Beginning this year's adventure with a tournament in Indian Wells, Hubert Hurkacz faced a very demanding opponent. It was Gael Monfils who defeated Max Purcell in the first round in some style. In direct confrontations, the Polish and French scored a 1-1 draw, but Their last singles match took place in October 2019. After nearly five years, both of them got the chance to take the lead in head-to-head competition.
The first set of the match was a singles play. Gael Monfils shined on the field, and the pole seemed completely absent. He had absolutely no idea how to oppose his famous rival. As a result, something happened that was difficult to imagine before the match – especially when we consider the type of serve that Hurkacz serves. Our representative lost the match to zero, what? This hasn't happened to him for several years.
The development in the second match was for nothing. Hubert Hurkacz did not follow through
However, the beginning of the second set brought about an improvement in the play on the court. A resident of Wroclaw Take advantage of the relaxation on the part of the opponent After winning the set easily and immediately started attacking. Hurkacz won two break points and converted the first point. Later, they both won their service matches quite easily, until the score became 4:3 for the Pole.
Then there was another weaker performance by the 27-year-old in this match. Monfils had three break points. Last time, the tennis player made a clear error with a forehand and the score was 4:4. However, the competitor did not enjoy making up for his losses for long. In the next game, Hurkacz scored two break points. Already at the first opportunity, he helped the competitor He committed a double serve foul.
The Wrocław native managed to win the set at 5:4, but did not take advantage of the opportunity presented to him. He lost the game by a score of zero and again we were tied on the scoreboard in the second game. The group's fate was decided by tiebreak. The seven-point game brought no less emotion than the entire match. However, the decisive points went to the Wroclaw player. From 5-4 for the discount Our tennis player won three matches in a row He won the set 7:6(5).
However, the beginning of the decisive match was a return to the events of the first group. Monfils dominated the court, and Hurkacz lost service game after service game. The Poles' greatest asset, the service, did not function at all. The best confirmation of this is the fact of it In the first two matches, our tennis player served only one ace.
The Frenchman quickly took a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and was able to control the events on the court. There was no shortage of stunning actions, which more often than not ended in points for the opponent. At the end of the match, Hurkacz was hit in the face You can often see a grimace of painAs if there was something wrong with him. The Pole fought until the end, but Monfils did not allow him to compensate for the losses. In the end, the eighth tennis player in the world lost 0:6, 7:6(5), 2:6. Gayle will play Cameron Norrie in the third round.
A detailed recording of the match between Hubert Hurkacz and Gael Monfils is available here.
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