Tsitsipas holds off Sonego to reach Dubai second round

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-3 to advance to the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The Greek will next face world No. 24 Karen Khachanov, who eased past Daniel Evans 6-1, 6-3.

Elsewhere, Australian Alexei Popyrin defeated Lebanese wild card Hady Habib 6-2, 6-4, to set up a second round clash with No. 2 seed Alex de Minaur.

Roberto Bautista Agut, the 2018 champion, also advanced, overcoming Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), while Zizou Bergs registered a 6-3, 6-3 win against Tunisian wild card Aziz Dougaz.

. @steftsitsipas set for the next round! 🤝🎾#DDFTennis @atptour pic.twitter.com/kCdanEydZU

— Dubai Tennis Champs (@DDFTennis) February 24, 2025