Medvedev v. Shang Stats & Odds for 2nd Career Meeting.
No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev will begin his campaign at the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a feisty Round-1 battle against Juncheng Shang of China. The Russian may have started his season with a bang, but things have gone downhill for him since then. On the other hand, Shang lost to Medvedev in the opening round at Doha last week and will be desperate for sweet redemption. Can the Chinese sensation knock off the former US Open champion to tie up the rivalry? Let’s break down the stats and odds ahead of this key match-up.
Meddy delivers 📬
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 16, 2026
2023 champion @DaniilMedwed opens with a 6-4, 6-2 victory facing Shang@QatarTennis | #QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/lWFSUn7qfP
Daniil Medvedev showed signs of resurrection towards the end of 2025, and began the ongoing season with a championship run in Brisbane. He has a solitary Grand Slam title to his name, and boasts 22 tour-level trophies in total. Currently ranked No. 11 in the world, Medvedev has an 8-2 record so far. Juncheng Shang is one of the Russian’s casualties, as the 21-year-old was humbled in Doha. Ranked within the Top-50 at one point, Shang has slipped to No. 261 in the world. He made the quarterfinals in Hong Kong before two disheartening outings in Melbourne and Doha.
18yo Juncheng Shang beats #41 Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4 to reach the 2nd round in Atlanta. Best win of his career.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 26, 2023
So it's Dante Bottini (Shang's coach) vs. Kei Nishikori in R2!
Shelton won back to back matches just once at ATP level in 2023: at the AusOpen…
According to the tennis betting odds on BetMGM, Daniil Medvedev (-345) is the clear favorite to win this encounter in straight sets. Juncheng Shang (+260) is unlikely to trouble the betting market with his underdog odds. Here’s how we are betting on this opening round battle at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2026, including our best bets, supporting odds and a set-score prop for bigger prices.
Given below are the latest odds for Daniil Medvedev vs Juncheng Shang from the top sportsbooks. We are looking at the match money line, game handicap and total games, plus some set betting markets where available.
| Market | BetMGM | FanDuel |
| Moneyline | Medvedev (-345), Shang (+260) | |
| Game Handicap | Medvedev -3.5 (-143), Shang +3.5 (+100) | |
| Total Games | >21.5 (-125), <21.5 (-104) | |
| Set Betting | Medvedev 2-0 (-134) |
Our Pick: Juncheng Shang +3.5 Games at +110 Odds.
Daniil Medvedev leads the head-to-head against Juncheng Shang by 1-0. He defeated the youngster at the 2026 Qatar Open in straight sets. As a result, the opening round clash in Dubai will be their second meeting on hard courts.
| Event | Round | Winner | Score |
| 2026 Doha | Round of 32 | Daniil Medvedev | 6-4 6-2 |
Back to back to back wins! Congrats @DaniilMedwed on winning the @DDFTennis 🏆
— IMG Tennis (@IMGTennis) March 4, 2023
Daniil is the 1st male player in Open Era to win his first 18 titles in 18 different cities! pic.twitter.com/gXcWuqijiO
The ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2026 can be streamed live on various platforms and channels, depending on which part of the world you are watching from. This includes Tennis TV, Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, beIN Sports, ESPN International, Setanta Sports and TSN.
| Date | February 23, 2026 |
| Time | |
| Tournament | ATP Dubai Tennis Championships, R32 |
| Surface | Outdoor Hard Court |
| Court | Centre Court, Aviation Club Tennis Centre |
| TV/Streaming | Tennis TV, Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, beIN Sports, ESPN International, Setanta Sports and TSN. |
(Image Credits: Mike Frey, Imagn Images)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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