The ATP Tour remains in the Middle East for teh Duabi Tennis Championships. Damieny Kayat previews the round of 32 matches between Ugo Humbert and Gael Monfils as well as Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Shenchenko.
2024 ATP Tour – ATP 500
Dubai Tennis Championships
Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 27 February
Ugo Humbert 62/100 | Gael Monfils 5/4
French No.1 Ugo Humbert will get the opportunity for some quick revenge as he takes on Gael Monfils in his Dubai opener. Humbert lost convincingly to his more experienced colleague when they met in Qatar last week, buckling in the extended baseline exchanges in pretty slow conditions.
The courts are significantly quicker at the Aviation Club and this should suit Humbert nicely. The big-serving Frenchman plays his best tennis in quicker conditions, utilizing his big serve and efficient forehand to play solid first-strike tennis.
His volleys also carry more weight on slicker surfaces. Lest we forget, Humbert has been in pretty amazing form over the past five months or so. His quarter-final defeat to Monfils in Qatar took his record to 19-6 since the start of last year’s Shanghai Masters.
Humbert has picked up titles in Metz and Marseille during this little run and he will be desperate to reassert himself as France’s premier player this week.
Gael Monfils has to take the positives out of his performance in Qatar last week. The 37-year-old became the oldest semi-finalist in the history of the event, finally succumbing in three sets to Czech wunderkind Jakub Mensik.
That result- alongside his tight Rotterdam defeat to Jannik Sinner- seems to indicate a real return to form for the mercurial Frenchman. Monfils has once again fanned the flames of lingering retirement rumours, stating that ‘tennis is good, but I miss my daughter’.
It will be interesting to see what type of schedule he adopts for the remainder of the season. Could he possibly be angling for a fairytale retirement at Roland Garros? In any event, it will be fascinating to see how Monfils fares this week. This will be his third back-to-back event and it will really test his renowned powers of recovery.
Verdict: Humbert to win in straight sets 31/20
Humbert leads the head-to-head 2-1. Obviously, Monfils’ straight-sets win last week has to be taken in consideration. But these surfaces are much quicker and should play right into the hands of Humbert. He should be able to dictate the tempo of proceedings.
Monfils made it to the semi-finals last week and this will be quite a quick turnaround for the ageing star. He won’t be able to chase on quite so much this week and I think Humbert will exact his revenge.
Daniil Medvedev 1/12 | Alexander Shevchenko 6/1
I was happy to see some recent pictures of Daniil Medvedev enjoying his wife’s birthday, strolling along the beach as if he never had a care in the world. He can sometimes come across quite taciturn and it’s nice to see that side to him.
Also, it’s nice to see him looking happy following yet another heartbreaking Grand Slam final defeat. His loss against Jannik Sinner in the Aussie Open final marked the second time in his career that he has surrendered a two-set lead in the Melbourne championship match. And that will have affected him psychologically.
I think it’s pretty pathetic that some tennis journos have been quick to label him as a ‘one Grand Slam wonder’. Ok, how about the likes of Alex Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas? Where are their Slams? Medvedev has now competed in six Grand Slam finals and he sits firmly amongst the premier players in world tennis.
This will be his first outing since that shock Melbourne defeat and he will be looking to accumulate some points ahead of the clay-court campaign (traditionally his least profitable portion of the season). He won this title last year and this could be the perfect venue for a little bit of healing.
23-year-old Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko has slowly started to claw his way up the ATP Tour’s rankings over the last year. The inventive youngster made his Major and Masters debuts last year, also going on to reach a maiden ATP Final in Metz (losing to Ugo Humbert in the final).
He hasn’t really carried that late-season form over into 2024, coming into this tournament with a humdrum 7-7 record for the year. Still, quarter-final runs in Montpelier and Rotterdam speak to his hardcourt ability.
Furthermore, he took down Holger Rune in Rotterdam for the biggest win of his young career. He then pushed in-form Dimitrov to three sets in a pulsating quarterfinal. He has quite a lot of variety, using drop-shots and coming to the net quite liberally. Those skills will need to be on full display if he stands any chance against the Russian.
Verdict: Medvedev to win in three sets at 33/10
Medvedev leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating the crafty Kazakh in three sets at last year’s Madrid Open. And I think 33/10 to replicate that result looks like good value.
I know, these hard surfaces will play directly into Medvedev’s wheelhouse. But there could also be a bit of ring-rust in the Russian’s game. He hasn’t competed since that Aussie Open final and he could take a little time to get into his rhythm.
