The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Mexico Open continues this week as Daniil Medvedev faces Giovanni Mpethsi Perricard while Ben Shelton goes up against David Goffin in the competition’s round of 16. Damien Kayat previews.
2025 ATP Tour – ATP 500 Hybrid
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships/Mexico Open
Aviation Club Tennis Centre Centre
Selected RO16 – 26 & 27 February
Dubai Duty Free Championships
Round of 16 Preview – 26th February
Daniil Medvedev 32/100 | Giovanni Mpethsi Perricard 23/10
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, returning 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 49/20
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).
Mexican Open – Acapulco
Round of 16 Preview- 27th February
Ben Shelton 3/10 vs David Goffin 49/20
Ben Shelton is two victories away from reaching a new career-high ranking this week. The big-serving, effervescent American had an incredible start to his 2025 campaign, reaching a 2nd career Grand Slam semifinal at this Aussie Open.
He disappointed in his next outing in Dallas, capitulating against Jamie Muanr in the 2nd round (nobody saw that one coming). He took a three-week break to recharge his batteries, returning with a really hard-fought 7-6, 7-6 win over Flavio Cobolli (improving to 7-3 for the season).
He looked understandably rusty against Cobolli, with 13 aces helping to bail him out of some stressful situations. Shelton will be hoping to reach his 2nd successive Acapulco quarterfinal (he lost to Casper Rudd in the final eight last year).
34-year-old Belgian veteran David Goffin actually enjoyed a bit of a renaissance towards the end of last season, fighting his way back into the top 60 in the world after some consistent results.
He won the Ilkley Challenger and would go on to reach the semifinals at Winston Salem. He picked up his most impressive win in ages at the Shanghai Masters, taking down World No.3 Alex Zverev en route to a quarterfinal finish.
Unfortunately, Goffin’s Indian summer came to a dramatic end this season: he came into this tournament with a dreadful 0-5 record for the year. He at least stopped the haemorrhaging in his first-round clash, ending a seven-match losing streak with an efficient, workmanlike straight-sets win over Rinky Hijikata.
The Verdict: Shelton to win in three 51/20
This will be their first career meeting. This match could be slightly tighter than recent form suggests. These conditions are sticky and humid and could mitigate some of Shelton’s outrageous hitting power.
Goffin was really impressive against the mercurial Hijikata, winning 83% of his first-serve points while creating an incredible 15 break-point opportunities. Goffin is a good returner and could pose Shelton some issues. However, the American’s greater firepower should be able to see him through to a three-set win.
