2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic shocked number two seed Alex de Minaur in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Last week’s Qatar Open champion Andrey Rublev then fell to defeat against Frenchman Quentin Halys, as the qualifier secured his first career top-ten win.

A defeat for eighth seed Arthur Fils compounded the misery for seeds in Dubai, as the bottom half of the draw is now left without an obvious contender.

There will likely be a surprise finalist in the UAE later this week, as two veteran ATP stars could well be in store for a big performance.

Marin Cilic and Roberto Bautista Agut may be favorites to reach the Dubai Tennis Championships final

As the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships draws near, there are plenty of stars in the bottom half of the draw that will be looking to spring some more upsets on their way to the final.

As the top-ranked player left in his section, Felix Auger-Aliassime would look to be the favorite to reach the final, having already picked up two titles this year, in Adelaide and Montpellier.

There could, however, be two players better suited to do so, as they draw on all their ATP Tour experience.

Roberto Bautista Agut

Spanish world number 53, Roberto Bautista Agut enjoyed a strong start to his tournament, winning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, against Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.

The win was his first of the year, having lost in the first round of the Adelaide International, Australian Open, Rotterdam Open, and Qatar Open.

He has plenty of experience to draw upon in Dubai, however, as he lifted the trophy in 2018, with several impressive victories.

• F – Beat [2] Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 6-4
• SF – Beat [WC] Malek Jaziri
• QF – Beat Borna Coric, 7-6, 6-4
• 2R – Beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
• 1R – Beat Florian Mayer, 6-3, 6-4

The win was the biggest of his career, as he secured his first trophy above the ATP 500 level having previously picked up seven ATP 250 titles.

He’ll face off against French qualifier, Quentin Halys in the second round, the man who shocked Rublev in his opener.

Marin Cilic

The towering Croat made headlines on Tuesday, as Cilic beat De Minaur in a three-set thriller to secure his first top-ten win since 2022.

Like Bautista Agut, Cilic had struggled in recent times, last winning a match at the Serbian Open in November 2024.

Just a few months earlier, Cilic had won the Hangzhou Open in China, producing several stunning upsets as he became the lowest-ranked tour-level champion in the sport’s history.

The 36-year-old has never won the title in Dubai, but is a 16-time ATP champion on hard courts, and will be a danger to any of his potential opponents in the Middle East.

Cilic will take on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the last 16, who beat Wild Card Hady Habib in the first round.

What happened on the other half of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships draw?

While all three seeds dropped out in the bottom half of the draw, the stars on the top half enjoyed far more sucess.

Three of the four seeds made their way through to the last 16, as many will now likely predict the tournament winner to come from the top half.

• [1] Daniil Medvedev beat Jan-Lennard Struff
• [4] Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Lorenzo Sonego
• [5] Ugo Humbert beat Jiri Lehecka
• [6] Grigor Dimitrov lost to Christopher O’Connell

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas may be the bigger names, but it’s the French star who could well be the favorite for the title.

Ugo Humbert won the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2024 and is currently riding a five-match winning streak, having picked up the title in Marseille two weeks ago.

Humbert will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, while Medvedev plays Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Tsitsipas faces off against Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.