Young guns look to make a mark in DDF Tennis
dubai — Two of the most exciting young players on the ATP World Tour will be vying for the prestigious Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title when play gets underway later this month, with both Lucas Pouille and Karen Khachanov ready to make their mark and continue their climb up the rankings.
Pouille already signalled his intent here last year when he fought all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Andy Murray. Having received the 2016 Most Improved Player Award, voted for by his fellow players, he went on to enjoy a successful season. He was the only player to win titles on three surfaces in 2017, highlighted by the biggest title of his career at Vienna where he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
Other highlights saw him claim the winners’ trophy in Budapest and Stuttgart and reach the final in Marseille, and he was a semifinalist in Monte Carlo. He held two match points against world number one Rafael Nadal in the first round in Beijing, but his most memorable experience was his win over Belgium’s Steve Darcis that clinched a 3-2 victory for France in the Davis Cup final.
Khachanov has yet to match Pouille in establishing himself in the world’s top 20, but he has been making impressive strides. He hit some personal milestones last season as he advanced to Grand Slam third and fourth rounds for the first time at the French Open, where he defeated two-time Dubai finalist Tomas Berdych and then John Isner before losing to Andy Murray.