Former Dubai Champions Clash as Humbert Defeats Defending Champ Tsitsipas

French tennis player Ugo Humbert knocked out defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The match featured two former tournament winners, with Humbert prevailing 6-4, 7-5 in a closely contested battle.

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece suffered an early exit from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, losing in the opening round to France’s Ugo Humbert on Tuesday.

The match marked a clash between two former Dubai champions, with Humbert claiming victory 6-4, 7-5 over the Greek star who won the tournament last year.

Humbert demonstrated solid defensive skills, successfully defending all three break point opportunities against him. The contest proved remarkably balanced statistically, with Humbert holding a narrow 7-6 advantage in aces while Tsitsipas recorded just one additional unforced error (20-19). Both competitors produced exactly 16 winners during the match.

Other seeded players advanced successfully through the first round. Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik (second seed), Russia’s Daniil Medvedev (third seed) and Andrey Rublev (fifth seed), along with Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik (sixth seed) all won their matches in straight sets. Russia’s Karen Khachanov (seventh seed) and Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka (eighth seed) both mounted comebacks from one-set deficits to secure three-set victories.

Additional players moving forward include American Jenson Brooksby, Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta, Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor, Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, and France’s Arthur Rinderknech.

At the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago, eighth-seeded Alejandro Tabilo claimed victory in an all-Chilean first-round encounter, defeating Tomas Barrios Vera 7-5, 6-3.

Tabilo’s serving proved superior with seven aces and zero double faults, while Barrios Vera struggled with twice as many double faults as aces (4-2).

In a notable upset, American Emilio Nava defeated sixth-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4, successfully defending all three break points he encountered. Chile’s Cristian Garin, who captured the Santiago title in 2021, mounted a comeback victory over Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Other first-round winners included Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas, Denmark’s Elmer Moller, Argentina’s Mariano Navone and Thiago Agustin Tirante, plus Paraguayan qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.