Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a shock exit from the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, falling in the first round to Ugo Humbert 6-4, 7-5 and setting up what will be his lowest ATP ranking since 2018.
Humbert, the 2024 Dubai winner, produced a disciplined performance on Centre Court to deny Tsitsipas a repeat title. The Frenchman broke serve at pivotal moments in both sets to close out the straight-sets victory.
Ranking ramifications are immediate because Tsitsipas was defending the 500 points he earned by winning the tournament last year, his early defeat will see him drop outside the ATP Top 40 when the new rankings are released — the first time he has been out of the upper tier since spring 2018.
At 27, the former world No. 3 has seen his position slip over the past season amid inconsistency and injuries. Earlier in the year he showed flashes of promise, including a quarter-final run in Doha, but he was unable to carry that momentum into Dubai.
Humbert will face Andrey Rublev in the next round as the tournament continues, while Tsitsipas heads into a crucial stretch of the season with major points to defend at upcoming ATP events.