The ATP Dubai Tennis Championships is one of the most prestigious early-season ATP tournaments. Many of the sport’s legends have lifted the trophy here, and there is another very strong draw in the UAE this year. The action gets underway witht six matches on day one and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match including Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Sonego. But who will advance?
ATP Dubai Day 1 Predictions
Zizou Bergs vs Aziz Dougaz
Head-to-head: first meeting
Zizou Bergs has had a fantastic start to the year and has won at least a match in every tournament he has played except the Australian Open. Bergs is making his debut in Dubai and will look for a winning start. Aziz Dougaz has been handed another wild card after the one he received in Doha last week. Dougaz played a decent match against Fabian Marozsan in Doha which should give him some confidence. However, it’s a huge task for the Tunisian player, as he seeks his first tour-level victory outside the Davis Cup.
Prediction: Bergs in 3
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs Fabian Marozsan
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut 1-1 Marozsan
Roberto Bautista Agut is yet to win a match this season and has only won one set in four matches. The Spaniard needs some match wins desperately and being a former champion here should help him mentally. Fabian Marozsan has won his first-round matches in every tournament he has played this season and this also presents a great opportunity for him to take revenge on Bautista Agut, who outplayed him in their last encounter. It feels like the scale has tipped since the last time these two met and I expect Marozsan to win.
Prediction: Marozsan in 3
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Karen Khachanov vs Dan Evans
Head-to-head: Evans 5-0 Khachanov
This is one of the most striking head-to-heads in tennis, as one has to wonder how a player with Karen Khachanov’s quality has never beaten Dan Evans in five previous meetings. Khachanov ended the 2024 season in great form but is yet to pick it up so far in 2025. However, this is probably his best opportunity to win against Evans, who is playing his first tour-level match of the season and is nowhere near his best form. Maybe, the sight of Khachanov pumps some confidence in Evans but I like the Russian’s chances better. If Khachanov serves well he will win this.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
