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The second day of the main draw action at the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday (February 28) will feature nine singles matches. Five seeds, two qualifiers, and three lucky losers will be in action.
On Monday, the likes of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Tallon Griekspoor, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Lorenzo Sonego booked their place in the second round of the ATP 500 event.
Without further ado, here's a look at how the nine singles matches on the second day of the Dubai Tennis Championships could pan out:
#1 Maxime Cressy vs Felix-Auger Aliassime
Maxime Cressy will take on fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener. The 36th-ranked Cressy is 7-5 in 2023, while World No. 9 Auger-Aliassime is 7-4.
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Cressy took the pair's lone meeting in the first round at 2022 Wimbledon and could win again.
Prediction: Cressy in three sets
#2 Daniil Medvedev vs Matteo Arnaldi
Third seed Daniil Medvedev will open his Dubai Tennis Championships campaign against lucky loser Matteo Arnaldi.
World No. 3 Medvedev (14-2) has been on a tear, riding a nine-match winning streak following titles at Rotterdam and Doha. Meanwhile, the 111th-ranked Arnaldi is making his season debut.
Expect the Russian to extend Arnaldi's losing streak on the ATP Tour to five matches in this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Medvedev in straight sets
#3 Novak Djokovic (five-time Dubai champion) vs Tomas Machac
Top seed Novak Djokovic will open his bid for a sixth Dubai title against qualifier Tomas Machak.
The World No. 1 is a perfect 12-0 on the season, winning titles at Adelaide 1 and the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, World No. 130 Machak is 1-3 in 2023. Djokovic is expected to take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets
#4 Alexander Shevchenko vs Hubert Hurkacz
Lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko, coming in for the injured Andy Murray, will take on fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
The 119th-ranked Shevchenko - making his season debut - is winless in three matches on the ATP Tour. Meanwhile, World No. 11 Hurkacz (10-4) is coming off a win in Marseille. Expect Hurkacz to win this one.
Prediction: Hurkacz in straight sets
#5 Karen Khachanov vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Sixth seed Karen Khachanov takes on Botic van de Zandschulp in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener.
World No. 14 Khachanov is 8-3 on the season, while the 33rd-ranked Zandschulp is 5-4. The Russian took their lone meeting in the Melbourne 1 quarterfinals two years ago and should prevail again.
Prediction: Khachanov in three sets
#6 Daniel Evans vs Borna Coric
Daniel Evans will open his Dubai Tennis Championships campaign against eighth seed Borna Coric.
The 28th-ranked Evans has won only three of his nine matches this season, while World No. 20 Coric is 5-3. Evans won the pair's lone meeting in the Melbourne 1 quarterfinals in 2021 but could fall short here.
Prediction: Coric in three sets
#7 Alexander Bublik vs Alexander Lazarov
Alexander Bublik will take on his namesake - qualifier Alexander Lazarov - in his first match of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 46th-ranked Bublik is 3-9 in 2023, with all three wins coming at Marseille last week. Meanwhile, World No. 301 Lazarov is 1-0 on the season. Expect Bublik to take the first-time battle of the two Alexanders.
Prediction: Bublik in straight sets
#8 Emil Ruusuvuori vs Christopher O'Connell
Emil Ruusuvuori will take on qualifier Christopher O'Connell. The 54th-ranked Ruusuvuori is 5-6 on the season, while World No. 92 O'Connell is 2-4.
Expect Ruusuvuori to take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Ruusuvuori in straight sets
#9 Francesco Passaro vs Mikael Ymer
Lucky loser Francesco Passaro will open his campaign against Mikael Ymer. World No. 110 Passaro is making his season debut, while the 59th-ranked Ymer is 5-6.
Expect the Swede to take this first-time matchup.
Prediction: Ymer in straight sets
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