{"id":1784145,"date":"2026-02-21T11:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T08:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1784145"},"modified":"2026-02-21T11:30:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T08:30:39","slug":"atp-dubai-championships-draw-tsitsipas-gets-brutal-opener-as-draper-auger-aliassime-medvedev-learn-fate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1784145","title":{"rendered":"ATP Dubai Championships Draw: Tsitsipas gets brutal opener as Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev learn fate"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">ATP Dubai Championships Draw: Tsitsipas gets brutal opener as Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev learn fate<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"21 Feb 2026 11:30 AM\" data-ps-date=\"21 Feb 2026 11:30 AM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1771673439\"><br \/>\n                            21 Feb 2026 11:30 AM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/atp-dubai-championships-draw-draper-auger-aliassime-tsitsipas-medvedev\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a 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target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fatp-dubai-championships-draw-draper-auger-aliassime-tsitsipas-medvedev\" aria-label=\"Share to flipboard\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a class=\"!text-share-icon hover:!text-share-icon-active flex items-center justify-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" aria-label=\"Follow Tennis365 on Google Search\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"ATP Dubai Championships Draw: Tsitsipas gets brutal opener as Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev learn fate\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Felix-Auger-Aliassime-Stefanos-Tsitsipas-Jack-Draper-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jack Draper\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                ATP Tour stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jack Draper                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Daniil Medvedev, Jack Draper and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all star at the 2026 Dubai Championships, and the draw for the ATP event is out.<\/p>\n<p>The ATP 500 tournament in Dubai is staged on outdoor hard courts at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre.<\/p>\n<p>This will be the 34th edition of the men\u2019s event in Dubai, and main draw action will take place from 23 to 28 February, after the qualifying matches on 21-22 February.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/stefanos-tsitsipas\">Tsitsipas<\/a> is the reigning champion, with the Greek having beaten Auger-Aliassime in the 2025 championship match to secure his maiden title at the event.<\/p>\n<p>Jaume Munar is the only player who has withdrawn, and the Spaniard\u2019s place in the draw has been taken by Valentin Royer.<\/p>\n<p>The Dubai main draw features 32 players, with eight seeds, and it is played over five rounds with no byes.<\/p>\n<p>Seven top 20 players will compete, and the seeds are: Auger-Aliassime (1), Bublik (2), Medvedev (3), Draper (4), Andrey Rublev (5), Jakub Mensik (6), Karen Khachanov (7) and Jiri Lehecka (8).<\/p>\n<h2>Top half<\/h2>\n<p>World No 7 and top seed Auger-Aliassime will play Zhang Zhizhen in his first match, while he could face Moez Ecahrgui or a qualifier in the second round, before a potential quarter-final meeting with eighth seed Lehecka.<\/p>\n<p>Lehecka faces a tough draw, with Arthur Fils in the first round and either Tomas Machac or Denis Shapovalov in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>No 3 seed Daniil Medvedev will start his campaign against Shang Juncheng, while he could play either Stan Wawrinka or Benjamin Hassan \u2014 both wildcards \u2014 in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>Medvedev\u2019s projected quarter-final opponent is Khachanov, who will start against a qualifier before a possible second round meeting with Zizou Bergs or Jenson Brooksby.<\/p>\n<h2>ATP Tour News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/arthur-fils-atp-rankings-jump-qatar-open-final-carlos-alcaraz\"><strong>How has Arthur Fils\u2019 Qatar Open run affected his ATP ranking?<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/carlos-alcaraz-atp-time-rule-argument-umpire-qatar-open\"><strong>Carlos Alcaraz lambasts \u2018absurd\u2019 rule after umpire argument at Qatar Open<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Bottom half<\/h2>\n<p>Fifth seed Rublev is at the top of the bottom half, and he will play Valentin Royer in his first match.<\/p>\n<p>Tsitsipas will face fellow unseeded star Ugo Humbert in a brutal opening round draw, and the winner could play Rublev in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>The player who comes through this section is projected to meet No 4 seed Draper in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/jack-draper\">Draper<\/a>, who is playing his first tournament since the US Open in August, will face a qualifier in the first round, while Fabian Marozsan and Arthur Rinderknech are his possible second round opponents.<\/p>\n<p>In the bottom quarter, Mensik and Bublik are projected to face off in the quarter-final.<\/p>\n<p>Mensik will meet Hubert Hurkacz in a tough opening round match, while he could play Alexei Popyrin or Kamil Majchrzak in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>Bublik will begin his tournament against a qualifier, and he will play either Tallon Griekspoor or a qualifier if he reaches round two.<\/p>\n<h2>Projected Dubai quarter-finals<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Auger-Aliassime (1) vs Lehecka (8)<\/li>\n<li>Medvedev (3) vs Khachanov (7)<\/li>\n<li>Rublev (5) vs Draper (4)<\/li>\n<li>Mensik (6) vs Bublik (2)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/jannik-sinners-speaks-qatar-open-loss-jakub-mensik\">Everything Jannik Sinner said after surprise Qatar Open loss to Jakub Mensik<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ATP Dubai Championships Draw: Tsitsipas gets brutal opener as Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev learn fate Ewan West 21 Feb 2026 11:30 AM ATP Tour stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jack Draper Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Daniil Medvedev, Jack Draper and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all star at the 2026 Dubai Championships, and the draw for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1784145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1784145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784145\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1784145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1784145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1784145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}