Day 1 at the ATP event in Dubai will feature a lot of exciting action. While world #1 Novak Djokovic and recent Rotterdam and Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev won’t be in action yet, there’ll still be plenty of top level players in action, including recent Australian Open quarterfinalists Jiri Lehecka and Andrey Rublev as well as the reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who’s trying to get back to his best after injury.
ATP Dubai Day 1 Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-head: Popyrin 1-0 Kotov
On paper, this is the least glamorous match of the day, but it should at least be very tight and unpredictable. Popyrin is having the better year, including a great victory over Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open, and he has the higher ceiling of the pair, but he’s also very prone to inconsistency. It’s a very hard match to call, it could genuinely go either way.
Prediction: Popyrin in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs Andrey Rublev
Head-to-head: Krajinovic 3-2 Rublev
Although Krajinovic leads the head-to-head, Rublev is a clear favorite here. He hasn’t had the best start to the season and his last two weeks have been very disappointing to say the least, but he’s a consistent top 10 player who’s extremely prolific at ATP 500 level. He’s actually the defending champion at this tournament and will be hoping to go back to back this week.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Alexander Zverev vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-head: Lehecka 1-0 Zverev
Both players had extremely close third set losses to Andy Murray last week in Doha, with Lehecka’s probably stinging even more considering all the match points he had and the stage of the tournament. Lehecka is having a very good season while Zverev has been struggling after his injury, but the German was a top 3 player in the world for a reason and has been showing signs of improvement. With Lehecka still reeling from the disappointment of last week, Zverev has every chance to notch a very important win here.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
