The marathon that is February’s tennis swing is finally coming to an end. And it’s going to be a blast, as this week’s schedule includes a pair of 500-point tournaments (Dubai, Acapulco) in addition to an ATP 250 (Santiago). Among the stars appearing at court are Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud.
Let’s break down the busy week ahead on the ATP Tour.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Where: Dubai, UAE
Surface: Difficult
Points: 500
Prize money: $3,311,005
Top seed: Felix Auger-Aliassime
Defending champion: Stefanos Tsitsipas
Drawing analysis: The second leg of the Middle East swing feels a little different with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner skipping Dubai after their performances in Doha. This means that the title is completely up for grabs, although the field of participants remains strong thanks in part to Auger-Aliassime, Bublik, Medvedev, Jack Draper, Andrey Rublev and Jakub Mensik. Draper played a Davis Cup rubber for Great Britain earlier this month, but this is his first appearance in a tournament since last summer’s US Open. The southpaw has a favorable draw before potentially facing Rublev or Tsitsipas, the defending champions, in the quarter-finals. Bublik, Mensik, Ugo Humbert, Hubert Hurkacz and Tallon Greekpoor are also in a strong bottom half of the group. At the top of the draw, Auger-Aliassime could meet Doha runner-up Arthur Fils in the last eight and Medvedev or Khachanov in the semi-finals.
Is called: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Jakub Mensik
Cold: Jack Draper, Alexei Popyrin, Jan-Lennard Struff, Valentin Royer, Alexander Shevchenko, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Quarterfinal predictions: Denis Shapovalov on Felix Auger-Aliassime, Karen Khachanov on Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev on Arthur Rinderknech and Alexander Bublik on Jakub Mensik
Semi-finals: Khachanov over Shapovalov and Bublik over Rublev
Final: Bublik about Khachanov
Telcel Mexican Open
Where: Acapulco, Mexico
Surface: Difficult
Points: 500
Prize money: $2,469,450
Top seed: Alexander Zverev
champion of 2025: Tomas Machac (not playing)
Drawing analysis: The depth of the Acapulco field is especially impressive. Among the unseeded players in the draw are Grigor Dimitrov, Gael Monfils, Brandon Nakashima and Delray Beach finalist Sebastian Korda. Zverev’s path to the final is relatively favorable, although he could face Grigor Dimitrov or known foe Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals. Although Ruud is not in top form, he also has a good chance of reaching the last four this week. Other possible quarterfinal clashes include De Minaur versus Valentin Vacherot and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina versus Frances Tiafoe. However, Tiafoe could have a tough opening match against Nuno Borges and Davidovich could face Korda in the second round.
Is called: Alex de Minaur, Valentin Vacherot, Sebastian Korda, Eliot Spizzirri, Rafael Jodar
Cold: Flavio Cobolli, Grigor Dimitrov, Gael Monfils, Daniel Altmaier, Mattia Bellucci, Terence Atmane
Quarterfinal predictions: Alexander Zverev over Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud over Flavio Cobolli, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina over Nuno Borges and Alex de Minaur over Valentin Vacherot
Semi-finals: Zverev over Ruud and De Minaur over Davidovich Fokina
Final: The Minaur above Zverev
BCI Seguros Chile Open
Where: Santiago, Chile
Surface: Clay
Points: 250
Prize money: $700,045
Top seed: Francisco Cerundolo
champion of 2025: Laslo Djere (not playing)
Drawing analysis: There was carnage in Rio de Janeiro all week, so who knows what to expect in Santiago? Francisco Cerundolo is a question mark after a back injury in Rio, while Luciano Darderi and Sebastian Baez also dropped out. On the plus side, it at least means those three title favorites are well rested for Santiago. Darderi and Baez are on a collision course for the semi-finals, but could be tested by several opponents who excelled in Rio. Ignacio Buse and Thiago Agustin will face off in the first round after advancing to the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively in Rio. Rio semi-finalist Vit Kopriva could be Darderi’s second-round foe. An equally well-stocked upper half of the range consists of Cerundolo, Matteo Berrettini, Alejandro Tabilo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Is called: Sebastian Baez, Francisco Comesana, Camilo Ugo Carabelli
Cold: Alejandro Tabilo, Nicolas Jarry, Cristian Garin, Damir Dzumhir, Thiago Seyboth Wild
Quarterfinal predictions: Matteo Berrettini on Francisco Cerundolo, Nicolas Jarry on Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Sebastian Baez on Thiago Agustin Tirante and Luciano Darderi on Francisco Comesana
Semi-finals: Darderi over Baez and Berrettini over Jarry
Final: Darderi on Berrettini
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