One of the most entertaining rivalries in tennis will add another chapter when Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas square off in round two of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday afternoon.
The fireworks began in their first-ever showdown at the 2018 Miami Masters, where an expletive-filled argument ensued following Medvedev’s 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Fast forward eight years and they have now faced each other a whopping 14 times, with the Russian leading the head-to-head series 10-4. He has won three in a row, too, after most recently prevailing 7-6(3), 6-3 at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Even though tensions have seemingly cooled a bit and the matchup has mostly been one-sided, this is still must-watch stuff. And Tsitsipas is certainly capable of being competitive. The 33rd-ranked Greek has played well in the Middle East in the past (albeit much better in Dubai than Doha) and he disposed of wild card Moez Echargui 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday while improving to 8-3 for the season.
Medvedev is 9-2 in 2026 with a title in Brisbane. Losses to Learner Tien (Australian Open) and Ugo Humbert (Rotterdam first round) were a bit concerning, although there is no shame in coming up short against Humbert on an indoor hard court. The world No. 11 got back on track with a 6-4, 6-2 rout of Jerry Shang on Monday.
As mentioned, Medvedev thrives in this matchup — largely because he can get a ton of balls back and ultimately break down his opponent in backhand-to-backhand patterns. The former world No. 1 also loves this event, with an 8-1 lifetime record that features a title in 2023. Look for Medvedev to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Pick: Medvedev in 3