Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Determined Pursuit of Dubai Glory
Felix Auger-Aliassime is back at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a singular focus: to surpass last year’s impressive run. The top seed made a strong statement on Monday, launching his 2026 campaign with a confident victory over Zhang Zhizhen, 6-3, 7-6(4), despite a tense finish requiring six match points to seal the deal.
Currently ranked No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Auger-Aliassime is once again a frontrunner for the title at this ATP 500 event. Last year, he reached the Dubai final, ultimately falling to a brilliant performance by Stefanos Tsitsipas. He’s hoping to go one step further this time around.
A Battle of Nerves and Resilience
“I stopped counting at some point, it was getting too frustrating,” Auger-Aliassime admitted, reflecting on the numerous missed opportunities to close out the match. “Having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, but it’s weird how the mind plays a trick on you. How much further I am from losing than he is, he should be the one that’s tight. But I told myself ‘If there is a third set, I’ll be there’.”
Auger-Aliassime has been on a remarkable upward trajectory since retiring from his first-round match against Nuno Borges at the Australian Open in January. He’s rediscovered his peak form, winning nine of his last ten matches. This includes a trophy in Montpellier and a runner-up finish in Rotterdam, demonstrating his renewed competitive edge.
Dominating Performance and a Tough Road Ahead
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Auger-Aliassime showcased his defensive prowess, saving all four break points he faced against Zhang. Despite missing two match points on return at 5-4 and three at 6-5 in the second set, he maintained composure and delivered a clinical performance in the tie-break.
As the top seed in an event above ATP 250 level for the first time, Auger-Aliassime will next face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who ended a five-match tour-level losing streak earlier in the day. Perricard defeated Tunisian wild card Moez Echargui 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(4) to secure his first win since reaching the quarter-finals in Auckland in January.
Draper’s Triumphant Return and Wawrinka’s Continued Success
Elsewhere in Dubai, Jack Draper marked his return to ATP Tour action with a stylish victory over Quentin Halys, 7-6(8), 6-3. After being sidelined due to injury following the US Open in 2025, Draper’s comeback has been eagerly anticipated. He also secured a win at the Davis Cup earlier this month.
“It feels so good to be out here competing in front of people,” said Draper, the former World No. 4. “I had a tough opponent today. I think he was tricky. He served great. It could have been a little cleaner from my side, but I hadn’t played on the Tour for a long time. I’m really proud of the way I came out tonight and hopefully I can keep on going from strength to strength.”
2016 Dubai winner Stan Wawrinka also continued his impressive form, earning his sixth consecutive opening-round win by defeating Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3. The Swiss veteran, watched by Roger Federer, has now accumulated 10 tour-level wins since turning 40 – the most by any player in that age group in the Open Era. He will next face third seed Daniil Medvedev or Shang Juncheng.
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