Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships ATP Round-Up Day One | Draper’s victorious return as Wawrinka advances in straight sets

The ATP 500 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships begins, and the first players to take the court in the opening round did not produce major surprises. The day was marked by Jack Draper’s victory in the night session – his first since August 2025 at an ATP-level tournament.

It was also the debut of the three-time Grand Slam champion, who returned to winning ways and advanced to the second round. Also performing well was Canadian first seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who claimed victory over Zhizhen Zhang. Below is a breakdown of some of the matches that took place on the first day in Dubai.

Stan Wawrinka ensures another win, now six victories so far this year. An interesting number for the three-time Grand Slam champion, who at 40 is in his retirement year, and through wildcards and a few wins has managed to climb back into the top 100 – precisely one of the milestones revealed by the Swiss player in the season kickoff.

Wawrinka showed his vast experience to overcome Lebanese Benjamin Hassan (No. 289) 7-5, 6-3 in just over one hour and 13 minutes. “Stan the Man” was strong on serve and capitalized on key moments, taking the first break of the match near the end of the opening set – and then secured a couple more breaks when opportunities arose in the second set. He won 88% of points on his first serve, hit 17 winners (compared to Hassan’s 15), and committed 20 unforced errors (against 31 for his opponent). In the second round, Wawrinka will face the winner of Daniil Medvedev vs. Juncheg Shang.

Resounding victory for the first seed in his opening match, winning in straight sets against the tricky Zhizhen Zhang – who, despite being ranked just No. 273, was a respectable opponent, especially in a first-round encounter. Felix knew he had to take advantage of his rival’s lower match rhythm and was first to break as soon as the match began.

Both players held serve during the following games, and Zhang gave Felix a challenge – who faced 0-40 toward the end of the set. Nevertheless, the Canadian showed he can work under pressure, winning nine of the last 12 points contested and closing the set 6-3, taking his second break of the match.

In the second set, once again it was the details and key moments that changed the course. For much of the set, service games passed without difficulties, no break points, and no clear dominant player. Felix wasted a break chance at 4-3, then two more at 5-4, and another three at 6-5. After five match points wasted, the set went to a tiebreak, where Auger-Aliassime’s consistency prevailed, ultimately giving him the win 6-3, 7-6(4).

Jack Draper secured a long-awaited victory upon his return to the courts in Dubai. The Brit No. 1 had been absent since the last US Open – and had barely completed a Tour-level match since June 2025, when he unexpectedly exited in the second round at Wimbledon. The world No. 15 had returned in Davis Cup a few weeks earlier but had not played a tournament for points so far.

After continuing to recover from a shoulder injury in recent weeks, Draper finally debuted against Quentin Halys, who came in with good match rhythm – especially after two wins in the Dubai qualifying. A tricky opponent who managed to set the pace in the first set, creating some chances to take the lead, but Draper earned his way through difficult moments with first serves and several aces. The first set was decided in a tiebreak, where both had chances to win the set, but in the end the Brit imposed his favoritism.

The second set promised to be close after a strong service start from both players. By the fourth game, Halys gave Draper some opportunities, and the Brit took the break to move ahead. After extending the lead to 4-1 thanks to his service, the former Indian Wells champion held serve to stay in front. Halys showed consistency on serve, but the few chances in Draper’s favor ultimately gave the victory to the Brit, who remained mentally strong despite still regaining match rhythm.