Hubert Hurkacz is merciless to fans. He gave them another thriller

Hubert Hurkacz is fighting to improve his result in the ATP world ranking, where he scored a significant drop after the tournament in Toronto. There, he was beaten by world number one Carlos Alcaraz, and now he had to face Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who, like himself, is famous for his powerful serve. The strength of both men could be felt during their direct duel, which ended in favor of the Pole. It is worth noting that it was their second meeting this year. The first took place in March in Miami, where the winner was also from Wrocław.

Hubert Hurkacz defeated Thansi Kokkinakis

Before the match, Hubert Hurkacz was considered a minimal favourite, but many fans expected it to be a very tight duel. And they were not wrong. Both gentlemen were doing great with their serves, but the Pole was definitely more effective, not once allowing his rival to break. He himself missed a break twice, leaving the scoreboard 4-4 after eight games. In the tenth he had a set ball, but the Australian took the initiative and got out of trouble.

Eventually, they led to a tie-break, which was dictated by the 26-year-old from Wrocław and won 7-2. In the second set, Kokkinakis rushed to the attack and quickly found a way to break the Polish representative. He developed a large, three-game lead, which turned out to be crucial to his subsequent success. Hurkacz was unable to win break points and wasted a good opportunity at 2:4, which could turn the tide of the competition. He ended up losing the set 3-6.

Hubert Hurkacz will want to take revenge

The Australian had to seek the help of a physiotherapist because he was complaining about shoulder problems. They were not seen during the game, because he was very good in oppression and in the sixth game of the third set he led to three break points, but he did not convert any of them. The gentlemen were winning their serves until the very end, so we had to watch another tie-break. There, the Pole was much more effective and allowed Kokkinakis to win only one ball. In this way he won the whole match.

In the second round, a very difficult task awaits the Pole. He will face the winner of the previous edition of the competition, Borna Coric, with whom he has already played in this year’s edition of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. The Croat had the upper hand there (7:6(3), 6:3). Throughout their career, the men faced each other four times and Hubert Hurkacz managed to win only once. It took place in the ATP Cup in Australia in 2020 (6:2, 6:2).