“The results don’t matter in the big picture,” said Daniil Medvedev after securing his spot in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday. “You just need to play well and win your matches.”
The top seed made sure he did just that, overcoming Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(4) in a hard-fought encounter. Medvedev, the defending Dubai champion, was sharp behind his serve, saving all four break points he faced while improving his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against the German to 8-1. His victory came on a day when second seed Alex de Minaur and 2022 champion Andrey Rublev both suffered early exits.
Despite having retired from his quarter-final in Doha last week due to illness, Medvedev showed no signs of struggle upon his return. He created 10 break points during the match and dominated the second-set tie-break, surging to a 5/0 lead before closing it out.
I think Jan’s biggest weapon is the serve, and somehow I managed to read.. It just happens. Even with me, I’m serving quite well and there are some players who I cannot make an ace against. I’m happy with my level, because he is still a strong opponent, and I’m happy to be in the second round.
The flu in Doha was not the best ending to the tournament, but I hope to try and get what I have been building since the start of the season here in Dubai or later. It was a good start.
Medvedev will next take on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, another powerful server, as he continues his bid for a first title since lifting the ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Rome last year.
Elsewhere, Matteo Berrettini made a winning return to Dubai, defeating Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-4 in 83 minutes. Fresh off a strong showing in Doha, where he upset Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals, the Italian continued to build momentum.
It was a great tournament, great matches, great fights. It gave me a lot of confidence coming here. It’s been a long time since I played here. I’m feeling the energy and hopefully it’s going to be a long week.
Berrettini twice surrendered a break advantage in the opening set but steadied himself in the second, conceding just two points on serve. He fired 26 winners overall, including 13 off his forehand, to maintain his unbeaten record against Monfils (4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series).
It was a great match, I felt like I played really good. I’m really happy with how I won the first set. It was really tough mentally after twice being a break up. At the end, the roar was because I am happy, I’m feeling good and enjoying my time on court.
Now back in the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since June 2023, Berrettini will take on qualifier Christopher O’Connell, who advanced after Grigor Dimitrov retired following a one-sided first set.
