Some of the second-round matches at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships will feature the top-seeded players on February 25. While second-seeded Alexander Bublik will face Tallon Griekspoor, the sixth-seeded Jakub Menšík is all set to take on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
Tallon Griekspoor vs. Alexander Bublik
Tallon Griekspoor will go up against the second-seeded Alexander Bublik in the second round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships. While Griekspoor started his campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in the first round, Bublik won 6-3, 6-4 against German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff.
Bublik has a dominant 4-0 head-to-head advantage against Griekspoor, with the Kazakh player winning the last encounter against the Dutchman 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2) at this very event in Dubai back in 2024.
As far as this year’s performance is concerned, Griekspoor has a 4-6 win-loss record, with a couple of quarterfinal runs in Montpellier and Rotterdam. On the other hand, Bublik has fared well at the beginning of this year, winning 12 of the 15 matches, including a title in Hong Kong and a semifinal finish at the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam.
Bublik will be the favorite going into this match, as he has never lost to Griekspoor and is in form. The Kazakh player is also a former runner-up in Dubai, losing the final to Ugo Humbert back in 2024, which will give the second seed an added advantage in the upcoming match.
Pick: Bublik to win in straight sets
Alexei Popyrin vs. Jakub Menšík
One of the second-round matches at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships will see the sixth-seeded Jakub Menšík take on Alexei Popyrin. Popyrin began his campaign in Dubai this year with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win against Kamil Majchrzak in the first round, while Menšík started his journey in Dubai with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) win over the former Top-10 player, Hubert Hurkacz, in the first round.
Menšík has won both his matches against Popyrin, leading the head-to-head 2-0. The last time they played, the Czech player won 7-6 (3), 6-2 at the 2024 Vienna Open. Popyrin has been in woeful form this year, as the Australian began with four successive first-round losses before getting his first win of the season in Qatar.
On the other hand, Menšík has won 12 of the 15 matches this year, winning the title in Auckland and having a semifinal run in Doha, which included a three-set win over Jannik Sinner.
Given Menšík’s current form, he is the favorite to win the upcoming match, as he has looked in fine form this season, whereas Popyrin has struggled to win. The Czech player also has the added head-to-head advantage, giving him an even greater edge.
Pick: Menšík to win in straight sets
