Preview ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final: Top form vs. comeback between Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas will face off in the ATP 500 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final after overcoming Quentin Halys and Tallon Griekspoor, respectively.

The Canadian is in outstanding form and aims for his third title of the season, while Tsitsipas has rediscovered his best level and returns to a hardcourt final for the first time in 18 months since winning the Los Cabos Open against Alex de Minaur.

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Auger-Aliassime aims for third title of 2025

Auger-Aliassime has found his best level in 2025, reaching his third final of the year and chasing his third title after going trophyless in 2024. He holds a 16-4 record this season, winning two ATP 250 titles—Adelaide International (defeating Sebastian Korda) and Open 13 Provence (defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic).

The former world No. 6 now seeks his first ATP 500 title of the season and the fourth of his career while maintaining exceptional form. The Canadian has battled through tough matches all week, going the distance in every round. In his opener against Alexander Bublik, he even saved match points before advancing. He then defeated Nuno Borges, Marin Cilic, and Quentin Halys.

Felix won his first title of the season at Adelaide International.

Auger-Aliassime has maintained a 75% first-serve points won percentage throughout the tournament, averaging 10 aces per match during this week. His ability to sustain a high level throughout matches has been evident, showcasing a newfound consistency at 24 years old that was lacking in previous seasons.

He currently sits third in the ATP Race, trailing only Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev. The Canadian has a remarkable turnaround in finals, having lost his first eight consecutive finals. However, he recomposed himself and won seven of his last nine finals.

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Tsitsipas rediscovering top form in Dubai

Stefanos Tsitsipas has struggled with inconsistency over the past year, leading to his drop from the ATP’s elite. His exit from the top 10 was a result of his erratic performances, with his ranking largely propped up by a strong clay-court swing in 2024, where he won the Monte-Carlo Masters and reached the Barcelona Open final.

This week, however, he has looked rejuvenated with strong wins over Lorenzo Sonego, Karen Khachanov, Matteo Berrettini, and Tallon Griekspoor. Tsitsipas has won all three tiebreaks he has played and has maintained an 80% success rate on first-serve points. The 25-year-old has now reached his 30th ATP final, boasting an 11-18 record in title matches.

Tsitispas is on his first hardcourt final since August, 2023.

However, his struggles in ATP 500 finals are glaring—he holds an unfortunate 0-11 record at this level, the most final losses in ATP 500 history without a title in the Open Era. Tsitsipas has already reached two Dubai finals, losing to Roger Federer in 2019 and Novak Djokovic in 2020.

Against Auger-Aliassime, he has the chance to finally break his ATP 500 curse and reclaim a spot in the top 10. With the clay swing approaching, the Greek urgently needs to accumulate points, as his ranking is at risk due to the large number of points he must defend from last year’s success on clay.

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