The main draw action at the ATP 500 in Doha starts on Monday, when Jannik Sinner kicks off his title bid against Tomas Machac. Another intriguing first-round matchup features Daniil Medvedev vs. Jerry Shang.
Tomas Machac vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Sinner skipped Rotterdam this year and so he will play for the first time since the Australian Open when he appears at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Monday. It was a largely disappointing campaign Down Under for the two-time defending champions, who – not without some problems – reached the semi-finals before losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
First up for Sinner in Doha is a third meeting with Machac, who has lost both previous encounters, 6-4, 6-2 at the 2024 Miami Masters and 6-4, 7-5 in the 2024 Shanghai semi-final. Machac can be extremely dangerous on any given day, but he has cooled off since winning the title in Adelaide to start the season. The 31st-ranked Czech fell to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round at Melbourne Park and retired due to a knee injury during his opener in Montpellier. Even if Machac is 100 percent in favor of this, it should still be a one-way street for Sinner.
Choice: sinner in 2
(4) Daniil Medvedev vs. (PR) Jerry Shang
Medvedev and Shang will face each other for the first time in their careers on Monday. Like Machac, Medvedev still has some questions to answer despite already winning a title in 2026 (Brisbane). The 11th-ranked Russian extended his season-opening winning streak to eight matches at the Aussie Open, but was then completely destroyed by Learner Tien (6-4, 6-0, 6-3) in round four.
Shang is ranked 259th in the world after missing much of the 2025 campaign due to a back injury, so he entered this event with a protected ranking. The 21-year-old’s comeback has started in earnest this season as he reached the quarter-finals of Hong Kong and the second round of the Australian Open. That being said, an outright defeat against Botic van de Zandshulp was not an encouraging end to that tournament. Expect Medvedev to get too many balls back into play for an opponent who is always a question mark physically.
Choice: Medvedev in 2
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