Daniil Medvedev produced some of his best tennis to capture the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships title.
Medvedev, the fourth seed in Dubai, defeated Juncheng Shang, Stan Wawrinka, Jenson Brooksby and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the final.
The Russian star was due to play Tallon Griekspoor in Saturday’s final. However, the Dutchman was forced to withdraw through injury, handing Medvedev the title.
Medvedev played close to his best level throughout the week in Dubai, and he could be a major threat for the Indian Wells title, should his good form continue.
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The 30-year-old could also be a major contender for one particular Grand Slam this year: the US Open.
Why Daniil Medvedev can win the US Open
By Daniil Medvedev’s standards, he had a poor 2025 season.
The former US Open champion won just one match at Grand Slam events last year, losing three first-round matches to players ranked much lower than himself.
However, he appears to have revitalised his career at the start of this year, winning the Brisbane International and Dubai Tennis Championships.
Medvedev’s performances in Dubai were impressive, particularly his 6-4, 6-2 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.
The Russian has found his groove again and should be considered a threat for the 2026 US Open title.
Medvedev’s game is tailor-made for hard courts: his powerful, flat groundstrokes and strong serve make him a threat at any hard-court event.
Medvedev also has previous experience of winning the event, having done so in 2021. This experience will be invaluable at the 2026 event.
Of course, the Russian will likely have to defeat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to win the title – no easy feat. However, Medvedev has proven in the past that he can beat both players: he has two wins against Alcaraz and seven against Sinner.
| Year | Round Reached | Final Opponent |
| 2016 | First qualifying round | Peda Krstin |
| 2017 | First Round | Denis Shapovalov |
| 2018 | Third Round | Borna Coric |
| 2019 | Final | Rafael Nadal |
| 2020 | Semi-final | Dominic Thiem |
| 2021 | Champion | Novak Djokovic |
| 2022 | Fourth Round | Nick Kyrgios |
| 2023 | Final | Novak Djokovic |
| 2024 | Quarter-final | Jannik Sinner |
| 2025 | First Round | Benjamin Bonzi |
2026 has brought about a new version of Daniil Medvedev: one who can once again challenge for the biggest prizes in the sport.
The factor that could prevent Medvedev from winning the title
As already mentioned, Medvedev is excellent on hard courts, particularly those that are fast.
With that in mind, Medvedev may be held back by the current court speeds at the US Open.
As per Tennis Abstract, the US Open has some of the slower hard courts on Tour. The courts have a surface speed of 0.98, meaning they are the 29th slowest hard courts on the ATP circuit.
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This factor may prevent Medvedev from utilising his serve and groundstrokes to their full capacity, instead favouring those players who are more adept at competing in longer rallies and longer matches.
Medvedev spoke about his preference for fast hard courts ahead of the Dubai final.
As per Punto de Break, he said: “If I get fast courts like this, I can do great things, but there aren’t many courts like this on the circuit. I only remember Brisbane’s court, and I played well there.
“I’m happy with how I played today, and my serve was also on point. When you don’t have to hit the line to get an ace, it’s quite appreciated.
“Overall, very pleased with how everything went and eagerly looking forward to playing the final.”
Indian Wells will be a good indicator of Medvedev’s level on a slower hard court: Indian Wells has the slowest hard courts on the Tour.
The Russian will find out his first opponent in California on Monday when the draw is released.
