Alex De Minaur and Alexei Popyrin on collision course for all-Aussie showdown at Dubai Championships

Alexei Popyrin is set to get a crack at Alex de Minaur in Dubai this week for the first time since he achieved a milestone that has so far eluded the man he is chasing as Australian number one.

When Popyrin won the Canadian Open to much surprise last September, it gave him his first triumph in an ATP Masters 1000 event, something that the world number eight de Minaur has coveted but been unable to achieve so far in his flourishing career.

That victory proved the launch pad for "Poppy" to then beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open and surge to number 23 in the world, but his start to 2025 has been beset by injury and illness as he has yet to win a tour-level match this year in four attempts.

But at this week's Dubai Championships, Popyrin, now at number 27 in the rankings, will still be a warm favourite to beat Lebanese wildcard Hady Habib in Monday's opening match, with victory setting up a prospective second-round clash with de Minaur.

De Minaur agonisingly lost to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in an epic Qatar Open quarterfinal last week which saw him save seven match points and miss out on one of his own.

Alex De Minaur was beaten in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open last week. (Getty Images: DeFodi/Tnani Badreddine)

But he's in form and should overcome his first-round challenge in Dubai against Marin Cilic on Tuesday, though it is never easy against the 36-year-old Croatian veteran.

The former US Open champion has a 2-2 record against de Minaur, with the Australian dominating their last encounter three years ago in the Davis Cup semifinal.

De Minaur and Popyrin have played three times on tour, with "Demon" holding a 2-1 advantage, having won their last encounter on clay in Monte Carlo last year.

Alexei Popyrin has struggled so far in 2025. (Getty Images: Graham Denholm)

Rublev again looms as a danger to number two seed de Minaur on the same side of the draw, with the pair scheduled to meet this time in the semi-finals.

Top seed is Daniil Medvedev, who had to withdraw from his Qatar Open quarter-final with food poisoning.

There'll be a third Australian in the draw after Chris O'Connell beat Dutchman Botic van der Zandschulp 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in the final round of qualifying, but the Sydneysider will face a tough opener against sixth-seed Grigor Dimitrov.

AAP

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