Jesper de Jong, who is going through a dip after his best season on the ATP Tour, will try to compete with Andrey Rublev, a two-time champion of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
Jesper de Jong
Last season was a breakthrough for Jesper de Jong: he made his top-100 debut and produced several strong clay-court runs. However, 2026 has started badly — he has lost four tour-level matches in a row, managed a Davis Cup win only against world No. 294 Sumit Nagal, and suffered a tame defeat to Karen Khachanov at the ABN AMRO Open. De Jong remains a clay-court specialist who thrives in long rallies, but on Qatar's fast hard courts he simply lacks time to adjust, especially against Rublev, who beat him even on clay last year.
Andrey Rublev
For Andrey Rublev, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open is a special tournament. He has won the title here twice (2020 and 2022) and on three other occasions reached at least the semi-finals, compiling 16 wins from 21 matches at this event. This season Rublev has won four of six matches, with his only defeats coming against top-20 opponents; in his other victories he covered a -3.5 game handicap.
Jesper de Jong vs Andrey Rublev Prediction
The difference in preparation and confidence is substantial. Rublev feels at home in Doha and we expect him to start the tournament with a convincing win. De Jong looks lost on a fast court and is unlikely to cope with the pace his opponent will set.
