One of the most exciting rivalries in tennis will add another chapter when Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas play in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday afternoon.
The fireworks started in their first ever tournament at the 2018 Miami Masters, where a profanity-laced brawl broke out following Medvedev’s 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Fast forward eight years and they have now met 14 times, with the Russian leading the head-to-head series 10-4. He has won three in a row, after a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Even though the tension seems to have cooled a bit and the matchup is mostly one sided, this is still something to watch. And Tsitsipas certainly knows how to compete. The 33rd-ranked Greek has played well in the Middle East in the past (though he was much better in Dubai than Doha) and dropped wildcard Moez Echargui 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday while improving to 8-3 on the season.
Medvedev is 9-2 in 2026 with a title in Brisbane. The losses of Student Tien (Australian Open) and Ugo Humbert (Rotterdam first round) were a bit concerning, although there is no shame in facing Humbert on a strong indoor court. World No. 11 got back on track with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Jerry Shang on Monday.
As mentioned, Medvedev excels in this matchup – mainly because he can get a ton of balls and eventually break his opponent with backhand-to-backhand patterns. The former world No. 1 also loves the event, with an 8-1 career record with a title in 2023. Look for Medvedev to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Pick: Medvedev at 3
