Draper makes winning return to tour after injury
British number one Jack Draper marks his post-injury return to action on the ATP Tour with a straight-set win over Frenchman Quentin Halys at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
British number one Jack Draper marks his post-injury return to action on the ATP Tour with a straight-set win over Frenchman Quentin Halys at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is back at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships determined to go one step further than last year, and the top seed made a confident start to his 2026 campaign on Monday, despite needing six match points to cross the line.
The No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings moved past Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 7-(4) to launch his title bid at the ATP 500 event. Twelve months ago, Auger-Aliassime advanced to the Dubai final before falling to an inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas, and the Canadian is once again among the favourites.
“I stopped counting at some point, it was getting too frustrating,” Auger-Aliassime said of the missed match points. “Having match points is the position you want to be in as a player, but it’s weird how the mind plays a trick on you. How much further I am from losing than he is, he should be the one that’s tight. But I told myself ‘If there is a third set, I’ll be there’.”
Since retiring from his first-round clash with Nuno Borges at the Australian Open in January, Auger-Aliassime has rediscovered some of his best form. He has won nine of his past 10 matches, lifting the trophy in Montpellier before finishing runner-up in Rotterdam.
With his speed and crafty court coverage, Auger-Aliassime saved all four break points he faced against Zhang, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 25-year-old then missed two match points on return at 5-4 and three at 6-5 in the second set, but produced a clinical response in the tie-break.
Competing as the top seed at an event above ATP 250 level for the first time, Auger-Aliassime will next face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who earlier snapped his five-match tour-level losing streak. The big-serving French qualifier defeated Tunisian wild card Moez Echargui 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(4) to earn his first win since reaching the quarter-finals in Auckland in January.
In other action on Monday, 2016 Dubai winner Stan Wawrinka earned his sixth consecutive opening-round win by defeating Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3. Roger Federer, the tournament’s record eight-time champion, was in attendance to watch his countryman.
With the victory, Wawrinka also improved to 10 tour-level wins since turning 40 — the most by any player in that age group in the Open Era. The Swiss will next face third seed and 2023 champion Daniil Medvedev or Shang Juncheng.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Fresh coaching firepower surrounds Grigor Dimitrov while he prepares for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.
Former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and 11-time tour-level champion David Nalbandian has recently joined the Bulgarian’s camp, adding further experience to a team that already welcomed former Top 20 player Xavier Malisse at the start of the season. For Dimitrov, the early signs have been encouraging as he works to rediscover his top level.
“I knew them separately, and it also helps when you’ve played against them a few times,” Dimitrov said in an ATP Media interview ahead of his run in Acapulco. “It’s nice when you can relate to someone that you have played. They have been retired for over 10 years, but it’s also not that long ago.
“At the beginning, when I got into conversations with them, we really started to see things similarly and I could relate to them in terms of the timing of their careers, injuries, game plan, thoughts, and all of that. In a way, it happened so naturally. Right now, we are still finding our footing, because it’s very new for all of us, but things are very clear of what needs to be done and how we want to tackle the game.”
Dimitrov owns a 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Malisse and lost his lone meeting with Nalbandian at Queen’s Club in 2012. More than a decade on, former rivals are now united in pursuit of a shared goal.
The reset follows a frustrating 2025 campaign, during which Dimitrov was forced to retire due to a sudden pectoral injury while leading Jannik Sinner by two sets at Wimbledon. It was a setback that limited him to just one further appearance before turning his focus to the new season.
With one win from his first three matches this year, the 34-year-old hopes a return to Acapulco — where he lifted the trophy on his debut in 2014 — can reignite his momentum.
“I came earlier. I just wanted to make sure I step on the court a few extra hours,” said Dimitrov, who opens against Terence Atmane on Wednesday at the ATP 500. “The past months have been a little bumpy. I haven’t been able to practise as much as I would like nor was I able to get more matches.”
That 2014 run, in which he beat Andy Murray in an epic three-set semi-final, remains a cherished memory, yet Dimitrov is focused firmly on the present.
“I’m always going to hold on to great memories,” said Dimitrov when asked about that run. “Every time we step into the same tournament, it’s the same tournament, but it’s a new year. I’m always trying to build off that new habit, whatever the new preparation looks like.
“I’m always trying to understand myself. Hopefully I’m able to really implement them and make sure that I am feeling good about it when I step on the court.”
[NO 1 CLUB]The pectoral injury, which kept him out for three months between Wimbledon and Paris also offered a period of reflection. As he targets a return to the form that he used to win the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals crown, Dimitrov recognises the internal adjustments required.
“I had to change things up, whether I liked it or not,” Dimitrov said of his injury. “It was more of the work that I had to do for myself, more from a mental point of view. I had to change a lot of things and that played a little mind game with me. It’s normal, though, and I’m trying to find the silver lining. I’d never really been injured or experienced being away from the sport for that long, so it was extremely new.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Luca Van Assche returned to the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in 21 months following his Sunday triumph at the ATP Challenger event in Lille, France.
The 21-year-old — who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2023 and 2024 — won the Play In Challenger, his second title at that level this season. In the final, the home favourite downed fellow former Jeddah competitor Alexander Blockx 6-2, 6-4.
“This victory shows that I worked very hard before the start of the season,” said Van Assche, who earlier this month won the Quimper Challenger. “It’s the reward for all the work I’ve put in over the last few months and I’m very happy.”
Van Assche is the first player to win five titles at Challenger 125-level, a category that was introduced in 2019.
| Van Assche’s Challenger 125 Titles |
| 2026 – Lille, Quimper |
| 2025 – Olbia |
| 2023 – Sanremo, Pau |
Van Assche, who has been as high as No. 63 in the PIF ATP Rankings, first cracked the Top 100 following his title at the 2023 Sanremo Challenger. Thanks to his Lille victory, Van Assche is back above that threshold for the first time since May 2024. Van Assche holds the final spot in this week’s Top 100.
Big win. Big trophy 🏆@lucavanassche becomes the first player to claim five ATP Challenger 125 titles since the category was introduced in 2019#ATPChallenger | @PlayinLille pic.twitter.com/9iknBypB7l
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 22, 2026
Seeded seventh in Lille, Van Assche played his best tennis under pressure. He saved 25 of the 28 break points he faced throughout the week, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Frenchman raced past 16-year-old star Moise Kouame 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-finals and applied the finishing touches on his title run.
“I’m trying to find a strong playing identity, to maintain a very high level every day, and that’s what I managed to do this week,” said Van Assche. “I never played an exceptional match, but I managed to stay at a very good level.”
Sakellaridis, 21, surges to first Challenger trophy
Greek Stefanos Sakellaridis claimed his maiden Challenger title with a memorable victory at the Delhi Open 2026. The 21-year-old overcame Oliver Crawford 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(6) in a three-hour, nine-minute final battle, during which the Briton was two points from victory in the deciding-set tie-break. Crawford earlier let slip a 5-2 lead in the final set.
Sakellaridis is up 55 places to a career-high No. 220 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Gojo ousts three of top four seeds to win in Mexico
Borna Gojo earned his third Challenger crown at the Chacachallenger – Metepec Open, where the Croatian downed three of the top four seeds en route to the title. From the quarter-finals onward, the 27-year-old defeated second seed Bernard Tomic, third seed and home favourite Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez and fourth seed Alexis Galarneau.
Gojo, who in his previous outing reached the final at the Cleveland Challenger, defeated the Canadian Galarneau 6-1, 6-4 to lift the trophy.
Justo triumphs on home soil, claims maiden Challenger title
Argentine Guido Ivan Justo won the Challenger 50 event on home soil in Tigre, lifting his first trophy at that level and climbing to a career-high No. 277 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 28-year-old rallied past Lautaro Midon 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the AAT Challenger IEB+ Edicion Tigre I final.
🇦🇷 Nothing like winning at home 🇦🇷#ATPChallenger | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/nqQ0oErvGW
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 22, 2026
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Mexican Open organisers say the tournament will go ahead despite violence following the death of the country’s most wanted drug baron.
Carlos Alcaraz, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Sebastian Korda won titles during a three-tournament week on the ATP Tour. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week as of Monday 23 February.
[NO 1 CLUB]No. 33 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, +18
The Argentine has jumped 18 places to No. 33 after he won his maiden tour-level title at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Etcheverry won two dramatic three-set matches on the final Sunday following heavy rain on Saturday. The 26-year-old, who beat Alejandro Tabilo in the final, was competing in his fourth tour-level final. It is the first time Etcheverry has been back inside the Top 40 since February last year.
No. 13 Jakub Mensik, +3 (Career High)
Mensik has climbed to a career-high No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings following a semi-final run at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The 20-year-old Czech upset World No. 2 Jannik Sinner at the ATP 500 event.
No. 34 Arthur Fils, +6
Fils’ comeback from injury hit new heights in Doha, where he advanced to the championship match. The Frenchman, who returned to Tour at the start of February following a back injury, dropped just one set en route to the championship match before Alcaraz stopped him.
No. 40 Sebastian Korda +10
Korda is back in the Top 40 following success on home soil at the Delray Beach Open. The American defeated Tommy Paul in straight sets in the final to clinch his third tour-level crown. He is the ninth champion at the ATP 250 event.
No. 42 Alejandro Tabilo, +26
Tabilo has surged 26 spots after reaching the biggest final of his career at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. The Chilean has now won six of his past eight matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, having also reached the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires earlier this month.
Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 7 Taylor Fritz, +1
No. 12 Casper Ruud, +1
No. 22 Tommy Paul, +2
No. 65 Vit Kopriva, +22 (Career High)
No. 66 Ignacio Buse, +25 (Career High)
No. 76 Thiago Agustin Tirante, +16 (Career High)
No. 94 Alexander Blockx, +10 (Career High)
No. 100 Luca Van Assche, +30
Sebastian Korda earned his third ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Delray Beach Open, where he defeated fifth-seeded countryman Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
A 2021 finalist in Delray Beach, Korda went one step further to become the ninth American champion at the event. Thanks to his title run, the 25-year-old is up to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
“[It means] a lot. I’ve been through some stuff the past couple of months, years,” Korda said. “I’ve lost a lot of finals and now to get one here in Delray — this is where I made my first ATP final — so it’s like a full-circle day. I’m just happy.”
Stateside superstar Sebi 🇺🇸💪@SebiKorda clinches title No.3 on home courts at Delray Beach!#DBOpen pic.twitter.com/afCR0pUHHT
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 22, 2026
In blustery afternoon conditions, Korda remained tight to the baseline and dictated play with confident ball-striking. He earned a decisive break at 5-4 in the opening set and held his ground on serve, winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Korda courageously dug out of a 0/40 hole when serving for the match, saving a fourth break point later that game and eventually clinching the title after one hour, 22 minutes.
“It was tricky. We were both struggling out there, it was super windy,” Korda said. “I was just trying to put the ball in the court. I was born and raised in Florida, so I’m used to the wind a little bit, but this was extreme for sure.”
Korda ousted three of the top five seeds this week, including second seed Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals and third seed Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals.
In the second all-American final this season (Dallas), Korda improved to 5-2 against Paul in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Sunday marked their first meeting in 20 months (2024 Queen’s Club). Paul, 28, was aiming for his fifth ATP Tour trophy.
Korda did not play between Roland Garros and Winston-Salem last year while he recovered from a stress fracture in his right shin, leading him to use a boot and crutches.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Joao Fonseca and Marcelo Melo earned a storybook finish on Sunday when they claimed an ATP 500 title on home soil at the Rio Open presented by Claro.
The home favourites rallied past Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 to clinch the trophy on their team debut in Rio de Janeiro. With the victory, 19-year-old Fonseca became the youngest doubles champion at an ATP 500 event since the series was introduced in 2009, while 42-year-old Melo clinched his 41st tour-level title.
“It means a lot,” Fonseca said. “Sharing the court with Marcelo, what a pleasure, and it was a special week.”
Buoyed by a raucous home crowd with ATP No. 1 Club member Andre Agassi in attendance, Fonseca and Melo faced an early setback when they lost the first set, but bounced back to ultimately secure the victory in one hour and 34 minutes. The Brazilians won 68 per cent (28/41) of their first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats. En route to the final, the champions saved one match point against Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner in the semi-finals.
“To be two Brazilians here in Rio and Joao is from here, makes it even more special,” added Melo, who also won the title in 2025 alongside Rafael Matos. “Since the first match we said it was a special week for us, a special opportunity and we are very happy.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Krajicek/Mektic clinch Delray Beach title
Second seeds Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektic clinched their first title as a team at the Delray Beach Open on Sunday by defeating Benjamin Kittay and Ryan Seggerman 6-7(3), 6-3, 11-9. The Croatian-American duo crucially saved a championship point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break before sealing the win in one hour and 40 minutes.
“The end was nerve-wracking but a great win for us,” Mektic said, who earned his 33rd tour-level title with the triumph.
<img alt=”Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektic won the Delray Beach doubles title on Sunday.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/02/22/23/07/krajicek-mektic-delray-beach-2026-final.jpg” />
Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektic won the Delray Beach doubles title Sunday. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images.
In their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the Americans, Krajicek and Mektic won 70 per cent (45/57) of their first-serve points and saved the only break point they faced. The team is currently ranked 21st in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings.
“Any time you can string some wins together in a row, it’s a huge boost for us,” Krajicek added. “We’ll lean into that momentum, and we have the tournament in Acapulco, so we’ll try to continue working hard there and put our best game forward.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alejandro Tabilo advanced to the sixth and biggest final of his career on Sunday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, where he overcame Ignacio Buse 6-3, 6-3.
Rain delayed Saturday’s semi-finals at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro but the Chilean Tabilo wasted little time in reaching the title match when he did eventually take to court on Sunday morning. The 28-year-old struck 17 winners and won 85 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his 71-minute victory.
Tabilo is up 26 spots to No. 42 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to return to the Top 50 on Monday for the first time since May. The lefty is seeking his fourth title and is trying to become the first Chilean man to lift tour-level trophies on clay, hard and grass. Tabilo will meet Vit Kopriva or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final on Sunday, not before 5:30 p.m. local time.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The ATP Tour season continues across three continents and two surfaces this week. Alexander Zverev leads the field at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco, while Felix Auger-Aliassime is the top seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Jack Draper returns to the Tour at the ATP 500 hard-court event.
Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi headline the draw on clay at the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago.
ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.
[NO 1 CLUB]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO
1) Former champion Zverev: The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is the top seed at the ATP 500 hard-court event in Acapulco. The German lifted the trophy at the tournament in 2021 and is chasing his first title of the year. The 28-year-old opens against Corentin Moutet.
2) De Minaur on a roll: Alex de Minaur arrives in Mexico off the back of a title run at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam earlier this month. The Australian has fond memories in Acapulco, having won the trophy in his past two appearances in 2023 and 2024. The 27-year-old starts this week’s quest against a qualifier.
3) Ruud & Davidovich Fokina complete Top 4 seeds: Casper Ruud returned to the Tour in Delray Beach last week (QF) after the birth of his first daughter. The third-seeded Norwegian reached the final in Acapulco in 2024. Fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will hope this is the week that he finally earns his first tour-level title. The Spaniard lost in the championship match at the event last year to Tomas Machac.
4) Monfils, Jodar & Pacheco Mendez receive wild cards: Gael Monfils is returning to Acapulco for the first time since he advanced to the final in 2009. The Frenchman is chasing his first win of 2026. #NextGenATP Spaniard Rafael Jodar has earned tour-level victories at the Australian Open and in Delray Beach this year and the 19-year-old Spaniard will hope to push closer to the Top 100 this week. Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, 20, advanced to the quarter-finals in Acapulco last season. He begins against fifth seed Flavio Cobolli.
5) Harrison/Skupski lead doubles draw: Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski enjoyed the perfect start to the year at the Australian Open, where they clinched their first major as a team. The American-British team is the top seed in Acapulco. Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are seeded second.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI
1) Auger-Aliassime top seed: The Canadian has won eight of his past nine matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, lifting the trophy in Montpellier and advancing to the final in Rotterdam. Auger-Aliassime reached the final in Dubai last season, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
2) Can Bublik clinch second title of 2026? Alexander Bublik won the title in Hong Kong and broke the Top 10 for the first time in the opening week of the 2026 season. The 28-year-old has fond memories in Dubai, reaching the final in 2024.
3) Draper returns: Draper is set to compete at an ATP Tour event for the first time this year. The British lefty, who played one match at the Davis Cup Qualifiers earlier in February, has not competed in a singles event since the US Open in August due to a left arm injury. Draper is making his debut in Dubai and is the fourth seed.
4) Fils & Mensik in form: Arthur Fils continued his own comeback in Doha, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Frenchman returned to Tour in Montpellier at the start of February following a long-term back injury. He opens against eighth seed Jiri Lehecka. Sixth seed Jakub Mensik defeated Jannik Sinner and then lost to Fils in the Doha semi-finals but will hope to build on that run in Dubai, where he begins against Hubert Hurkacz.
5) Former champions compete: In a competitive field, defending champion Tsitsipas, 2024 titlist Ugo Humbert, 2023 winner Daniil Medvedev, 2022 victor Andrey Rublev and 2016 champ Stan Wawrinka compete. Humbert faces Tsitsipas in the first round and the Frenchman takes a 3-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead in against the Greek.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SANTIAGO
1) Cerundolo headlines: Top 20 star Francisco Cerundolo will chase his second title of the ‘Golden Swing’ in Santiago. The 27-year-old triumphed in Buenos Aires earlier in February and now competes at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Chile.
2) Former champ Baez: Sebastian Baez has often found his best level on the South American clay in the past, winning four trophies. A winner in Santiago in 2024, the Argentine will hope to bounce back from a first-round exit in Rio de Janeiro.
3) Tabilo leads home hopes: Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Barrios Vera, Cristian Garin, Nicolas Jarry and Matias Soto are the five Chilean stars in the draw. Eighth seed Tabilo meets Barrios Vera in the first round. Jarry won the title in Santiago in 2023, while Garin triumphed on home soil in 2021. Soto, 26, is making his main draw debut.
4) Darderi, Berrettini threats: Second seed Luciano Darderi and sixth seed Matteo Berrettini have won a combined 10 tour-level clay-court titles. Darderi, a four-time champ, advanced to the quarter-finals in Santiago in 2024. Berrettini is making his debut at the ATP 250.
5) Gonzalez/Molteni top seeds in doubles: Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the top seeds in the doubles draw. The Argentines are seeking their first title as a team since Barcelona in 2024.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]