The final week of the February swing wraps up in Dubai, where a jam-packed opening day schedule includes a showdown between Andy Murray and Denis Shapovalov. Adrian Mannarino and Botic van de Zandschulp are also in action.
(PR) Denis Shapovalov vs. Andy Murray
Murray finally won a match in 2024. After losing in the opening round of his first four tournaments this season, the 36-year-old Scot defeated Alexandre Muller 6-1, 7-6(5) this past week in Doha. Murray followed that up with another strong performance, but he came out on the losing end of a 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 7-6(4) thriller against eventual runner-up Jakub Mensik. The three-time Grand Slam champion now takes his talents to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he is 17-5 lifetime with two final appearances (lost to Roger Federer in 2012, beat Fernando Verdasco in 2017).
Up first for Murray on Monday is a third meeting with Shapovalov. They have split their two previous encounters; Shapovalov rolled 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the 2021 Wimbledon third round before Murray got the job done 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 on the red clay of Madrid in 2022. Dealing with his own injury problems, Shapovalov has plunged to 121st in the rankings mainly due to inactivity. The 24-year-old Canadian is a horrendous 1-5 in main draws this season, with nothing more than a victory over world No. 88 Hugo Gaston. This is a great opportunity for Murray to maintain some momentum that he has picked up in the Middle East.
Pick: Murray in 3
(6) Adrian Mannarino vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
Mannarino and Van de Zandschulp will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Monday. Van de Zandschulp leads the head-to-head series 3-1, winning twice on indoor hard courts in 2022 and 2023 after they split a couple of outdoor hard-court contests earlier in 2022.
All signs point to Mannarino having the upper hand this time around. The 20th-ranked Frenchman ended last season on fire and he began this one with a fourth-round showing at that Australian Open. Van de Zandschulp, on the other hand, has been a complete disaster since suffering the collapse of the year in the Munich final against Holger Rune last spring. The 70th-ranked Dutchman could be out of the top 100 in the near future, and when you are struggling with confidence Mannarino is not the guy you want to see on the other side of the net.
Pick: Mannarino in 2
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