With the finals on Saturday, there is no time to waste as the business end of the Dubai ATP 500 approaches. Thursday’s quarterfinal lineup includes Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Jiri Lehecka and Daniil Medvedev vs. Jenson Brooksby.
(1) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (8) Jiri Lehecka
Auger-Aliassime and Lehecka will face each other for the fourth time in their careers when they fight for a place in the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Auger-Aliassime, although one of her victories came via retirement in the middle of the first set. Lehecka won the fourth set at the 2023 Australian Open before Auger-Aliassime won 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-2 in last year’s Brussels final.
As those results show, the hard outdoor court gives Lehecka a better chance in this comparison than the indoor setting. Auger-Aliassime has played well in the Middle East in the past, but the eighth-ranked Canadian is not playing. big here on the face as if you are inside. This is Lehecka’s second consecutive quarterfinal result after reaching this far in Doha and it would be no surprise if the 24th-ranked Czech advances to Dubai.
Pick: Lehecka in 3
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. Jenson Brooksby
As we saw in the losses to Tien Tien (Australian Open), Ugo Humbert (Rotterdam), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Doha), Medvedev still hasn’t got it all together. But you are close. The 11th-ranked Russian is 11-3 this season with titles in Brisbane and Dubai wins over Jerry Shang and Stan Wawrinka – both in straight sets.
Next up for Medvedev on Thursday is a second meeting with Brooksby, who lost their first match 7-5, 6-1 at the 2022 Miami Masters. This is not a good matchup for the 49th-ranked American. Medvedev can bring as much offense to the table as Brooksby does, and the former world No. 1 uses a much bigger serve and more firepower from the back of the court when he’s actually trying to come out with his groundstrokes. Brooksby has done well by beating Zizou Bergs and Karen Khachanov in the first two rounds, but this may mark the end of the road.
Pick: Medvedev at 2
