The ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2026 features a strong field and there should be plenty of entertaining tennis on day one in the UAE. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate on day one, but who will reach the second round?

ATP Dubai Day 1 Predictions
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Moez Echargui

Head-to-head: first meeting

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard advanced to the main draw with a thrilling deciding set tiebreaker win in the second round of qualifying against Jan Choinski. Mpetshi Perricard is desperate for wins, and this must have given him some confidence heading into the main draw. He is on a five-match losing streak at the tour-level, but that may well come to an end against the wild card Moez Echargui, who doesn’t have much experience at this level and will find it hard to deal with the Frenchman’s serve.

Prediction: Mpetshi Perricard in 2

Stan Wawrinka vs Benjamin Hassan

Head-to-head: first meeting

Stan Wawrinka has already won more matches than he did in the entire 2025 season and is playing with more freedom and confidence in what is his swansong as a professional. He has another winnable match in the first round, just like he did last time out in Rotterdam. Benjamin Hassan is currently ranked #287 and has won hardly any matches in the last six months, nevermind at tour-level. Expect Wawrinka, who is also a former champion here, to win this in straight sets.

Prediction: Wawrinka in 2

Jack Draper vs Quentin Halys

Head-to-head: Draper 1-0 Halys

British #1 Jack Draper will make his return to the ATP Tour after almost six months in Dubai, where he is making his debut. Draper played a Davis Cup match earlier this month, where he won convincingly, but this is the real test, and it will be interesting to see how sharp or rusty he is. Quentin Halys has come through qualifying with two solid wins and has been in solid enough form of late. Halys also reached the semifinals here last year and will be looking to surprise once again in conditions he seems to enjoy. However, if Draper is anywhere close to his base level, he has the advantage.

Prediction: Draper in 3

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Zhizhen Zhang

Head-to-Head: Auger-Aliassime 1-1 Zhang

Last year’s finalist and top seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime, will start his campaign against Zhizhen Zhang in what could be a thrilling encounter if the Chinese player plays his best tennis. Auger-Aliassime’s eight-match win streak came to an end in the final of Rotterdam against Alex de Minaur, and he must be raring to go again. Zhang has the capacity to play great tennis, as he demonstrated to Auger-Aliassime when they met at the Marseille Open in 2024, but he lacks the confidence to go toe-to-toe with a top-ten player right now.

Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2

Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images