Second-round fixtures at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships will feature matches between the third-seeded Daniil Medvedev going up against the former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, whereas the fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev will go up against Ugo Humbert on February 25.
Daniil Medvedev vs Stan Wawrinka
The third-seeded Medvedev will take on Wawrinka in a battle of former champions in Dubai. Medvedev started his campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Jungcheng Shang in the first round, whereas Wawrinka kept delivering in his last year on Tour, winning his first match 7-5, 6-3 against Benjamin Hassan in the first round.
After five meetings, it is Medvedev who has a 3-2 lead over Wawrinka in their head-to-head rivalry. The last time they met, the Russian player won 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-1 at the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam last year.
In 2026, Medvedev has won 10 of his 13 matches, which includes a title-winning run in Brisbane, but has also seen disappointing losses for the former World No. 1, like the ones against Learner Tien at the Australian Open and against Ugo Humbert in Rotterdam. On the other hand, Wawrinka has a 6-7 win-loss record this season, with the Swiss having his best run at the Australian Open, where he reached the third round.
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Both players have won the title in Dubai, with Wawrinka winning it back in 2016 and Medvedev clinching the title in 2023. However, given the current trajectory of their respective careers, Medvedev should be the favorite to win the upcoming match.
Pick– Medvedev to win in straight sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert
Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev will go up against Ugo Humbert in the second round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships. Rublev began his campaign in Dubai with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Valentin Royer in the first round, while Humbert started with a 6-4, 7-5 win over defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.
Rublev and Humbert have played each other five times, with the Russian having a 3-2 edge over the Frenchman in the head-to-head. The Russian player has an 8-3 win-loss record in 2026, with semifinal finishes in Hong Kong and Doha. On the other hand, Humbert has a 9-6 win-loss record, which includes a runner-up finish in Adelaide, coming second to Tomáš Machác, along with a semifinal finish in Rotterdam.
Just like the match between Medvedev and Wawrinka, the match between Rublev and Humbert is also a battle of former champions, as both players have clinched the title in Dubai previously. Rublev won the title back in 2022, whereas Humbert won the title in 2024. The head-to-head is close, but the slight edge goes to Rublev, as he has the head-to-head lead.
Pick– Rublev to win in three sets