DUBAI, February 27. /TASS/. Russia’s top tennis player Daniil Medvedev cleared the opening round of the 2024 ATP (the Association of Tennis Professionals) Dubai Open Tennis tournament after defeating Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

In a match that lasted about one and a half hours, Medvedev, who is playing as a neutral at the tournament, defeated his Kazakh opponent in straight sets 6-3; 7-5.

The Russian is now set to face off in Round 2 of the tournament against the winner of the encounter between Indian wildcard Sumit Nagal and unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Medvedev, 28, is currently fourth in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rankings. In 2022, the top Russian racket spent sixteen weeks as the number one player in the world. He is the 2021 US Open Champion and has 20 ATP tournament titles under his belt. He won five of these 20 titles in 2023. Also, in 2021, he won the Davis Cup as well as the ATP Cup playing for the Russian national team.

The 2024 Dubai Open Tennis tournament is an ATP 500 competition on the organization’s calendar and takes place at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai between February 26 and March 10.

The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts and offers over $2.9 million in prize money. Medvedev is the reigning champion.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.

However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only under a neutral status.