Dubai top seed Daniil Medvedev was forced to withdraw from the Qatar quarterfinals due to flu-like symptoms (which wasn’t exactly what the Russian was looking for after a mediocre start to the campaign).
Dubai Duty Free Championships
Round of 16 Preview- 26th February
Daniil Medvedev (1) 0.33 vs Giovanni Mpethsi Perricard 2.25
Dubai top seed Daniil Medvedev was forced to withdraw from the Qatar quarterfinals due to flu-like symptoms (which wasn’t exactly what the Russian was looking for after a mediocre start to the campaign). The former US Open champion is yet to reach a final this year, sparking rumours of an early retirement after his early Rotterdam exit. He walked back those statements and improved in the following weeks, reaching the semifinals in Marseille before last week’s unfortunate medical withdrawal. He looked solid in his opening clash with the big-serving Jan-Lennard Struff, creating ten break-point opportunities in a resolute 6-4, 7-6 win. He even showed a bit more of his playful side against Struff, playing one cheekily disguised drop-shot when he was setting up for a massive smash. Medvedev won the title here in 2023 and will be hoping to give his season a much-needed shot of adrenalin this week.
Next up for Medvedev will be big-serving French phenom Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 21-year-old was one of the breakout stars on last year’s tour, winning titles on the red clay of Lyon and the indoor hardcourts of Basel. His serve is one of the most destructive shots in men’s tennis (the Mjolnir of the men’s circuit). He started this season with a semifinal run in Brisbane before suffering an epic five-set defeat to Monfils in the first round of the Aussie Open. He withdrew from Rotterdam due to an unspecified illness, retuning to action this week with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 win over Zhizhen Zhang. He was in typically bullish mood on serve against Zhang, firing 13 aces and winning 86% of his first-serve points. The win over Zheng improved his 2025 record to 5-2. It will be interesting to see how that record evolves as the season progresses (especially as we approach the clay-court swing). Sure, he won in Lyon last year. But you would think that his style will probably not yield as many top results on clay.
The Verdict: Medvedev to win in three at 2.4- This will be their first career meeting. I think that Medvedev will take a bit of time to get used to Mpetshi Perricard’s specific brand of bombing (this is beyond Jan-Lennard Struff). But Medvedev is a brilliant returner and should figure out the Mpetshi Perricard riddle in three sets (he will drop deep in the court and use his tactical nous to wear down the Frenchman).
