\u201cIt\u2019s the right timing,\u201d he said post-match. \u201cIt\u2019s not like it\u2019s too soon for me. I\u2019ve been on this tour for quite some years now and been in this position as a teenager in junior Grand Slams too, so I like to be in this position where there is pressure on me and to see if I deliver. I am kind of testing my growth, self-belief, and composure \u2013 and I want to be in this position in even bigger tournaments one day.\u201d <\/p>\n
Against Zhang, he saved the four break points he faced, but also failed to convert either of the two match points he played on return at 5-4 and three more at 6-5 before holding his nerve in the tiebreak to avoid a third set.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped counting at some point; it was getting too frustrating,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s weird because having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, yet your mind plays a trick on you because how much further I am from losing, he\u2019s the one who should be tight, but the players [leading] tend to actually get tight. But I kept telling myself if there\u2019s a third set, I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next up is Mpetshi Perricard after the Frenchman saw off Tunisian wild card Moez Echargui, the Arab world\u2019s top-ranked player on tour at 141. <\/p>\n
Echargui pushed himself and his opponent to the limit in a gripping three-set encounter decided by the finest of margins, with all three sets going to tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged through. Such was the intensity, Mpetshi Perricard required medical timeouts for ankle pain and suggested he was \u201cnot very confident\u201d he would recover fully in time for his next match.<\/p>\n
For 33-year-old Echargui in contrast, February is proving very positive. Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, he said this month marks an important new chapter in his career. Competing on Centre Court against top-tier opposition is part of a broader learning curve as he and his team look to maximise wild card opportunities. <\/p>\n
\u201cGoing on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds\u201d, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. \u201cDespite the result, I\u2019m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all the way through. I\u2019m proud to represent my country and to represent all the Arab World \u2013 especially here in Dubai.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another Arab also in action on Monday\u2019s opening day was Lebanese wild card Benjamin Hassan and while he may have exited in straight sets, the 31-year-old left Centre Court with his head held high after a spirited performance against three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka that ended with a congratulatory handshake<\/a> from his Swiss opponent\u2019s legendary compatriot, Roger Federer.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, for Wawrinka, the win sees him become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament\u2019s 34-year history \u2013 usurping Federer, who won his record eighth title in 2019 at 37. \u201cI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s the best record of his to have,\u201d Wawrinka joked post-match as Federer clapped from the stands for his 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning doubles partner. <\/p>\n Play Britain’s Jack Draper eyes return to form after injury<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/media\/ObXUtNzt\/poster.jpg\")
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