Hubert Hurkacz

[Damian]

Hubert Hurkacz started his clay-court season with a hard-fought win, overcoming Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round.

The Pole clinched three tour-level titles in a standout 2021 season, including his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami. The 11th seed is still searching for his first trophy of 2022, though, but he produced a gritty baseline display against Dellien, hammering his groundstrokes and scampering around the court to advance after one hour and 40 minutes.

The World No. 14, who is making his third appearance in Monte-Carlo, will next meet Spaniard Pedro Martinez or Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Hurkacz will be aiming to improve his clay-court results this season, having held a 1-4 record on the surface in 2021.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/cilic-t ... 022-monday

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Barty]

ATP Monte Carlo 2022: 7. ćwierćfinał M-1000.

[11] Hubert Hurkacz d. Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(2) 6-2

[DUN I LOVE]

Tak mu liczyłem te mecze, a przegapiłem jubileusz.

Wygrał przedwczoraj Hubert swój 100. mecz w karierze. Dziś ma już ich na koncie 101.

[Bombardiero]

[Nando]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Why Hurkacz Has Entered The Season Of Opportunity

Spoiler:

Pole has an opportunity to make a move up the ATP Rankings
Hubert Hurkacz not only reached the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Thursday with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win against 2017 finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas, but he also entered the season of opportunity.

From this week through the week of 20 June — a span of 11 weeks — the Polish star is defending just 188 ATP Rankings points. Nobody ranked ahead of the World No. 14 is defending fewer than 300 points during the same stretch.

By advancing to the last eight in Monte Carlo, Hurkacz has already earned 180 points for this tournament alone. With his strong run in the Principality — which will continue on Friday against former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov — Hurkacz has already covered 96 per cent of the points he is defending for the next two-and-a-half months.

Hurkacz's Upcoming Points To Defend

Date Dropping Points Dropping
18 April 45 (2021 Monte Carlo)
9 May 58 (2019 Madrid)
16 May 45 (2020 Rome)
6 June 17 (2019 Poznan CH)
27 June 23 (2019 Eastbourne)
Hurkacz can still gain another 820 points in Monte Carlo, and he is competing in the ATP 500 in Barcelona before ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome and the season's second Grand Slam at Roland Garros. With such a wealth of points up for grabs, the Pole has a chance to make a big move.

One year ago, he claimed just one win during his clay-court season and the two grass-court tournaments he played before Wimbledon. This year, he is off to a much better start for this stretch with victories against three clay-court standouts in Monaco: Hugo Dellien, Pedro Martinez and Ramos-Vinolas.

At Wimbledon, Hurkacz will defend 720 points because he reached the semi-finals at SW19 last year. But until then, plenty of opportunity awaits.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/hurkacz ... gs-feature

[Damian]

Clay-Court Ready: Hurkacz Hunts Winning Formula In Madrid

Spoiler:

Pole competes in second clay-court event of the season in Madrid this week
The clay-court swing on the ATP Tour is a time for high-bouncing balls, lung-busting exchanges, red-stained socks and sliding into shots.

For Hubert Hurkacz, the period represents a chance to climb the ATP Rankings as he looks to transfer his strong hard-court form onto the red dirt. The Pole went 1-4 on clay in 2021 but has already earned three wins on the surface this year after advancing to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Ahead of making his third appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, Hurkacz revealed he is feeling confident that his game can continue to match up well on the clay this year.

“It is going to be better than last year because I was not winning matches then,” Hurkacz told ATPTour.com. “I have done some work with my coach and I am starting to feel better on clay courts. I think my game is going to be good. I think I have the capacity to play really well on the surface.

“I think I can move decently on clay courts. That helps, I can get to the ball. I feel that I can hit the ball hard on clay because I have more time on clay, so that is beneficial for me. I am just working on my game generally to improve on the surface.”

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The World No. 14 has enjoyed standout results on both hard and grass, capturing his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami last year before he defeated Roger Federer en route to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

While his thunderous groundstrokes and powerful serve are well suited on hard and grass courts, Hurkacz actually played primarily on clay when he was younger as he developed his game in Poland.

“In Poland we have so many clay courts, so when I was young I played a lot on clay courts,” Hurkacz said. “I definitely played way more on clay than I did on hard. From the age of eight all the way through until I was 16, I used to play on clay courts and enjoyed it. I feel comfortable playing on it.”

Hurkacz is defending just 143 ATP Ranking points from this week through the week of 20 June. He has already earned 180 points on the surface this year from Monte Carlo. With American Taylor Fritz the only player ranked above Hurkacz defending fewer points in that period, the Pole is targeting a return to the Top 10, after dropping out on 4 April 2022.

“It is definitely a focus to get back into the Top 10,” Hurkacz admitted. “If I can play at a good level, I will have chances to win tournaments. It is all about getting my game to a good spot and then I will have bigger opportunities to produce better results and reach finals.”

The 25-year-old was ranked outside the Top 30 at the start of the 2021 season. However, after capturing three tour-level titles, he qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin for the first time.

He is aiming to use the prestigious end-of-year event as fuel for further motivation in the coming weeks.

“Turin was a huge experience for me. I felt great there and the experience has really helped me,” Hurkacz said when reflecting on the prestigious end-of-year event. “It is also a big motivation to try and qualify again this year. Trying to become a better player and person. I want to improve my ranking and qualify for Turin.

“At the beginning of the year I had high expectations of myself. I wanted to do really well. I feel that I have got used to it now and am dealing with the pressure better and doing well.”

Hurkacz will face Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien in his opening match in Madrid as he looks to carry his Monte Carlo momentum into the second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

“I really, really like the city. Madrid is great,” Hurkacz said as he aims to win his first title of the season in the Spanish capital. “It is quite quick the surface here, which I feel suits my game and I feel I can have a good run here.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/hurkacz ... e-may-2022

[Damian]

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[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

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[Damian]

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