The road through the suffering of Hubert Hurkacz. One play was jaw-dropping
Hubert Hurkacz fought for the ATP quarterfinals in Rome with Sebastian Baez. The Argentine had earlier eliminated Holger Rune, so it was going to be a great spectacle.
Hubert Hurkacz advanced to the fourth round of the ATP tournament in Rome for the first time in his career. This season, the Pole started in the second round, where he met the legendary Rafael Nadal. The Pole coped with the Spaniard and eliminated him at the very beginning of the competition. His next rival was Tomas Martin Etcheverry. It was the first meeting between these two tennis players. Ultimately, the Wrocław resident managed to cope with it, although it was not easy.
Beautiful play by Hubert Hurkacz in the first set
In the quarterfinal match, Hubert Hurkacz faced Sebastian Baez. The Argentine is seeded seventeen and has already caused a surprise at this tournament, as he eliminated Holger Rune in the previous round. For him and the Pole it was the first direct clash.
Unfortunately, “Hubi” did not start this match well. He was broken in the first game. Even his brilliant serve, which is praised by many top tennis players, did not help him and he had to accept his rival's superiority. In the third game, Baez could have increased the lead, but this time the Wrocław player defended himself. With the score 3:4, Hubert Hurkacz finally achieved his goal and broke his opponent, equalizing the score.
At the decisive moment, Hurkacz was broken again (5:6), which complicated the matter terribly. In the next game, the Argentine confirmed this break, winning the set 5:7.
Thriller with a happy ending
Unfortunately, the situation repeated itself in the second set and Hubert Hurkacz was broken in the first game. The Pole tried with all his might to reverse the fate of this game and the entire match, but unfortunately the Argentine was better that day. Fortunately, with the score 2:3, the Pole managed to break away from his rival and equalize once again. The Wrocław player even had a set ball in the tenth game, but unfortunately he was unable to finish it. Ultimately, the winner in this game had to be decided by a tie-break, in which the winner from Wrocław was the better (7:4).
Hubert Hurkacz approached the decisive set energized after winning the tie-break. In the fifth game, he finally broke his opponent and took the lead 3:2. The Pole then confirmed his advantage and triumphed in his service game. At the end, the Wrocław player played a concert that ensured him a 2-1 victory in the match (6-4 in this set) and advancement to the ATP quarterfinals in Rome. “Hubi” is the third Pole in history to reach this stage of the tournament.