Ugo Humbert turned back the clock on his Dubai legacy, outlasting Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-5 in a first-round battle of former champions that exposed the Greek’s fragile form while igniting the Frenchman’s season surge.
Under the warm glow of Dubai‘s evening lights, Ugo Humbert stepped onto the hard courts of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with the ghosts of past triumphs trailing him. The 2024 titlist, ranked No. 37 in the PIF ATP Rankings, faced Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose title defense carried the weight of a Doha resurgence. In this ATP 500 opener, Humbert’s tactical patience prevailed in an 86-minute grind, securing a 6-4, 7-5 victory through lone breaks in each set.
Both players arrived seeking to build on fond memories here, but Humbert’s heavy topspin forehands stretched Tsitsipas wide in crosscourt exchanges, forcing errors that the Greek couldn’t mask with his one–two serve pattern. Tsitsipas dropped just five points behind his first serve, yet Humbert’s deep returns neutralized those holds, turning deuce battles into pressure points. The Frenchman’s inside-out backhands began to land with bite, disrupting the rhythm Tsitsipas had carried from his quarter-final run in Doha, where he had toppled Daniil Medvedev.
“I think it was a big battle on serve,” said Humbert. “We served very well from the beginning to the end. I was a bit lucky. In the last game at 5-4, I did a double fault, but when I had opportunities, I took them. I’m happy about this first win, because Stef is a big player.”
Ugo gets the W
The Frenchman is victorious in the battle of former champions in Dubai@DDFTennis | #DDFTennispic.twitter.com/ISTE8eiysc— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 24, 2026
Serves hold firm amid rising tension
The match unfolded as a serve-dominated affair on Dubai’s fast hard courts, where Humbert’s flat serves down the T targeted Tsitsipas’s backhand, limiting his signature inside-in forehands. Tsitsipas’s fist pumps after aces echoed through the arena, but Humbert’s steady nods after net clears kept the crowd’s energy balanced. In the first set, Humbert’s break came via a sharp inside-in forehand that caught the Greek leaning, a moment that shifted momentum without fanfare.
Humbert’s mental edge shone in the second set, saving break points with low slices that jammed Tsitsipas’s topspin loop. The 27-year-old Frenchman varied his pace, mixing underspin second serves with aggressive approaches to keep the defender off-balance. These adjustments, honed through an uneven start to 2026, turned potential tiebreaks into decisive edges, as the humid air thickened with each prolonged rally.
Breaks reshape season narratives
Now 7-1 lifetime in Dubai, Humbert has already matched his 2025 total of four wins against Top 30 opponents this year alone, easing the early-season grind. His path forward leads to another former titlist, either Andrey Rublev or fellow Frenchman Valentin Royer, where his all-court versatility could extend this streak. At 27, this triumph blends tactical poise with quiet confidence, positioning him for a deeper run on a surface that rewards resilience.
Tsitsipas, a former World No. 3, faces a steeper climb; this loss drops him out of the Top 40 for the first time since May 2018, amplifying the urgency after Doha’s promise. His body language tightened after unforced errors on overhit inside-out attempts, revealing cracks in the title defense he captured in 2025. The psychological toll of these hard-court results lingers, prompting questions about his prep for the U.A.E. swing.
Draw pulses with champion echoes
Third seed Medvedev, the 2023 champion, dispatched Shang Juncheng 6-1, 6-3, blasting inside-out forehands to book a rematch with 2016 winner Stan Wawrinka. The Russian leads their head-to-head 3-2, including a 2025 Rotterdam win, setting up another duel of past glories. Wawrinka’s slice-heavy defense at 41 could test Medvedev’s power in the second round.
Second seed Alexander Bublik overcame Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 with quirky serve-volley tactics, next facing Tallon Griekspoor after the Dutchman’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over qualifier Otto Virtanen. Seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov rallied from a set down to beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, using crosscourt backhands to advance against Jenson Brooksby, who edged Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4. Arthur Rinderknech staged a comeback, topping Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to meet fourth seed Jack Draper.
Qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta dominated Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4, improving to 6-8 in their meetings with down-the-line passing shots, and awaits eighth-seeded Jiri Lehecka, who outlasted Luca Nardi 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 by ramping up his one–two pattern. These results thicken the draw with resurgence stories, where tactical tweaks like Bublik’s net rushes shape paths forward. As Humbert advances, Dubai’s hard courts promise more gritty battles, with his win a blueprint for exploiting pressure in the chase for momentum.
