Felix Auger-Aliassime sets Daniil Medvedev SF in Dubai redemption bid | ATP Tour

Dubai

Auger-Aliassime Secures Medvedev Semi-Final Clash in Dubai Comeback Bid; Griekspoor Downs Mensik

The Canadian, a finalist here last year against Tsitsipas, extends his stellar February record to 11-1.

February 26, 2026

Felix Auger-Aliassime shows no sign of slowing his remarkable February run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week.

The impressive Canadian overcame Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2) on Thursday at the ATP 500 event, marking his progression to a third consecutive tour-level semi-final. Following his triumph in Montpellier and a runner-up finish in Rotterdam, Auger-Aliassime now boasts an impressive 11-1 record for the month, needing just two more victories to avenge his defeat in last year’s Dubai final to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

2025: Finalist
2026: 🤔

FAA returns to the last four in Dubai, knocking out Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2)@DDFTennis | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/OJoPp7vUVc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 26, 2026

Competing as the top seed at an event above ATP 250 level for the first time in his career, the 25-year-old has displayed remarkable composure. He has yet to concede a single set across his three matches this week and, against Lehecka, he successfully fended off both break points he faced, as per Infosys ATP Stats.

In Friday’s upcoming semi-final, Auger-Aliassime is set to clash with third seed and 2023 Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev, against whom he currently trails 7-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Our game styles are quite distinct,” stated Auger-Aliassime, who registered an 0-7 record against Medvedev between 2018 and 2024. “I aim to be aggressive and move forward, while he’ll try to force errors. We’ll see whose strategy prevails. He’s had the upper hand on me… It took me a good seven or eight attempts to finally defeat him.”

Most tour-level semi-finals (players born since 2000) 

Medvedev kicked off Thursday’s quarter-final action with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jenson Brooksby, securing his third Dubai semi-final appearance in his last four visits to the ATP 500 tournament.

The former World No. 1 concluded the 2025 season with a string of consistent performances — including back-to-back semi-finals in Beijing and Shanghai, and a title win in Almaty — and is now pushing to re-enter the Top 10 for the first time since June. He commenced 2026 with a championship title in Brisbane and currently lags just 345 points behind World No. 10 Alexander Bublik in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“There have been periods in my career where I felt better prepared,” Medvedev remarked when questioned about his recent steady form. “Interestingly, they say ‘rookies get lucky.’ It was more like that initially. Everything was new; I didn’t overthink… I just played instinctively.”

“Now, I have many more thoughts swirling in my head, which can sometimes be beneficial, but other times I need to clear them to perform optimally. I still know I can maintain consistency. For instance, at the close of last year, I was incredibly consistent, and I’m striving to rediscover that this year. This tournament has been excellent so far.”

Andrey Rublev sustained his impressive track record in Dubai, overcoming Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 6-4 to reach his fifth semi-final at the ATP 500 event.

The World No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings previously claimed the title at this tournament in 2022 and reached the final in 2023. With aspirations of securing the Dubai trophy for a second time, Rublev powered past Rinderknech, extending his flawless record to 4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. His next opponent will be Tallon Griekspoor.

Griekspoor continued his comeback with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 triumph against sixth seed Jakub Mensik. Griekspoor had a challenging start to the season, going 1-5 across his initial six matches, but then found form by reaching the quarter-finals in Rotterdam. In Dubai, Griekspoor has notably defeated second seed Alexander Bublik, sixth seed Mensik, and Otto Virtanen. The 29-year-old finds himself in the final four of the ATP 500 event for the second consecutive year and expressed satisfaction with his performance against Mensik.

“I believe I began the match exceptionally well,” Griekspoor stated. “I broke his serve with a strong game from my end and didn’t encounter any significant issues. Things shifted slightly in the second set; my first serve percentage dropped, and he began serving better. At the start of the third set, I knew I needed to elevate my game and serve more effectively, which I managed to do. By the end, my returning was excellent, so I’m very pleased with the victory.”