Carreno Busta Defeats Shapovalov in Dubai, Auger-Aliassime Advances

Pablo Carreno Busta secured a victory over Denis Shapovalov in the Round of 32 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The Spaniard won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, in a match lasting 77 minutes.

Carreno Busta Overcomes Shapovalov

Carreno Busta, currently ranked 124th in the ATP, qualified for the main draw of the tournament and demonstrated strong control throughout the match ATP Tour. Despite not excelling on his own serve, saving seven of nine break points faced, he capitalized on Shapovalov’s service difficulties, breaking the Canadian five times. Shapovalov won only 36% of points on his second serve.

This win marks Carreno Busta’s sixth victory in eight career meetings against Shapovalov. Shapovalov briefly rallied in the second set, breaking Carreno Busta to reduce his deficit to 5-4, but was unable to secure another break to extend the match.

Carreno Busta could potentially face eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in the next round.

Auger-Aliassime Advances to Round of 16

Tournament favorite Félix Auger-Aliassime will compete in the round of 16 on Wednesday against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, a qualifier. Auger-Aliassime holds a 2-1 career record against Mpetshi Perricard, having won their two most recent encounters in 2025 Sofascore.

Andreescu and Brace Eliminated

In other Canadian news, Bianca Andreescu was defeated by Italian Dalma Gálfi in her first match of the WTA season at the Austin tournament, losing in three sets 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Cadence Brace also suffered a loss in Merida, Mexico, falling to Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.