Dubai R1 previews and predictions: Khachanov vs. Evans, Tsitsipas vs. Sonego

Main-draw competition at the ATP 500 in Dubai will get underway on Monday, when Karen Khachanov and Dan Evans wage a rematch of their U.S. Open thriller. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Sonego are also in action.

(WC) Dan Evans vs. Karen Khachanov

It will be a rematch of the longest match in U.S. Open history when Khachanov and Evans meet again in round one of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday afternoon. During first-round action at Flushing Meadows last summer, Evans won 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in five hours and 35 minutes after coming back from 4-0 down in the fifth set. Shockingly, the 34-year-old Brit is sweeping the head-to-head series 5-0–although three of their encounters have required final sets.

Other than the U.S. Open, Evans endured a horrible 2024 campaign and has since been reduced to the Challenger circuit. The world No. 167 tried to qualify at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam but suffered first-round setbacks against James Trotter and Gregory Blancaneaux, respectively. He has taken some very bad losses at the Challenger level, as well. Khachanov is by no means in spectacular form, but he generally plays well in the Middle East. The 21st-ranked Russian won the Doha title last February and he has advanced at least one round in four of his last five trips to Dubai. Khachanov should be able to take advantage of a struggling opponent.

Pick: Khachanov in 3

 

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Lorenzo Sonego

Tsitsipas and Sonego will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers on Monday. All three of their previous meetings have gone Tsitsipas’ way; 6-2, 7-6(2) at the 2021 Miami Open, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 a few months later in Cincinnati, and 6-3, 7-6(3) on the red clay of Rome in 2023.

Can Sonego finally turn the tide? Probably not. The 36th-ranked Italian made a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but after that he lost right away in Rotterdam to a slumping Holger Rune and fell to Ugo Humbert in the Marseille quarters. Although Tsitsipas is not playing well at the moment, the 11th-ranked Greek is at least in decent enough form to take care of Sonego on a fourth consecutive occasion.

Pick: Tsitsipas in 2