Medvedev beats Struff as Halys upsets Rublev

Top seed Daniil Medvedev ensured he did not fall at the first hurdle on a day of upsets on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 29-year-old earned a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Jan-Lennard Struff to advance to the second round at the ATP 500.
The 2023 Dubai champion, Medvedev came up clutch behind his serve, saving all four break points he faced, en route to improving to 8-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the German.
“The results don’t matter in the big picture,” said Medvedev when asked of the first-round exits of second seed Alex de Minaur and 2022 Dubai champion Andrey Rublev earlier in the day.
“You just need to play well and win your matches. I like tennis, I like to watch the matches, but (there was) no stress before coming on the court.”
Medvedev was forced to retire from his quarter-final at the ATP 500 in Doha last week through illness, but there were few signs of discomfort upon his return to action.
Against Struff, the top seed carved out 10 break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, before commanding the second-set tie-break and racing to a 5/0 lead, which ultimately proved to be unassailable.
“I think Jan’s biggest weapon is the serve, and somehow I managed to read,” said Medvedev.
“It just happens. Even with me, I’m serving quite well and there are some players who I cannot make an ace against. I’m happy with my level, because he is still a strong opponent, and I’m happy to be in the second round.
“The flu in Doha was not the best ending to the tournament, but I hope to try and get what I have been building since the start of the season here in Dubai or later. It was a good start.”
In the second round, Medvedev will face another big server in France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings is this week chasing his first title since he won the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome in 2023.
Earlier Marin Cilic led the way on a day of upsets when he sunk second seed Alex de Minaur.
The 36-year-old delivered a big-hitting display to prevail 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and record his first win over a Top 10 player since Roland Garros 2022. Cilic, the former No 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, maintained his level throughout the contest and struck 27 winners en route to notching his first victory of the 2025 season.
“It was a great start for me,” said Cilic, who improved to 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “Winning the first three games, getting a feel for the court, the conditions. It was a little bit gusty, but I was feeling the ball extremely well. I know how dangerous Alex is... He is an incredible runner on the court, he gets some balls that nobody gets. I had to stay patient but aggressive. I’m just so pleased that I was able to keep that great level throughout the whole match.”
Halys scored the biggest win of his career by rallying past last week’s Doha champion and World No 9 Rublev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).
The French qualifier saved five break points at 5-5 in the final set en route to sinking the 2022 Dubai titlist and third seed in two hours, 12 minutes. Halys will next face another former champion, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
“I’m so happy, even though I’m not so smiley now,” said Halys after his first ATP 500 win. “The match was so tough. At 5-5, I was 0/40 and almost broken. What a victory. I played really well today. At the beginning I was a bit nervous, but at the end I was pretty calm. The key was to serve well, be aggressive and make amazing shots.
“Everytime you play a 500, you’re playing an amazing guy. I lost many times, but today is the best victory of my career. I enjoy playing here, the conditions suit my game.”