ATP Dubai Tennis Championships, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pablo Carreno Busta: Where to watch, TV schedule, live stream details and more

By Shruti Sinha

Modified Feb 25, 2020 06:51 GMT

Fresh from successfully defending the Marseille Open title on Sunday, World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to carry his sterling form into this week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that began on Monday. The Greek ace didn't drop a set all week in Marseille before defeating the talented World No. 18 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

The much-needed victory came after a month of struggles for the 21-year-old. Since winning his biggest career title at the ATP Finals in November, Tsitsipas hadn't been able to replicate those efforts in any tournament prior to the Marseille Open.

He suffered four losses in eight matches spread over three tournaments, with his biggest disappointment coming at the Australian Open. One year after reaching the semifinals, Tsitsipas could only manage to make it to the third round of the year's first Major.

But with four clinical straight-set wins under his belt, Tsitsipas should be riding high on confidence. He would now be eager to start his challenge at a tournament where he finished as the runner-up to Roger Federer last year.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - Day Fourteen

This time Tsitsipas has been seeded second at the ATP 500 tournament, the draw of which is headed by none other than World No. 1 and four-time champion Novak Djokovic. Tsitsipas would need to be at his flawless best if he wants to go one step further this time and lay his hands on the trophy.

First up for him is World No. 27 Pablo Carreno Busta. The Greek star has a 1-0 head-to-head record over Carreno Busta, having defeated the Spaniard on the claycourts of Barcelona two years ago.

Even though that should make Tsitsipas the favorite in this clash, it has to be noted that Carreno Busta did reach the semi-finals on the indoor hardcourts of Rotterdam earlier this month, where he produced three gritty wins in three sets. He has the tenacity and the stamina needed to grind it out, and Tsitsipas would have to avoid getting into too many long rallies if he hopes to come away with the win.