Hubert Hurkacz was booming with every game in the prestigious ATP 1000 Championships in Indian Wells. The Wroclaw player first beat Oscar Otti in three sets, and in the third round he defeated Steve Johnson in two matches. Our best tennis player had to play against Andrei Rublev in the quarter-finals.
The Russian takes 7th place in the ATP rating. Bye in the first round, then defeated Dominic Kupffer, and most recently Francis Tiafoe. In both cases he did so without losing a set.
The start of the 1/8 final of the championship in California was very balanced. Hurkacz didn’t give his opponent a jump and after six games and a break in the 25-year-old’s performance from Wroclaw, the score was 3:3. The Pole managed to defend his break points in games nine and eleven and had to be decided by a tiebreaker for the first game. We had real mood swings in the decisive match. A tennis player from Moscow won the first three points, but Hurkacz hit the ground running later, winning another four exchanges. However, Rublev remained calmer at the decisive moment and was the seventh player in the world ranking after the first ball, who could enjoy the victory.
In the second set, the match was very even, and the two players were not accustomed to making mistakes in their passes. Unfortunately for the Pole, that was the case until match 10. With a 5:4 lead, Rublev was able to break the “Hubi” serve and use the first match ball.
The 24-year-old has thus proven himself better than Hurkashz for the second time in a row. In February, Roblo threw Hurkash on the side of the tournament in Dubai in the semi-finals. The 1/8 defeat means Hurkacz will not repeat his best showing at Indian Wells from 2019 and 2021, when he reached the quarter-finals.
Now, 25 years ago, a trip to Miami, where he will fight to defend the title of ATP Masters 1000.
Hubert Hurkacz – Andrei Rublev 6:7 (5), 4:6
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