There should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day one at ATP Doha with six matches on the slate in Qatar. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Daniil Medvedev vs Shang Juncheng. But who will book their spot in the second round?
ATP Doha Day 1 Predictions
Valentin Royer vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Head-to-head: Royer 1-1 Herbert
Valentin Royer is winless in 2026 and has struggled to convert chances. He’s lost two close matches in his last two tournaments and took a set from Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open. Lack of wins can nibble at his self-belief and confidence and he’ll be up against compatriot Herbert, who at 34 remains dangerous on hard courts. The veteran grinded through qualifying with wins over Aleksandar Vukic and Elias Ymer. Efficiency on first serves and looseness from the baseline favor the match-sharp Herbert.
Prediction: Herbert in 3
Arthur Fils vs Kamil Majchrzak
Head-to-head: first meeting
Arthur Fils’ comeback is still in the early stages, but the Frenchman has not lost his shotmaking ability despite his long layoff. He made a deep run in Montpellier only to lose to eventual champion Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals. And this week, he was beaten by the eventual champion, Alex De Minaur, in Rotterdam. There’s still a rhythm gap, and Fils is trying to find it, playing his third tournament this month. Kamil Majchrzak hasn’t played since a second-round defeat to Fabian Marozsan at the Australian Open. He was forced to miss Poland’s Davis Cup tie against Great Britain due to a back injury. It’s the same injury that has bothered him since last year’s US Open, and it takes significant power out of his serving game.
Prediction: Fils in 2
Jannik Sinner vs Tomas Machac
Head-to-head: Sinner 2-0 Machac
It will be an early return to action for Jannik Sinner after his unsuccessful title defense at the Australian Open. Losing to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals was unexpected, but it was not a poor result considering he could have won the match on the balance of play. Tomas Machac’s early-season level has been strong and steady, but he suffered a familiar setback earlier this month when he retired in Montpellier due to injury. Expect Sinner’s superior baseline consistency and clean ball striking to overpower the Czech.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
