Scouting Report: Alexander Zverev leads Acapulco, Jack Draper returns to Dubai | ATP Tour

Inspection Report

Scouting Report: Zverev leads Acapulco, Draper returns to Dubai, Cerundolo headlines Santiago

The ultimate summary of what every fan should know about the upcoming week

February 22, 2026

The ATP Tour season continues across three continents and two venues this week. Alexander Zverev leads the field at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC in Acapulco, while Felix Auger-Aliassime is the top seed at the Duty Free Tennis Championships. Jack Draper returns to the Tour at the ATP 500 hard court event.

Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi talk about a tie on clay at the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago.

ATPtour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN ACAPULCO
1) Former champion Zverev: The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev is the top seed at the hard-court ATP 500 event in Acapulco. The German lifted the trophy at the tournament in 2021 and is chasing his first title of the year. The 28-year-old opened for Corentin Moutet.

2) De Minaur in line: Alex de Minaur arrives in Mexico after the ATP 500 match in Rotterdam earlier this month. The Australian has fond memories in Acapulco, having won the trophy in his last two appearances in 2023 and 2024. The 27-year-old begins this week’s campaign in the playoffs.

3) Ruud & Davidovich Fokina complete the top 4 seeds: Casper Ruud returned to the Tour in Delray Beach last week (QF) after the birth of his first daughter. The Norwegian who finished third in the final in Acapulco in 2024. Fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be hoping this is the week he finally gets his first tour-level title. The Spanish player lost in the championship match at this event last year, losing to Tomas Machac.

4) Monfils, Jodar and Pacheco Mendez get wild cards: Gael Monfils returns to Acapulco for the first time since reaching the final in 2009. The Frenchman is chasing his first win of 2026. #NextGenATP Spain’s Rafael Jodar has claimed tour-level victories at the Australian Open and Delray Beach this year and the 19-year-old will be pushing for Top Sunday. Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, 20, advanced to the quarter-finals in Acapulco last season. He starts against fifth seed Flavio Cobolli.

5) Harrison/Skupski lead double draw: Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski enjoyed a strong start to the year at the Australian Open, where they won for the first time as a team. The American and British team is the top seed in Acapulco. Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin came second.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN DUBAI
1) Auger-Aliassime top seeds: The Canadian has won eight of his last nine matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, lifting the trophy in Montpellier and advancing to the final in Rotterdam. Auger-Aliassime reached the final in Dubai last season, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

2) Can Bublik get a second title in 2026? Alexander Bublik won the title in Hong Kong and broke the Top 10 for the first time in the first week of the 2026 season. The 28-year-old has fond memories of Dubai, reaching the final in 2024.

3) Draper’s Restoration: Draper is set to compete in an ATP Tour event for the first time this year. The British left-hander, who played one match in the Davis Cup Qualifiers in early February, has not competed since the US Open in August due to a left arm injury. Draper is playing for the first time in Dubai and is the fourth generation.

4) Fils & Mensik in form: Arthur Fils continued his comeback in Doha, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Frenchman returned to the Tour in Montpellier in early February following a long-term back injury. Jiri Lehecka opens the eighth generation. Sixth seed Jakub Mensik beat Jannik Sinner and then lost to Fils in the Doha semi-finals but will hope to build on that performance in Dubai, where he will start against Hubert Hurkacz.

5) Former champions compete: In the competitive field, defending champion Tsitsipas, 2024 Ugo Humbert, 2023 winner Daniil Medvedev, 2022 winner Andrey Rublev and 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka are competing. Humbert faces Tsitsipas in the first round and the Frenchman takes a 3-1 lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Greek.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN SANTIAGO
1) Cerundolo headlines: Top 20 star Francisco Cerundolo will be chasing his second ‘Golden Swing’ title in Santiago. The 27-year-old won in Buenos Aires in early February and is now competing in the ATP 250 clay court event in Chile.

2) Former champion Baez: Sebastian Baez has often found his best form on South American clay in the past, winning four trophies. A winner in Santiago in 2024, the Argentine will be hoping to bounce back from a first-round exit in Rio de Janeiro.

3) Tabilo leads home hopes: Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Barrios Vera, Cristian Garin, Nicolas Jarry and Matias Soto are the five stars of Chile in this tournament. Eighth seed Tabilo meets Barrios Vera in the first round. Jarry won the title in Santiago in 2023, while Garin won at home in 2021. Soto, 26, is starting to play in the draw.

4) Darderi, Berrettini threats: Second seed Luciano Darderi and sixth seed Matteo Berrettini have won a combined 10 clay court titles. Darderi, a four-time winner, advanced to the quarter-finals in Santiago in 2024. Berrettini is making his ATP 250 debut.

5) Gonzalez/Molteni double top seeds: Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the best in the doubles tie. The Argentines are looking for their first title as a team since Barcelona in 2024.