Dubai Tennis Championships: Daniil Medvedev wins title as Tallon Griekspoor withdraws

This was the first time that Medvedev, who claimed the title in 2023, had won the same tournament twice. His 22 previous titles had come at different events.

“That’s what is crazy about it. I never did it in any city in the world, and the first time I do it, it’s a walkover,” he told the ATP Tour website.

“I played a great tournament, the four matches I played. Of course I wanted to play the final, but it is what it is.”

Former world number one Medvedev, who did not drop a set during the tournament, has won two titles this year and three in the past four months.

His representative told the New York Times, external they were trying to establish how Medvedev could travel to California for next week’s Indian Wells tournament after the United Arab Emirates “partially and temporarily” closed its airspace.

Airlines serving the Middle East have cancelled or diverted flights after the US and Israel launched deadly strikes on Iran on Saturday.

In response, Iran launched strikes targeting Israel and other sites in the Middle East.

Earlier, Briton Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara sealed back-to-back men’s doubles titles with a 7-5 7-5 victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Dubai.

Patten and Heliovaara have won three of their four tournaments together this year.