In a first round clash of title-holders from the previous two editions of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Ugo Humbert beat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets 6-4 7-5.
Humbert, the left-handed Frenchman, won the Dubai title last year but was going in as defending champion after winning it here on Centre Court in 2019.
Tsitsipas continued to make unforced errors, and on Tuesday Humbert was rewarded for the better consistency.
“It’s nice to return where I won a tournament, but today it was tough,” Humbert said.
“Then again, this is a great tournament and a beautiful court. I have beautiful memories of winning the first big tournament in my career.”
Humbert will face Andrey Rublev of Russia, the 2022 Dubai champion, next.
On Centre Court’s final match of the night, Rublev defeated Humbert’s compatriot Valentin Royer 6-3 6-4.
The 28-year-old Russian will be aiming for a deep run in Dubai, having reached the semifinals at last week’s Qatar Open where he lost to seven-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.