Hubert Hurkacz lost in the semi-finals of the ATP 1000 tournament in Cincinnati to world ranking leader Carlos Alcaraz. The Pole played with the Spaniard in the second competition in a row and again showed himself with a worthy side. The match ended with the score 6:2, 6:7(4), 3:6. In the final we will see a repeat of the decisive match against Wimbledon.
The last weeks of Hubert Hurkacs look very decent. Suffice it to mention the matches with such players as Borna Coric or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who did not have much controversy in the fights with the Pole. However, the 26-year-old from Wroclaw will have to wait to beat the tennis player from the top of the ATP world rankings. Against all odds, the 20-year-old from El Palmar found out just how tough the world No. 20 is.
Demonstration of dominance by Hubert Gurkacz in the first set
The start of the match was almost perfect for the fans of Hubert Gurkacz and himself. The Pole quickly dominated the game, winning two assists and knocking down Carlos Alcaraz. Despite everything, the Spaniard persevered and twice came close to winning on the opponent’s serve. Only in the fourth installment, the leader of the ATP world ranking boldly went on the attack and began to resist the native of Wroclaw. With a score of 1:4, he had a break point, but here, too, the serve of the 26-year-old football player turned out to be decisive, as he defended himself perfectly.
At the end of the set, the nervousness of the Spanish tennis player was visible, as he could not control his emotions. It got to the point that coach Juan Carlos Ferrero had to give him advice. The Pole just played his part and showed no signs of fatigue - he wanted to go to the end. In the seventh game, he again defended against a break point, and in the eighth, he broke Alcaraz himself, which gave him a score of 6: 2.
Carlos Alcaraz makes a save
The second set lasted the longest in the match. Hubert Gurkacz continued to show his big side, and the opponent behaved cool towards him. After one of the excellent actions of the Pole, he waited for him in front of the net to congratulate him and extended his hand to him. That didn’t mean the 26-year-old dominated this time around. Throughout the set, both players went one on one, and the third game lasted as much as 16 minutes.
Hubert Hurkacz was already 5-4 up and in possession, but he messed up the game terribly by missing most of the court. As it turned out later, this was the turning point of this meeting. There was a tie-break where Carlos Alcaraz was better, winning 7-4.
One break was enough to win
Already at the beginning of the third set, it was clear that the Spanish tennis player gained confidence and began to show his best tennis. On the other hand, Hubert Gurkacz was his opposite, and it was easy to see that the event at the end of the second set had a strong effect on his psyche. In addition, the Spaniard had the advantage of the stands, which supported him in every possible way.
And that’s how the meeting ended. The ATP world ranking leader perfectly controlled the situation and broke the Pole, which became the key to winning the match and reaching the final of the ATP 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, where he will meet Novak Djokovic.
Source: Wprost
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