By Richard Pagliaro Saturday, February 28, 2026
Image Source: Brisbane International Facebook
Daniil Medvedev The eventual defending champion won his second Dubai title without taking a single shot in the final.
Taron Grixpool, Medvedev’s scheduled opponent for today’s final withdrew with a left hamstring injury in their 7-5, 7-6(6) semi-final victory over the 2022 champion Andrei Rublev Yesterday, today the victory was handed to Medvedev.
Event organizers said the Dutchman “has been deemed unfit to compete in the ATP 500 men’s final following a medical assessment”.
Medvedev became a two-time Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships champion after waking up this morning to find out that world No. 25 Grikspur had withdrawn from the final due to a limp.
Medvedev, the 2023 Dubai champion, completed his quest to become a two-time champion and won the 23rd title of his career.
Before today’s easy win, all 22 of Medvedev’s titles had come in 22 different events. Dubai is one of Medvedev’s favorite tournaments and it was the first time he won the tournament twice.
“This is not the way I wanted to win the final. I hope Grikspur’s injury is not too serious and wish him a speedy recovery,” Medvedev said in a social media post.
Master Medvedev’s Anatomy Felix Auger-Aliassime He advanced to his 42nd tour final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 6-2 victory in Friday’s semifinals.
It was Medvedev’s first top-10 win since beating seventh-ranked Alex De Minaur at the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 in October.
