Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Ugo Humbert in the first round of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.

The Greek’s title defence went up in flames, as he lost to Humbert in straight sets, 4-6, 5-7.

Having won the title in Dubai last year, Tsitsipas had 500 points to defend this week.

Failing to win a single match, the former Grand Slam finalist is now set to tumble down the rankings.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will fall out of the top 40

Losing his opening match in Dubai, Tsitsipas now sits 42nd in the Live ATP Rankings.

Tsitsipas was last ranked outside the world’s top 40 in 2018, nearly eight years ago.

Worryingly, he could yet drop further.

It’s not out of the question that Tsitsipas could fall below 45th in the rankings, if others enjoy strong weeks in Dubai and Acapulco.

That would pile on the embarrassment for the former world number three.

Tsitsipas was once a top prospect in men’s tennis, threatening to win Grand Slam titles.

In fact, when Tsitsipas walked on court for his second Grand Slam final, at the 2023 Australian Open, he did so knowing a win would take him to world number one.

Fast forward three years, and the Greek is in sharp decline, losing his grip on a top-50 spot.

Ugo Humbert reacts after beating the defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas

While it was a bad day at the office for the 2025 Dubai champ, it was a great day for the 2024 champ.

Humbert was delighted with his efforts, reflecting on his performance during his post-match interview.

“I think it was a big battle from the serve, we served very well from the beginning to the end,” said Humbert.

“I was a bit lucky on the last game at 5-4, I did two double faults, but when I had the opportunities I took them, and I’m happy about this first win because Stef [Tsitsipas] is a big player, we know that he can play at the top level.”

Humbert was then asked about the conditions in Dubai, with the courts seemingly a lot faster than what’s common elsewhere on tour.

“I cannot complain because we don’t have many fast courts now, and I think it’s nice to have these kinds of conditions. So I really enjoyed it, yeah, it’s fast, but it’s nice to have more specialist [courts],” he said.

“It was a funny match because we were the last two champions in Dubai, I know the people are super nice, it’s always good to feel this positivity.”

Humbert will now prepare to play Andrey Rublev or Valentin Royer in the second round on Wednesday, February 25.

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, turns his attentions to Indian Wells, which begins on Wednesday, March 4.