FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS: TUESDAY FIRST-ROUND SINGLES MATCHES

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1 DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS: DAY 2 MEDIA NOTES Tuesday, 27 February 2018 The Aviation Club Dubai, UAE 26 February-3 March 2018 Draw: S-32, D-16 Prize Money: $2,623,485 Surface: Outdoor Hard ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing ATPWorldTour.com Dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/ Mark Epps: Press Room:sarah.marks@promoseven.com facebook.com/ddftennis TV & Radio: TennisTV.com DIMITROV, POUILLE KICK OFF CAMPAIGNS ON DAY 2 IN DUBAI The top two seeds, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Lucas Pouille of France, lead a busy Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, as ten first-round singles matches take place. No. 1 seed Dimitrov, making his first appearance at Dubai since 2011, will meet Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri in the opening round. Jaziri is playing the main draw here for the sixth consecutive year, with a quarter-final run in 2014 as his best showing. Dimitrov is still looking for his first title this year; he was able to make the final of his most recent tournament in Rotterdam before falling to Roger Federer. 2nd-seeded Pouille has made two finals in his home country during the month of February, claiming the title in Montpellier over countryman Richard Gasquet, before falling to Karen Khachanov in the Marseille title match on Sunday. Pouille, a semi-finalist here last year, will take on former Top 10 player Ernests Gulbis, after the Latvian made it through qualifying to reach an ATP World Tour main draw for the second time this month. Gasquet and Khachanov are also in action on Tuesday. The 5th-seeded Gasquet, a two-time semi-finalist in Dubai, will take on Borna Coric of Croatia. Coric made a strong debut in Dubai in 2015, when he took out Andy Murray in the quarter-finals as a lucky loser, before losing to Roger Federer in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Khachanov is on a five-match winning streak after claiming his second career title in Marseille last week. The Russian will attempt to keep that streak going against Uzbekistan s Denis Istomin, although Istomin has won their only career meeting, in Chengdu last year, when Khachanov was defending champion. Three more seeds will open their tournaments as well. On Centre Court, No. 4 seed Damir Dzumhur from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Dubai quarter-finalist last year, will face off against German qualifier Yannick Maden. No. 7 seed Filip Krajinovic of Serbia will make his Dubai debut against Italian Thomas Fabbiano on Court 1. Then, on Court 3, 8th-seeded Yuichi Sugita of Japan will contest the Dubai draw for the first time, when he squares off against Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, who received a special exempt into the field after making the first ATP World Tour semi-final of his career in Marseille last week. Finally, Evgeny Donskoy makes his return to Dubai after his exploits from last year, when he earned the biggest win of his career with a massive comeback victory over Roger Federer in the second round, before falling to Pouille in the quarter-finals. The Russian will play Slovenian lucky loser Blaz Kavcic in the first round on Tuesday. In additional first-round encounters, Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer will square off against Germany s Jan-Lennard Struff, and Joao Sousa of Portugal takes on Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS: TUESDAY FIRST-ROUND SINGLES MATCHES CENTRE COURT Borna Coric (CRO) vs [5] Richard Gasquet (FRA) Gasquet Leads CRO vs.fra WG SF (Croatia) Hard RR Richard Gasquet (5) 6-1 Coric Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Doha (l. Rublev) YTD W-L: 4-2 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1 Date of Birth: 14 November 1996 (21) ATP Ranking: 50 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 4-2 (2015 Semi-finals)

2 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 2 of 7 Tournament Note: In tournament debut in 2015 as a lucky loser, ousted No. 3-ranked Murray in QF, before losing to No. 2 Federer in SF. Opened season by saving 3 MPs against No. 2 seed Carreno Busta in Doha 1R (l. to Rublev in QF). Suffered 4th straight 1R loss at Australian Open (l. to Millman). Claimed wins over Shapovalov and Pospisil in Croatia s 3-1 Davis Cup World Group victory over Canada. Last season, saved 5 championship points to defeat Kohlschreiber for 1st ATP World Tour title at Marrakech. Also in 2017, got biggest win of career over No. 1 Murray to reach ATP Masters 1000 Madrid QF as LL (l. to Thiem). Became first lucky loser to def. World No. 1 since Canas beat Federer in 2007 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 2R. Last year, upset No. 8 Thiem in Miami 2R (l. to Mannarino in 3R) and No. 6 A. Zverev in US Open 2R (l. to Anderson in 3R). In 2017, went 3-0 en route to Next Gen ATP Finals SF (d. Donaldson, Medvedev & Khachanov in RR; l. to Rublev). Gasquet Summary: 2018 Highlights: F (1): Montpellier (l. Pouille) YTD W-L: 8-4 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 14 Date of Birth: 18 June 1986 (31) ATP Ranking: 37 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 8-5 (2009, 2011 Semi-finals) Tournament Note: Advanced to SF in 2009 due to QF walkover from No. 4 Murray (l. to Ferrer); also reached SF in his next Dubai appearance in 2011 (l. to No. 2 Federer). Reached 6th consecutive final in Montpellier def. No. 7 Goffin in SF, but 3-time champ lost in F for 2nd straight year (l. to Pouille). Following Montpellier exploits, retired from 1R match against Herbert in Rotterdam with groin injury. Suffered 9th straight loss to Federer in Australian Open 3R. Lost to #NextGenATP player Tsitsipas in Pune 2R. In 2017, reached 4 other QFs beyond Montpellier, including ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (l. to Federer) and Vienna (d. Thiem, l. to Pouille). Achieved career-high ranking of No. 7 on 9 July [Q] Ernests Gulbis (LAT) vs [2] Lucas Pouille (FRA) Pouille Leads ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay R32 Lucas Pouille ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Q (Spain) Clay Q-1R Lucas Pouille 7-6(2) 7-6(4) Gulbis Summary: YTD W-L: 0-1 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6 Date of Birth: 30 August 1988 (29) ATP Ranking: 195 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-2 (2011 2nd Round) Tournament Note: Made main draw with straight-set victories in qualifying over No.101 Lacko and No.119 Travaglia. Qualified at Sofia, lost 1R to Troicki in 3 sets. Two wins and three losses on the Challenger Tour this year. In 2017, earned 1st tour-level wins since 2016 Roland Garros to reach Wimbledon 3R (d. del Potro in 2R). Then-No. 589 became lowest-ranked player in Wimbledon 3R since unranked Kiefer in 2007 (l. Djokovic). Later in the year, advanced to 1st ATP World Tour QF since 2015 Vienna at Gstaad (d. Lorenzi, l. to Fognini). Broke into Top 10 at No. 10 on 9 June 2014 after advancing to maiden Grand Slam SF at Roland Garros. Pouille Summary: 2018 Highlights: W (1): Montpellier (d. Gasquet); F (1): Marseille (l. Khachanov) YTD W-L: 7-3 YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 5 Date of Birth: 23 February 1994 (24) ATP Ranking: 15 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 3-3 (2017 Semi-finals)

3 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 3 of 7 Tournament Note: After qualifying for main draw but falling in 1R in both 2015 and 2016, broke through last year with SF run (def. Donskoy in QF; l. to No. 1 Murray). Captured his fifth career ATP World Tour title earlier this month by claiming the Montpellier crown (d. Gasquet). Reached Marseille final for 2nd straight year, but fell to Khachanov 5-7 in 3rd set; dropped to 5-3 in ATP World Tour singles finals in his career; became first loss in France during February of 2018 (7-0 previously). Fell to 0-5 lifetime at Australian Open with 5th straight 1R loss at event (l. to Bemelmans). Lost to Rublev in 1R at Rotterdam. Only player to win titles on 3 surfaces in 2017, highlighted by biggest title of career at Vienna (d. Tsonga). In 2017, saved 1 MP to beat Struff in 2R en route to 1st grass-court title at Stuttgart (d. Lopez). Last year, also saved 2 MPs to beat Vesely in 2R en route to 1st clay-court title at Budapest (d. Bedene). Achieved career-high No. 13 in ATP Rankings on 8 May [1] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs [WC] Malek Jaziri (TUN) Dimitrov Summary: 2018 Highlights: F (1): Rotterdam (l. Federer); SF (1): Brisbane (l. Kyrgios); QF (1): Australian Open (l. Edmund) YTD W-L: 10-3 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 8 Date of Birth: 16 May 1991 (26) ATP Ranking: 4 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (2011 1st Round) Tournament Note: First appearance since debut in 2011: fell 1R to Gasquet after winning 2 matches in qualifying. Def. Sugita, Krajinovic, Rublev, and No. 7 Goffin to reach 1st final of year in Rotterdam; fell to then-no. 2 Federer. Reached Australian Open QF for 3rd time in career (d. No. 17 Kyrgios in 4R, l. to Edmund in QF). Advanced to Brisbane SF as defending champion (d. Millman after saving 2 MPs in 2R, l. to Kyrgios). Finished 2017 at career-high No. 3 after posting 5-0 record for biggest title of career at Nitto ATP Finals (d. Goffin). First Bulgarian to qualify for Nitto ATP Finals in history and 1st debutante to win title since Corretja in Last year, held in 52 of 53 service games en route to 1st ATP Masters 1000 title at Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios). Win over Kyrgios marked 1st ATP Masters 1000, ATP Finals or Grand Slam final between players born in 1990s. Also in 2017, reached 2nd Grand Slam SF at Australian Open (d. Goffin, l. to Nadal in 5 sets after 4h56m). Last year, ended 2.5-year title drought with titles at Brisbane (d. Thiem, Raonic, and Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin). Jaziri Summary: YTD W-L: 3-4 Date of Birth: 20 January 1984 (34) ATP Ranking: 117 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 3-5 (2014 Quarter-finals) Tournament Note: In main draw for 6th consecutive year; best result was QF in 2014 (def. Sijsling and Devvarman, l. to Kohlschreiber). Rallied from 2 sets down to defeat Caruso and reach Australian Open 2R (l. to Muller in 5 sets). Won both Davis Cup Europe/Africa Group II matches vs. Finland (d. Heliovaara and Ruusuvuori). Fell in 1R at Sofia (l. to Marterer), Doha (l. to Bedene), and Marseille (l. to Benneteau). Advanced to the R16 at Cherbourg, FRA Challenger (l. to Kamke). In 2017, advanced to Grand Slam 3R for 2nd time at Australian Open (d. Soeda and Bublik, l. to M. Zverev). Also last year at ATP Masters 1000 events, reached Indian Wells 4R (l. to Sock 75 in 3rd) and Miami 3R (l. to Wawrinka). Reached a career-high No. 47 in ATP Rankings on 13 February 2017.

4 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 4 of 7 [Q] Yannick Maden (GER) vs [4] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) Maden Summary: YTD W-L: 0-1 Date of Birth: 28 October 1989 (28) ATP Ranking: 138 Tournament Note: Making tournament debut after qualifying with straight-set wins over Galovic and Bhambri. This week, has obtained career-high ranking of No Successfully qualified at Montpellier, then lost 1R in main draw to Simon; fell in qualifying at Marseille. 6 wins and 3 losses on Challenger Tour in 2018 to date. As lucky loser, claimed first ATP World Tour main draw win at 2017 Metz over Kicker. In 2017, reached Challenger finals at Prague, CZE (l. to A. Martin) and Mouilleron le Captif, FRA (l. to E. Ymer). Dzumhur Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (2): Montpellier (l. Gasquet); Marseille (l. Berdych) YTD W-L: 7-6 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 20 May 1992 (25) ATP Ranking: 30 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (2017 Quarter-finals) Tournament Note: Reached QF upon debut last year, shocking No. 3 Wawrinka in 1R and following up with win over Granollers in 2R (l. to Haase). Reached Grand Slam 3R for 4th time at Australian Open (d. Lorenzi in 1R after trailing by 2 sets, l. to No. 1 Nadal). Made QF at Montpellier (l. to 3-time champion and eventual 2018 runner-up Gasquet) and Marseille (l. to Berdych). Lost to Rublev in Rotterdam 2R. Advanced to Sydney 2R (ret. vs. de Minaur due to left hamstring strain); fell in 1R at Brisbane (l. to Istomin). In 2017, went 10-0 in Russia and won 1st 2 ATP World Tour titles at St. Petersburg (d. Fognini) and Moscow (d. Berankis). Became 1st player to ever sweep titles at St. Petersburg (est. 1995) and Moscow (est. 1990). Also last year, advanced to 1st ATP World Tour final at Winston-Salem (l. to Bautista Agut). COURT 1 [PR] Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) Series Tied Gstaad (Switzerland) Clay R32 Jan-Lennard Struff ret. 15 Casablanca (Morocco) Clay R32 Andreas Haider-Maurer (0) 7-6(5) Haider-Maurer Summary: YTD W-L: 0-4 Date of Birth: 22 March 1987 (30) ATP Ranking: 417 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-0 (Main draw debut) Tournament Note: Only prior appearance at Dubai was a loss in the 1R of qualifying in Used PR of No. 63 to enter Doha (l. to Basic in 1R) and Australian Open (l. to Dolgopolov in 1R). Continued to use protected ranking for Buenos Aires (l. to Schwartzman in 1R) and Rio de Janeiro (l. to Bedene 1R). After missing 19 months, returned from right heel injury at Prostejov, CZE Challenger in June 2017 (l. to A. Gonzalez in Q1). In 2017, fell in 1R at Wimbledon (l. to Bautista Agut), Hamburg (l. to Schwartzman) and US Open (ret. vs Donskoy). Last year, advanced to 15th ATP Challenger Tour final at Meerbusch, GER (d. F. Mayer in QF, l. to Ojeda Lara). Last season, played an ITF Futures Circuit event for 1st time since March 2011 at Cornaiano, ITA (l. to Safwat in 2R). Unranked in ATP Rankings from 17 October 2016 to 25 June 2017.

5 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 5 of 7 Struff Summary: YTD W-L: 2-5 Date of Birth: 25 April 1990 (27) ATP Ranking: 56 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (2017 1st Round) Tournament Note: In tournament debut last year, fell 1R to Copil. Snapped 11-match losing streak at Grand Slams by reaching Australian Open 2R (d. Kwon, l. to Federer). Also reached 2R at Doha (d. Berdych in 3rd-set TB, l. to eventual champion Monfils in 3 sets). Fell to Dzumhur in Sydney 1R. Made Australian Open doubles SF with 1st-time doubles partner McLachlan (l. to eventual champions Marach/Pavic). Advanced to 1st ATP World Tour final with 1st-time doubles partner Troicki at Sydney (l. to Kubot/Melo). In 2017, earned career-high 28 wins and achieved career-high No. 44 in ATP Rankings on 8 May Last year, fell to 0-5 in ATP SFs at Winston-Salem (l. to Bautista Agut) and St. Petersburg (d. Tsonga, l. to Dzumhur). Also last season, advanced to QFs at Marrakech (l. to Kohlschreiber), Munich (l. to A. Zverev) and Vienna (l. to Edmund). [7] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) vs Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) First Tour-Level Meeting 13 Marseille Q (France) Hard Q-FR Filip Krajinovic Guangzhou CH (China) Hard R32 Thomas Fabbiano 7-6(2) 6-4 Krajinovic Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Marseille (l. Pouille) YTD W-L: 3-3 Date of Birth: 27 February 1992 (25) ATP Ranking: 34 Reached 1st QF of season at Marseille, def. Sousa and 2-time champion Simon, l. to eventual finalist Pouille. Lost to Gojowczyk in Doha 1R and to No. 4 Dimitrov in 2R of Rotterdam Withdrew from Sydney due to left Achilles injury and Australian Open due to ankle injury. In 2017, qualified and defeated Querrey and Isner before losing 3-setter to Sock in 1st ATP World Tour final at Paris. Became 1st qualifier to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final since Janowicz at 2012 Paris. As World No. 77, became lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 finalist since No. 98 Fish at 2008 Indian Wells. Last year, went in ATP Challengers, incl on clay and 5-0 in finals: Heilbronn, GER as Q (d. Gombos); Marburg, GER (d. Stebe); Biella, ITA (d. Caruso); Rome, ITA (d. Gimeno-Traver) and Almaty, KAZ (d. Djere). Fabbiano Summary: YTD W-L: 1-3 Date of Birth: 26 May 1989 (28) ATP Ranking: 78 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2016 2nd Round) Tournament Note: In first Dubai appearance in 2016, qualified and then ousted L. Mayer in 1R (l. to Berdych in 2R). Obtained 1st Tour-level win of season over Auger-Aliassime in 1R at Marseille (l. to Dzumhur in 2R). Suffered 1R losses at Doha (l. to Basilashvili) and Australian Open (l. to A. Zverev). Failed to get out of qualifying round at Rotterdam (l. to Van Rijthoven in Q1). Last season, achieved career-high No. 70 in ATP Rankings on 18 September. In 2017, earned 1st 2 Grand Slam wins of career to reach US Open 3R (d. Smith and Thompson, l. to Lorenzi). Also last year, won Challenger titles at Quanzhou, CHN (d. Berrettini), Gimcheon, KOR (d. Gabashvili), and Seoul, KOR (d. Kwon) in 2017.

6 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 6 of 7 Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs Denis Istomin (UZB) Istomin Leads Chengdu (China) Hard R16 Denis Istomin Khachanov Summary: 2018 Highlights: W (1): Marseille (d. Pouille); QF (2): Auckland (l. del Potro); Montpellier (l. Goffin) YTD W-L: 10-4 YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 21 May 1996 (21) ATP Ranking: 41 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (2017 1st Round) Tournament Note: Fell 1R to Bautista Agut last year in tournament debut. Won 2nd career title at Marseille (def. Berdych in SF and Pouille in F); 1st title and final since Chengdu in Advanced to Auckland QF (d. Sugita and Cuevas, l. to Del Potro). Reached 2nd QF of season at Montpellier (d. Ferrer and Berankis, l. to No. 7 Goffin). Also lost to Del Potro in Australian Open 2R, and to Kohlschreiber in 1R at Rotterdam. Last year, qualified for inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals (d. Donaldson, l. to Medvedev and Coric in RR). During 2017, achieved career-high ranking 10 times, peaking at No. 29 on August 21. Istomin Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Brisbane (l. Harrison) YTD W-L: 4-3 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 7 September 1986 (31) ATP Ranking: 81 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-4 (2015 2nd Round) Tournament Note: Lone main draw win came in 2015 over then-no. 14 Gulbis (l. to Stakhovsky in 2R). Made 37th straight Grand Slam main draw appearance at Australian Open (l. to Edmund in 2R). Advanced to Brisbane QF (d. Dzumhur and Donaldson, ret. vs. Harrison due to left hip strain). Reached 2R at Sofia (l. to Troicki); fell in qualifying at Rotterdam (l. to Bemelmans). Last year, captured 2nd ATP World Tour title at Chengdu (d. Baghdatis 32 ret.). In 2017, as World No. 117, upset 6-time champion Djokovic, from 2-sets-to-1 down, in Aus. Open 2R after 4h48m. Reached career-high ranking of No. 33 on 13 August Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) vs [LL] Blaz Kavcic (SLO) First Tour-Level Meeting 14 Portoroz CH (Slovenia) Hard SF Blaz Kavcic Brescia CH (Italy) Carpet R32 Blaz Kavcic Shenzhen CH (China) Hard QF Blaz Kavcic Donskoy Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Delray Beach (l. Johnson) YTD W-L: 4-6 Date of Birth: 9 May 1990 (27) ATP Ranking: 74 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (2017 Quarter-finals) Tournament Note: In 2017, earned biggest win of career over No. 10 Federer 36 76(7) 76(5) in 2R of Dubai after saving 3 MPs and trailing 5-2 in 2nd-set TB, 5-2 in 3rd set, and 5-1 in 3rd-set TB (l. to Pouille in QF in 3rd-set TB). Reached 1st QF of year at Delray Beach (def. D. King and Young, l. to Johnson). Advanced to Australian Open 2R (d. F. Mayer, l. to Fognini). Reached 2R at New York (def. Estrella Burgos, l. to Nishikori). Suffered 1R losses at Sofia (l. to Lacko), Doha (l. to Thiem), and Sydney as Q (l. to Mannarino). In 2017, won 10th and 11th Challenger titles last year, at Zhuhai, CHN (d. Fabbiano) and Kaohsiung, TPE (d. Copil).

7 Day 2 Tuesday, 27 February 2018 Page 7 of 7 Kavcic Summary: YTD W-L: 1-5 Date of Birth: 5 March 1987 (30) ATP Ranking: 116 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (2013 1st Round) Tournament Note: In only previous appearance, lost 1R to Youzhny in Suffered consecutive 1R losses in New York (l. to Gojowczyk) and Marseille (l. to M. Zverev). Reached the 2R at Sofia for only Tour-level win of season (d. Djere, l. to Copil). Fell in 1R at Pune (l. to Haase) and Australian Open (l. to Gasquet). In 2017, broke back into Top 100 of ATP Rankings on July 17 for 1st time since June 15, 2015 Defeated Polansky for 15th and 16th ATP Challenger Tour titles respectively at Winnipeg, CAN and Granby, CAN last season. COURT 3 Joao Sousa (POR) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) Sousa Summary: YTD W-L: 3-5 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 30 March 1989 (28) ATP Ranking: 72 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-2 (2015 2nd Round) Herbert Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Pune (l. Cilic) YTD W-L: 5-5 Date of Birth: 18 March 1991 (26) ATP Ranking: 99 [8] Yuichi Sugita (JPN) vs [SE] Ilya Ivashka (BLR) First Tour-Level Meeting 17 Quanzhou CH (China) Hard R32 Ilya Ivashka Sugita Summary: YTD W-L: 2-5 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1 Date of Birth: 18 September 1988 (29) ATP Ranking: 42 Ivashka Summary: 2018 Highlights: SF (1): Marseille (l. Pouille) YTD W-L: 4-4 Date of Birth: 24 February 1994 (24) ATP Ranking: 147

8 DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS: PREVIEW & DAY 1 MEDIA NOTES Monday, 26 February 2018 The Aviation Club Dubai, UAE 26 February-3 March 2018 Draw: S-32, D-16 Prize Money: $2,623,485 Surface: Outdoor Hard ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing ATPWorldTour.com Dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/ Mark Epps: Press Room:sarah.marks@promoseven.com facebook.com/ddftennis TV & Radio: TennisTV.com 10 THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI 1) Grigor Leads Field: World No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov is the top seed in this year s tournament and he is making his first appearance in Dubai since 2011 when he came in ranked No. 81 as a qualifier. He is 10-3 this season with a runner-up in Rotterdam, SF in Brisbane and QF at the Aust. Open. 2) Pouille Quick Starter: No. 2 seed Lucas Pouille is coming off a runner-up on home soil in Marseille (l. to Khachanov). Earlier this month the Frenchman won his fifth career ATP World Tour title in Montpellier. He is 3-3 in Dubai, reaching the SFs last year (l. to eventual champion Murray). 3) RBA Back Again: No. 3 seed Roberto Bautista Agut is making his sixth straight appearance in Dubai (6-5 record) and his best result is the QFs in Last month the Spaniard won the Auckland title (d. Del Potro) but since then has lost three matches in a row. 4) Special K Time: Karen Khachanov enters Dubai fresh off his second career ATP World Tour title in Marseille (d. Pouille). The 21-year-old Russian, who played in the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals last year, is off to a 10-4 start this season. Last year he didn t win his 10th match until May in Lyon. 5) French Connection: There are a tournament-high six Frenchmen in the main draw, led by Pouille and No. 5 seed Richard Gasquet, who is 8-5 in Dubai with a SF showing in 2009 and The last Frenchman to win the Dubai title was Fabrice Santoro in 2002 (d. El Aynaoui). 6) Belarusian Breakthrough: Belarus native Ilya Ivashka advanced to his first ATP World Tour SF in Marseille (l. to Pouille) to earn a special exempt into Dubai. The 24-year-old is the first player from Belarus to reach the SFs in singles on the ATP World since Max Mirnyi at 2005 Nottingham. 7) Nishioka Returns: Yoshihito Nishioka, who suffered an ACL left knee injury last March in Miami, makes his Dubai debut.with a protected ranking of No. 66. He reached a career-high No. 58 on March 20. This is Nishioka s second tour level event of the season after a 2R at the Aust. Open. 8) Gulbis Eyes Win: Ernests Gulbis qualified into his second ATP event of the season (Sofia) and he is looking to win his first tour level win since last year s US Open (d. Giannessi, l. to Anderson). 9) Wild Cards: Marcos Baghdatis, who reached the final in his last Dubai visit two years ago (l. to Wawrrinka), is one of three wild cards. The Cypriot is 8-7 in Dubai. The other wild cards are #NextGenATP Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tunisian Malek Jaziri, who is making his sixth straight main draw appearance (3-5). 10) Strong Doubles Draw: The top four seeds are the 2016 No. 2 duo of Henri Kontinen and John Peers, reigning champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, Ivan Dodig and Rajeev Ram and Marseille champions Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus.

9 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 2 of 8 WHO TO WATCH THIS WEEK SINGLES SEED PLAYER W-L BEST TOURNAMENT FINISH 1 Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) st Round 2 Lucas Pouille (FRA) Semi-finalist 3 Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) Quarter-finalist 4 Damir Dzumhur (BIH) Quarter-finalist 5 Richard Gasquet (FRA) , 2011 Semi-finalist 6 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) Semi-finalist 7 Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 0-0 Debut 8 Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 0-0 Debut QUALIFIERS (4) Ernests Gulbis (LAT) Quentin Halys (FRA) Yannick Maden (GER) Gleb Sakharov (FRA) LUCKY LOSER (1) Blaz Kavcic (SLO) OLDEST PLAYER Florian Mayer (GER) 34 years, 4 months WILD CARDS (3) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) Malek Jaziri (TUN) Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) YOUNGEST PLAYER Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 19 years, 6 months TOP COUNTRY BREAKDOWN France 6, Germany 4, Japan 2, Russia 2, Serbia 2 DOUBLES SEED TEAM W-L BEST TOURNAMENT FINISH 1 Henri Kontinen (FIN) Semi-finalist John Peers (AUS) Semi-finalist 2 Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) Champion Horia Tecau (ROU) Champion 3 Ivan Dodig (CRO) , 2016, st Round Rajeev Ram (USA) Semi-finalist 4 Raven Klaasen (RSA) st Round Michael Venus (NZL) 0-0 Debut ATP RANKING POINTS AND PRIZE MONEY Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships W F SF QF R16 R32 Singles Ranking Points Singles Prize Money ($) 565, , ,510 70,950 36,845 19,435 Doubles Ranking Points Doubles Prize Money ($) 170,270 83,360 41,810 21,460 11,

10 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 3 of 8 PAST FINALISTS SINGLES (since 2008) YEAR CHAMPION FINALIST SCORE 2017 Andy Murray (GBR) Fernando Verdasco (ESP) Stan Wawrinka (SUI) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) (13) 2015 Roger Federer (SUI) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Roger Federer (SUI) Tomas Berdych (CZE) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Tomas Berdych (CZE) Roger Federer (SUI) Andy Murray (GBR) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Roger Federer (SUI) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) Novak Djokovic (SRB) David Ferrer (ESP) Andy Roddick (USA) Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-7(8) BOLD: Player in 2018 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships singles draw. DOUBLES (since 1998) YEAR CHAMPION FINALIST SCORE 2017 Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau Rohan Bopanna/Marcin Matkowski [10-3] 2016 Simone Bolelli/Andreas Seppi Feliciano Lopez/Marc Lopez [14-12] 2015 Rohan Bopanna/Daniel Nestor Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi/Nenad Zimonjic Rohan Bopanna/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic Mahesh Bhupathi/Michael Llodra Robert Lindstedt/Nenad Zimonjic 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 2012 Mahesh Bhupathi/Rohan Bopanna Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski [10-5] 2011 Sergiy Stakhovsky/Mikhail Youzhny Jeremy Chardy/Feliciano Lopez [10-3] 2010 Simon Aspelin/Paul Hanley Lukas Dlouhy/Leander Paes Rik de Voest/Dmitry Tursunov Martin Damm/Robert Lindstedt [10-5] 2008 Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles Martin Damm/Pavel Vizner (7) 2007 Fabrice Santoro/Nenad Zimonjic Mahesh Bhupathi/Radek Stepanek (3) [10-7] 2006 Paul Hanley/Kevin Ullyett Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor [10-1] 2005 Martin Damm/Radek Stepanek Jonas Bjorkman/Fabrice Santoro Mahesh Bhupathi/Fabrice Santoro Jonas Bjorkman/Leander Paes Leander Paes/David Rikl Wayne Black/Kevin Ullyett Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor Joshua Eagle/Sandon Stolle [13-11] 2001 Joshua Eagle/Sandon Stolle Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic Jiri Novak/David Rikl Robbie Koenig/Peter Tramacchi Wayne Black/Sandon Stolle David Adams/John-Laffnie de Jager Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes Donald Johnson/Francisco Montana BOLD: Player in 2018 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships doubles draw. The following teams are not currently intact: Bopanna/Nestor, Bopanna/Matkowski, and Nestor/Zimonjic. FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS: MONDAY FIRST-ROUND SINGLES MATCHES CENTRE COURT [Q] Gleb Sakharov (FRA) vs [6] Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) Sakharov Summary: YTD W-L: 0-0 Date of Birth: 10 June 1988 (29) ATP Ranking: 159

11 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 4 of 8 Tournament Note: In 1st Dubai appearance, qualified for main draw with straight-set wins over Ram and Kavcic. Obtained career-high singles ranking of No. 153 on 8 January of this year. Fell in 2R of Australian Open qualifying (def. Leshem, l. to Ramanathan). Reached SF of ATP Challenger at Noumea, New Caledonia (def. Ruud in QF; l. to eventual champion Rubin). Last year, won first match in ATP World Tour main draw at Gstaad (def. No. 714 wild card Bellier; l. to Bautista Agut in 2R). Also in 2017, reached SF at Challenger events in St. Brieuc, FRA, and Mouilleron Le Captif, FRA. Also last season, won 2 Futures events in France. Kohlschreiber Summary: YTD W-L: 1-4 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 8 Date of Birth: 16 October 1983 (34) ATP Ranking: 33 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 10-8 (2014 Semi-finals) Tournament Note: SF in 2014 (l. to Berdych) and QF appearances the last 2 years (l. to eventual champions both times: No. 4 Wawrinka in 2016 and to No. 1 Murray in 2017) Won first match of year in Rotterdam over Khachanov 7-6 in 3rd set; fell to eventual champion Federer in 2R. Suffered 1R losses at Sydney (l. to eventual champion Medvedev) and Australian Open (l. to Nishioka). After 1R bye, lost 3rd straight match of 2018 in 2R of Sofia to eventual champion Basic. Last year, captured 2nd Kitzbuhel and 8th ATP World Tour title overall (d. Fognini and Sousa). In 2017, claimed 30+ wins for 11th straight year -- 4th-longest streak among active players (Nadal 14, Berdych 13, Djokovic 12). Earned 400th win of career on 11 March 2017 in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 2R (d. Dolgopolov, l. to Wawrinka in 3R). [3] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs Florian Mayer (GER) Series Tied ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo Clay R32 Florian Mayer Roland Garros (France) Clay R128 Roberto Bautista Agut Bautista Agut Summary: 2018 Highlights: W (1): Auckland (d. del Potro) YTD W-L: 5-4 YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 7 Date of Birth: 14 April 1988 (29) ATP Ranking: 23 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 6-5 (2016 Quarter-finals) Tournament Note: Won at least one match in Dubai in each of the last 5 years, but has only gone beyond 2R once, in Captured 2nd Auckland and 7th ATP World Tour title overall (d. Del Potro) in January. Still has not won a match after Auckland title, notching 3rd straight loss in Marseille last week (l. to Benneteau 2R after 1R bye). Fell to countryman Verdasco in Australian Open 1R, snapping 20-match win streak in Grand Slam 1R. Lost to Norrie from 2 sets up at Davis Cup tie in Marbella vs. GBR. Also lost opening match at Pune (l. to eventual champion Simon in 2R following 1R bye). In 2017, captured 5th and 6th ATP titles respectively at Chennai (d. Medvedev) and Winston-Salem (d. Dzumhur). Achieved career-high ATP Ranking of No. 13 on October 17, Mayer Summary: YTD W-L: 0-4 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 5 October 1983 (34) ATP Ranking: 70 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 2-3 (2011 Quarter-finals)

12 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 5 of 8 Tournament Note: Lost to eventual champion Djokovic in 2011 QF. Suffered 9th Grand Slam 1R loss in last 11 appearances at Australian Open (l. to Donskoy). Also fell in 1R at Doha (l. to Tsitsipas). Advanced to Canberra, AUS Challenger QF (l. to Estrella Burgos). In 2017, as World No. 101, reached 2nd ATP World Tour 500 final and 7th final overall at Hamburg (l. to No. 138 L. Mayer); 1st ATP final between players ranked outside Top 100 since 2013 Bogota (No. 155 Karlovic d. No. 122 Falla). Also last season, reached Halle QF as defending champion (d. Paire and Pouille, l. to eventual champion Federer). Last year, ended 9-match Grand Slam losing streak, but lost to Cilic in Wimbledon 2R and US Open 2R. [WC] Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs Viktor Troicki (SRB) Baghdatis Leads Sydney (Australia) Hard R16 Marcos Baghdatis Moscow (Russia) Hard F Viktor Troicki Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Hard SF Marcos Baghdatis Basel (Switzerland) Hard R32 Marcos Baghdatis (8) Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard R32 Marcos Baghdatis 7-6(2) Chengdu (China) Hard R16 Viktor Troicki Istanbul (Turkey) Clay R32 Viktor Troicki Other Meeting 14 Geneva CH (Switzerland) Hard R16 Marcos Baghdatis Baghdatis Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Sofia (l. Kovalik) YTD W-L: 3-2 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4 Date of Birth: 17 June 1985 (32) ATP Ranking: 112 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 8-7 (2016 Finalist) Tournament Note: Lost to No. 4 Wawrinka in 2016 final, and also made SF in 2010 (l. to No. 2 Djokovic). Last direct acceptance into Australian Open, where he reached 2R (d. Bhambri, l. to Rublev). Reached 1st QF of season at Sofia (def. Caruso and Mannarino, l. to qualifier Kovalik) Fell to No. 123 in ATP Rankings on 15 January -- lowest ranking since No. 132 on 2 June Last year, suffered 6th straight loss in a final at Chengdu (ret. vs Istomin). Still seeking 1st title since 2010 Sydney. Also in 2017, advanced to SFs at Auckland (l. to Sousa) and Antalya (ret. vs Sugita) Australian Open runner-up (l. to No. 1 Federer); peaked at career high of World No. 8 on 21 August Troicki Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Sofia (l. Wawrinka) YTD W-L: 4-5 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3 Date of Birth: 10 February 1986 (32) ATP Ranking: 66 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-6 (2010 2nd Round) Tournament Note: Only win in 6 main draw appearances came over then No. 92-ranked Schuettler in 2010, then lost to No. 2 Djokovic in 3 sets in 2R. Earned 6th win from 2 sets down and 6th straight victory in a 5-setter at Australian Open (d. Bolt, l. to Kyrgios in 2R). Reached 1st QF of season at Sofia (def. Gulbis and Istomin, l. to Wawrinka for 9th time in 9 matches). Fell to Berdych in 2R at Rotterdam. Lost 3-setters in 1R at Doha (l. to Berrettini) and Sydney (l. to Dolgopolov). Advanced to Sydney doubles final in team debut w/struff (d. Rojer/Tecau, l. to Kubot/Melo). Last year, clinched Serbia s 4-1 Davis Cup wins over Russia in 1R (d. Khachanov in 4h30m after saving 1 MP, w/zimonjic d. Kravchuk/Kuznetsov) and Spain in QF (d. Carreno Busta, w/zimonjic d. Carreno Busta/M. Lopez). Obtained career-high ranking of No. 12 on 6 June 2011.

13 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 6 of 8 [PR] Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) vs Benoit Paire (FRA) Nishioka Summary: YTD W-L: 1-1 Date of Birth: 27 September 1995 (22) ATP Ranking: 179 Tournament Note: Making tournament debut via protected ranking due to return from injury. Defeated Kohlschreiber in 5 sets to reach Australian Open 2R for 2nd straight year (l. to Seppi). Returned at Playford, AUS Challenger for 1st match since tearing left ACL (l. to Schnur in 1R). On 24 March 2017, tore his left ACL during ATP Masters 1000 Miami 2R vs Sock. Last year, saved 1 MP to beat Berdych and reach 1st ATP Masters 1000 R16 at Indian Wells as LL (l. to Wawrinka 76 in 3rd). Also last season, qualified and reached 1st ATP World Tour 500 QF at Acapulco (d. Sock in 1R, l. to Nadal). Achieved career-high No. 58 in ATP Rankings on 20 March Paire Summary: 2018 Highlights: SF (2): Pune (l. Anderson); Sydney (l. de Minaur); QF (1): Montpellier (l. Pouille) YTD W-L: 7-4 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1 Date of Birth: 8 May 1989 (28) ATP Ranking: 46 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (2017 1st Round) Tournament Note: In debut last year, was defeated in straight sets by Federer in 1R. Fell to Garcia-Lopez in Australian Open 1R. Advanced to SFs at Pune (d. Fucsovics after saving 5 MPs in 2R, l. to Anderson) and Sydney (l. to de Minaur). Reached QF at Montpellier (l. to eventual champion Pouille). Lost 10 of last 11 ATP World Tour SFs since reaching biggest final of career at 2015 Tokyo. In 2017, earned biggest win of career by beating No. 3 Wawrinka in ATP Masters 1000 Madrid 2R. Obtained career-high ranking of No. 18 on 11 January COURT 1 [WC] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) Tsitsipas Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Doha (l. Thiem) YTD W-L: 2-5 Date of Birth: 12 August 1998 (19) ATP Ranking: 82 Tournament Note: Looking for 1st Tour-level win since Doha in 1st week of season. Dropped 1R matches at Montpellier (I. to Chardy 7-5 in 3rd set) and Marseille (l. to Mahut ). Between Montpellier and Marseille, fell in 1R of qualifying at Rotterdam (l. to former champion Klizan 7-6 in 3rd set). Qualified for 6th ATP World Tour event since September at Doha, reaching 2nd QF of career (l. to Thiem). Reached SF of Quimper, FRA Challenger Tour event (l. to eventual champion Halys 76 in final set). Lost in 1R at Auckland (l. to Lacko) and Australian Open (l. to Shapovalov). Broke into Top 100 of ATP rankings on 23 October 2017, becoming the first Greek player to do so.

14 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 7 of 8 Kukushkin Summary: 2018 Highlights: QF (1): Pune (l. Anderson) YTD W-L: 3-3 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1 Date of Birth: 26 December 1987 (30) ATP Ranking: 88 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 1-2 (2016 2nd Round) Tournament Note: Claimed lone Dubai win over Istomin in 2016 (l. to Kyrgios in 2R). Fell in Marseille 1R to Dzumhur despite holding 4 match points. Defeated Albot and Djere to reach Pune QF (l. to Anderson). Suffered 7th Australian Open 1R loss in 8 appearances (l. to Gojowczyk). Retired in Canberra, AUS Challenger 1R vs. Beale due to illness. Won his Davis Cup World Group 1R match vs. Switzerland (d. Bodmer). Last season, advanced to 1st ATP World Tour SF since 2015 Sydney at Memphis (d. Johnson, l. to Basilashvili). Also in 2017, qualified at US Open and reached 3R for 3rd time (d. Ferrer in 1R, l. to Pouille). Robin Haase (NED) vs [Q] Quentin Halys (FRA) Haase Summary: 2018 Highlights: SF (1): Auckland (l. Bautista Agut); QF (2): Pune (l. Paire); Rotterdam (l. Federer) YTD W-L: 7-7 YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2 Date of Birth: 6 April 1987 (30) ATP Ranking: 43 Dubai W-L (Best Result): 3-1 (2017 Semi-finals) Tournament Note: Reached SF in tournament debut last year (def. Istomin, Berdych, and Dzumhur, l. to Verdasco). Reached QF of Rotterdam for 1st time in 10 years (def. compatriots de Bakker and T. Griekspoor, l. to Federer). Saved 2 MPs vs. Ruud en route to Auckland SF (l. to eventual champion Bautista Agut). Defeated Kavcic and Jarry to reach Pune QF (l. to Paire). Suffered 8th Australian Open 1R loss in last 9 years (l. to Sonego); also fell 1R in Sofia to eventual runner-up Copil. Captured 3rd ATP World Tour doubles title at Pune with countryman Middelkoop (d. Herbert/Simon). Won 4th ATP World Tour doubles title at Sofia, also with Middelkoop (d. Mektic/Peya). In 2017, made 1st ATP Masters 1000 SF at Montreal (l. to Federer). Last year, earned biggest win of career over No. 4 A. Zverev to reach ATP Masters 1000 Paris 3R (l. to del Potro). Halys Summary: YTD W-L: 0-1 Date of Birth: 26 October 1996 (21) ATP Ranking: 115 Tournament Note: In 1st Dubai appearance, qualified for main draw with straight-set wins over Bachinger and Popyrin. Qualified for Australian Open main draw, and lost 1R to Ruud 9-11 in 5th set. Won 2nd career ATP Challenger title, and 1st since 2016, at Quimper, FRA (def. Tsitsipas in SF and Vatutin in F). Recently hit career-high singles ranking of No. 102 on 5 February. Last year, qualified and reached 2R in back-to-back weeks at Atlanta (l. to Muller) and Los Cabos (d. Karlovic, ret. vs. Dzumhur). Also last season, fell in 1R as WC at Australian Open and Roland Garros (l. to Trungelliti). In 2017, advanced to Challenger finals at Bergamo, ITA (l. to Janowicz) and Anning, CHN (l. to Tipsarevic). Also last year, captured Challenger doubles titles at Noumea, CAL w/lamasine (d. Menendez-Maceiras/Napolitano) and Recanati, ITA w/eysseric (d. Ocleppo/Vavassori).

15 Day 1 Monday, 26 February 2018 Page 8 of 8 FEDEX ATP HEAD2HEADS: REMAINING FIRST-ROUND SINGLES MATCHES [1] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs [WC] Malek Jaziri (TUN) Joao Sousa (POR) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) Borna Coric (CRO) vs [5] Richard Gasquet (FRA) Gasquet Leads CRO vs.fra WG SF (Croatia) Hard RR Richard Gasquet (5) 6-1 [7] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) vs Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) First Tour-Level Meeting 13 Marseille Q (France) Hard Q-FR Filip Krajinovic Guangzhou CH (China) Hard R32 Thomas Fabbiano 7-6(2) 6-4 Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) vs [LL] Blaz Kavcic (SLO) First Tour-Level Meeting 14 Portoroz CH (Slovenia) Hard SF Blaz Kavcic Brescia CH (Italy) Carpet R32 Blaz Kavcic Shenzhen CH (China) Hard QF Blaz Kavcic [Q] Yannick Maden (GER) vs [4] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) [8] Yuichi Sugita (JPN) vs [SE] Ilya Ivashka (BLR) First Tour-Level Meeting 17 Quanzhou CH (China) Hard R32 Ilya Ivashka [PR] Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) Series Tied Gstaad (Switzerland) Clay R32 Jan-Lennard Struff ret. 15 Casablanca (Morocco) Clay R32 Andreas Haider-Maurer (0) 7-6(5) Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs Denis Istomin (UZB) Istomin Leads Chengdu (China) Hard R16 Denis Istomin [Q] Ernests Gulbis (LAT) vs [2] Lucas Pouille (FRA) Pouille Leads ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay R32 Lucas Pouille ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Q (Spain) Clay Q-1R Lucas Pouille 7-6(2) 7-6(4)