The ATP Tour will be in the UAE this week for its second leg of the Middle East swing, with the Dubai Tennis Championships being held between February 26 to March 2.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will be in action for the first time since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner back in January.
Looking to dethrone the Russian will be countrymen Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov, fellow top-10 player Hubert Hurkacz and a host of in-form opponents led by Alexander Bublik.
With plenty of tennis action coming your way at the Dubai Tennis Championships, here’s everything you need to keep a tab on:
What is the Dubai Tennis Championships?
The Dubai Tennis Championships is an ATP 500 event organised by the Dubai Duty Free on outdoor hardcourts in the United Arab Emirates. First held in 1993, the event is part of both the men’s and women’s Tour.
With eight titles to his name, Roger Federer is the most successful player in the tournament’s history. Other men’s singles champions include Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev and Stan Wawrinka.
Venue
The tournament is organised on the outdoor harcourt of the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, UAE.
Players and Draw
Daniil Medvedev, the top seed and defending champ, will open his campaign with a first-round encounter against Alexander Shevchenko. His projected quarterfinal opponent is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Ugo Humbert and Hubert Hurkacz, meanwhile, find themselves on a collision course in the other quarter of the draw’s top half. The former could run into Andy Murray, who took a wildcard into the main draw, in the second round.
Anchoring the bottom half is last year’s beaten finalist Andrey Rublev, who takes on Zhang Zhizhen in his opener. Alexander Bublik, Karen Khachanov and Adrian Mannarino also crowd the bottom half.
Schedule
The main draw action will begin on Monday (February 26), while the ualification rounds will begin a couple of days prior. The championship round will be contested on Saturday (March 2), as will the doubles final.
Prize Money and Ranking Points
The total prize money for this year's Dubai Tennis Championships is $2,941,785. The winner will walk away with 500 ranking points and a prize money cheque of $550,140. Here's a breakdown of the ranking points and prize money:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, UK, and Canada can watch the Qatar Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be available on Tennis Channel.
UK: Viewers in the region can tune in to live action on Sky Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can catch all the action on TSN.