The action at the ATP 500 in Doha continues on Monday, when Jannik Sinner begins his campaign for the title against Tomas Machac. Another interesting first round showdown features Daniil Medvedev and Jerry Shang.
Tomas Machac vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Sinner skipped Rotterdam this year, so he will be playing for the first time since the Australian Open when he takes the field at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Monday. It was a disappointing campaign Down Under for the two-time defending champion, who battled – without much trouble – into the semi-finals before losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
First up for Sinner in Doha is a third meeting with Machac, who lost the previous two matches – 6-4, 6-2 in the 2024 Miami Masters and 6-4, 7-5 in the 2024 Shanghai semi-finals. Machac can be very dangerous on any given day, but he has cooled off since winning the title in Adelaide to start the season. The 31st-ranked Czech fell to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round at Melbourne Park and retired from the opener in Montpellier with a knee injury. Even if Machac is 100 percent on this one, it should be one-way traffic for Sinner.
Choose: Sinner in 2
(4) Daniil Medvedev vs. (PR) Jerry Shang
Medvedev and Shang will be facing each other for the first time in their careers on Monday. Like Machac, Medvedev still has questions to answer despite having already won the title in 2026 (Brisbane). The 11th-ranked Russian extended his winning streak to eight matches at the Aussie Open but was destroyed by Fundi Tien (6-4, 6-0, 6-3) in the fourth round.
Shang is ranked as low as 259th in the world after missing much of the 2025 campaign with a back injury, so he enters the event on a secure level. The 21-year-old’s comeback got off to a good start this season, reaching the quarterfinals in Hong Kong and the second round of the Australian Open. That said, a straight defeat to Botic van de Zandshulp was not an encouraging end to that tournament. Count on Medvedev getting too many balls in the play of an opponent who is always a question mark from a physical point of view.
Pick: Medvedev at 2
