In the bustling city of Dubai, Andrey Rublev, fresh from his Qatar Open triumph, faced an unexpected early exit at the Dubai Championships. In a surprising twist, Rublev, seeded third, was bested by qualifier Quentin Halys in a grueling match that ended 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
This victory was a significant milestone for the 77th-ranked French player Halys, who scored his first-ever win against a top-10 opponent. Reflecting on the match, the 28-year-old said, “Honestly, it’s a bit hard to wrap my head around right now. It was a tough battle mentally, especially against someone like Andrey, who might still be feeling the effects of his recent success in Doha. Overcoming a top-10 player is a big deal in my career, and I’m thrilled it happened today.”
Rublev, who had claimed the Dubai title back in 2022, was coming off a victory against Jack Draper in the final at the Qatar Open just days ago.
Meanwhile, top seed Daniil Medvedev had a smoother day on the court, dispatching Jan-Lennard Struff with a solid 6-4, 7-6 (4) performance. Medvedev is now set to take on Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the next round.
In other matches, second-seed Alex de Minaur was ousted by former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Nuno Borges put up an impressive display, taking down eighth-seeded Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1.
The day also saw wins from fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert, as well as Matteo Berrettini, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and qualifier Christopher O’Connell, rounding off an action-packed Tuesday at the tournament.
