TennisSection previews the 2022 Dubai Open as Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022.
Both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nikoloz Basilashvili suffered finals heartbreak at the weekend. But one of them will bounce back from that disappointment as they go toe-to-toe in the first round at the Dubai Open championships. Who will advance?
It has been a rollercoaster month of February for Felix Auger-Aliassime. He won his first tour-level title at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam a week ago. Consequently, he celebrated a place inside the world’s Top 10 by reaching a career-high ranking of No. 9 and then finished runner-up in his second final of the season in Marseille. The Canadian’s next stop will be the Dubai Open where he is the number three seed and is paired in the same half as World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But before he can contemplate his projected semifinal showdown against the Serb, he will need to take care of Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.
Nikoloz Basilashvili was unsuccessful in his title defense at the Qatar Open as he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in a rematch of the 2021 final. But on the bright side, the Georgian was able to get his 2022 season back on the mend after a winless start in his first five tournaments. His Middle-Eastern swing will continue at the Dubai Open where he is a former quarterfinalist. But after a grueling week in Doha, will he have enough energy in the tank?
Felix Auger-Aliassime leads Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-0 in their head-to-head. Their last meeting was at the Cincinnati Masters in 2020, where the Canadian won in straight sets. Basilashvili will probably be in better shape physically, taking the shortest itinerary from Doha to Dubai. Auger-Aliassime’s final in Marseille finished on Sunday and will have to get over jetlag in time to face the Georgian on Tuesday. But I doubt that is even going to be a factor in the context of this match. Basilashvili will certainly make this competitive now that his confidence is back, but the third seed is enjoying the best spell of his tennis career right now.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win.
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