Scouting report: Alexander Zverev leads Acapulco, Jack Draper returns to Dubai | ATP tour | Tennis

Scouting report

Scouting report: Zverev leads Acapulco, Draper returns in Dubai, Cerundolo headlines in Santiago

A recap of what every fan needs to know in the week ahead

February 22, 2026

The ATP Tour season continues this week across three continents and two surfaces. Alexander Zverev leads the court at HSBC’s presentation of Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, while Felix Auger-Aliassime is the top player at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Jack Draper returns to the Tour at the ATP 500 hard court event.

Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi are the leaders in the clay draw at the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago.

ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO
1) Former champion Zverev: The number 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is the top seed at the ATP 500 hard court event in Acapulco. The German won the trophy at the 2021 tournament and is chasing his first title of the year. The 28-year-old opens against Corentin Moutet.

2) De Minaur on a roll: Alex de Minaur arrives in Mexico after a title run at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam earlier this month. The Australian has fond memories in Acapulco, having won the trophy in his past two appearances in 2023 and 2024. The 27-year-old begins this week’s quest against a qualifier.

3) Ruud & Davidovich Fokina complete Top 4 seeds: Casper Ruud returned to the Tour in Delray Beach last week (QF) after the birth of his first daughter. The third-seeded Norwegian reached the final in Acapulco in 2024. Fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be hoping this is the week he finally wins his first tour-level title. The Spaniard lost to Tomas Machac in the championship match at last year’s event.

4) Monfils, Jodar & Pacheco Mendez receive wildcards: Gael Monfils returns to Acapulco for the first time since advancing to the 2009 finals. The Frenchman is chasing his first victory of 2026. #NextGenATP Spaniard Rafael Jodar has achieved tour-level victories at the Australian Open and in Delray Beach this year and the 19-year-old Spaniard hopes to move closer to the Top 100 this week. 20-year-old Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez from Mexico advanced to the quarter-finals in Acapulco last season. He starts against fifth seed Flavio Cobolli.

5) Harrison/Skupski Leading Doubles: Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski had a perfect start to the year at the Australian Open, where they achieved their first major as a team. The American-British team is the top seed in Acapulco. Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are seeded second.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI
1) Auger-Aliassime top seed: The Canadian has won eight of his past nine matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, lifting the trophy in Montpellier and advancing to the final in Rotterdam. Auger-Aliassime reached the final in Dubai last season, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

2) Can Bublik win the second title of 2026? Alexander Bublik won the title in Hong Kong and broke the Top 10 for the first time in the opening week of the 2026 season. The 28-year-old has fond memories of Dubai and reached the final in 2024.

3) Draper returns: Draper will participate in an ATP Tour event for the first time this year. The British lefty, who played one match at the Davis Cup Qualifiers earlier in February, has not competed in a singles match since the US Open in August due to a left arm injury. Draper makes his debut in Dubai and is the fourth seed.

4) Fils & Mensik in shape: Arthur Fils continued his own comeback in Doha, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Frenchman returned to the Tour in Montpellier at the beginning of February after a long-term back injury. He opens against eighth seed Jiri Lehecka. Sixth seed Jakub Mensik beat Jannik Sinner and then lost to Fils in the Doha semi-finals, but he hopes to build on that run in Dubai, where he starts against Hubert Hurkacz.

5) Former champions battle: Competing in a competitive field are defending champion Tsitsipas, 2024 title winner Ugo Humbert, 2023 winner Daniil Medvedev, 2022 winner Andrey Rublev and 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka. Humbert will face Tsitsipas in the first round and the Frenchman will take a 3-1 lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Greek.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SANTIAGO
1) Cerundolo heads: Top 20 star Francisco Cerundolo will be hunting for his second title of the ‘Golden Swing’ in Santiago. The 27-year-old previously triumphed in Buenos Aires in February and will now compete in the ATP 250 clay court event in Chile.

2) Former Champion Baez: In the past, Sebastian Baez has often found his best level on the South American clay and won four trophies. The Argentine, a winner in Santiago in 2024, will be hoping to bounce back from a first-round exit in Rio de Janeiro.

3) Tabilo leads the hope home: Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Barrios Vera, Cristian Garin, Nicolas Jarry and Matias Soto are the five Chilean stars in the draw. Eighth seed Tabilo meets Barrios Vera in the first round. Jarry won the title in Santiago in 2023, while Garin triumphed on home soil in 2021. The 26-year-old Soto makes his main draw debut.

4) Darderi and Berrettini threats: Second seed Luciano Darderi and sixth seed Matteo Berrettini have combined to win 10 tour-level clay court titles. Darderi, a four-time champion, advanced to the quarter-finals in Santiago in 2024. Berrettini makes his ATP 250 debut.

5) Gonzalez/Molteni top seeds in doubles: Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the top players in doubles. The Argentinians are looking for their first title as a team since Barcelona in 2024.