The packed line-up for the second round in Dubai is headlined by Daniil Medvedev vs. Stan Wawrinka. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will also appear in court on Wednesday.
(1) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (Q) Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Auger-Aliassime and Master Perricard will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers when they fight for a place in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Auger-Aliassime after he easily defeated Mpechi Perricard twice in 2025 – 6-2, 6-4 on the red clay of Hamburg and 6-4, 6-4 on the grass of Stuttgart.
Although the odds against Champion Perricard are not that rare given his strength, Auger-Aliassime should also have significant potential. The eighth-ranked Canadian is 10-3 this season with a title in Montpellier and a runner-up performance in Rotterdam. Her good form continued with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Zhizhen Zhang on Monday. Mpeshi Perricard’s recent struggle continued with a tough 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(4) loss to Tunisia’s Moez Echargui. Without the Frenchman’s best performance yet, this could be one-way traffic for Auger-Aliassime.
Select: Auger-Aliassime in 2
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. (WC) Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka’s final season on tour has gotten off to a decent start. This is the 40-year-old Swiss’ fourth tournament in 2026 and he is yet to lose a first-round match. Wawrinka’s 7-5, 6-3 loss to Benjamin Hassan on Monday was his sixth match win of the year and his most competitive loss against top-ranked opponents.
One such foe will be on the other side of the net in Dubai, where Medvedev takes a 3-2 record into Wednesday’s tournament. They have repeated just once since 2022, as 11th-ranked Russia won 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-1 last February in Rotterdam. While Medvedev is still kind of everywhere these days, the 10-3 record so far this season is reason to be encouraged. Putting a ton of balls back in play should be enough for the 3rd seed to have a noticeable edge over Wawrinka.
Pick: Medvedev at 2
