Match Report
Medvedev dispatches Auger-Aliassime, faces Griekspoor in Dubai final
Griekspoor defeats Rublev 7-5, 7-6(6)
February 27, 2026
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Daniil Medvedev defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday in Dubai.
By Sam Jacot
Is this the week Daniil Medvedev finally repeats a title win for the first time in his career? The third seed powered past third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to reach the final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Medvedev owns 22 tour-level titles and has earned every one at a different event. On Saturday, he will have the chance to change that. The 2023 Dubai champion will face Tallon Griekspoor with the trophy on the line.
Medvedev arrived in his 10th career meeting with Auger-Aliassime in top form after beating Shang Juncheng, Stan Wawrinka and Jenson Brooksby in straight sets earlier in the week. He controlled the baseline exchanges against Auger-Aliassime, striking with depth and precision to blunt the Canadian and improve to 8-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“It has been an amazing four matches, probably playing better and better each match, today being the best performance,” Medvedev said. “If I can put an even better performance tomorrow, I will have my chances to win and that is what I am going to try to do.”
In a controlled performance, Medvedev seized the key moments. At 4-5, 30/40 in the first set, Auger-Aliassime missed a forehand wide to hand Medvedev the opener. At 1-2 in the second set, the Canadian sent another forehand long, giving Medvedev the break of serve. The No. 11 player in the PIF ATP Rankings closed the match in 82 minutes with a clean backhand winner.
Auger-Aliassime was aiming to reach the title match in Dubai for the second consecutive season. Earlier this month, the Canadian lifted the trophy in Montpellier. He now turns his focus to the BNP Paribas Open, the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.
Medvedev is into his second final of the season after winning his 20th hard-court tour-level title in Brisbane in January. He is now 13-3 on the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
He will meet Griekspoor on Saturday after the Dutchman defeated 2022 champion Andrey Rublev 7-5, 7-6(6). Griekspoor saved two set points in the second-set tie-break at 4/6 and fended off all six break points he faced in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
The 29-year-old is into his sixth tour-level final and first since he lifted the trophy on grass in Mallorca last June. The World No. 25 has been impressive throughout his run in Dubai, where he has also defeated Alexander Bublik and Jakub Mensik. With his one-hour, 41-minute victory against World No. 18 Rublev, Griekspoor has now beaten three Top 20 players in a row for the first time in his career, while he is the first Dutchman to reach the title match in Dubai tournament history.
Griekspoor will take a 1-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead into Saturday’s final against Medvedev, having beaten the former World No. 1 en route to the semi-finals in Dubai last year.
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