Main-draw action at the ATP 500 in Doha gets underway on Monday, when Jannik Sinner kicks off his title bid against Tomas Machac. Another intriguing first-round showdown features Daniil Medvedev and Jerry Shang.
Tomas Machac vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Sinner skipped Rotterdam this year, so he will be playing for the first time since the Australian Open when he takes the court at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Monday. It was a mostly disappointing campaign Down Under for the two-time defending champion, who battled — not without some trouble — into the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Up first for Sinner in Doha is a third meeting with Machac, who has lost both of their previous encounters — 6-4, 6-2 at the 2024 Miami Masters and 6-4, 7-5 in the 2024 Shanghai semis. Machac can be extremely dangerous on any given day, but he has cooled off since winning the Adelaide title to begin the season. The 31st-ranked Czech fell to Lorenzo Musetti in round three at Melbourne Park and retired from his Montpellier opener because of a knee injury. Even if Machac is 100 percent for this one, it should still be one-way traffic for Sinner.
Pick: Sinner in 2
(4) Daniil Medvedev vs. (PR) Jerry Shang
Medvedev and Shang will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Monday. Like Machac, Medvedev still has some questions to answer despite having already won a title in 2026 (Brisbane). The 11th-ranked Russian extended his season-opening winning streak to eight matches at the Aussie Open but then got completely destroyed by Learner Tien (6-4, 6-0, 6-3) in round four.
Shang is down at 259th in the world after missing much of the 2025 campaign due to a back injury, so he entered this event with a protected ranking. The 21-year-old’s comeback is off to a decent enough start this season, as he reached the Hong Kong quarterfinals and the Australian Open second round. That being said, a straight-set loss to Botic van de Zandshulp was not an encouraging end to that tournament. Count on Medvedev getting too many balls back in play for an opponent who is always a question mark from a physical standpoint.
Pick: Medvedev in 2