Tennis
2026-02-28 - Daniil Medvedev vs Tallon Griekspoor
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis : ATP 500 Dubai Final
Saturday 28th February 2026 - Scheduled 7pm
3pm (British Time)
Preview
These two players have only met once on the Tour and that was right here in Dubai twelve months ago in a Quarter Final match.
On that occasion it was Tallon Griekspoor who somehow stayed in the match having been the inferior player for a couple of sets, but who then went on to win the match and move through to the Semi Final.
In the first two sets, Griekspoor faced 14 Break Points compared with the 5 Break Points he created and he was gracious enough to admit that he had a bit of fortune on his side.
The World Number 25 stated the same thing after the Semi Final over Andrey Rublev on Friday having overcome significant issues with his hamstring- Tallon Griekspoor admitted that he may have pulled out of the match if he had not won the First Set and then rallied deep into the Second Set Tie-Breaker to come through in straight sets.
Throughout his press conference, Tallon Griekspoor made it clear that the next twenty-four hours were all about recovery as he prepares to play in his second ATP 500 Final and just the sixth on the Tour.
It was the serve that proved to be the big weapon for Griekspoor in his Semi Final win and he will need to be as close as possible to full health to make sure that remains the case.
Daniil Medvedev has been in very good form all week in Dubai and his dominant win over Felix Auger Aliassime underlines his danger.
The return of serve continues to be a big part of the Medvedev success and he has also been using the conditions very well in the tournament when it comes to his own delivery. He had Felix Auger Aliassime under pressure throughout the Semi Final and Daniil Medvedev should be able to do the same against this opponent.
His focus will have to be on the tennis he wants to play and not just expecting a wounded opponent to just crumble in front of him- one of the mistakes made by Andrey Rublev was allowing Tallon Griekspoor to get himself into a rhythm, but Medvedev will extend rallies and wear down the underdog.
The form shown this week gives Daniil Medvedev a big edge, even if Tallon Griekspoor was at full health, and he can win yet another match with a strong look on the scoreboard.
Prediction
Lay the games with the higher Ranked player as the ATP Dubai tournament comes to a close and the whole Tour now moves onto Indian Wells for the unofficial 'Fifth Slam'.
The Pick :
Daniil Medvedev 2-0 Tallon Griekspoor
