Hubert Hurkacz of Poland beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 7-6 4-6 6-3 at the United Cup in Brisbane on Sunday. It was an entertaining match that lasted for more than two hours, with the 25-year-old Pole emerging victorious.
Hurkacz’s victory gave Poland a 2-1 lead and they then won the next two rubbers to win the tie 4-1. On that note, we will take a look at two things that stood out.
Two keys to Hubert Hurkacz’s win over Alexander Bublik
#1. Hurkacz moved forward often to win a close first set:
It was a battle between two big men, both of whom are big servers and hard-hitters. However, both the players exhibited silken touch to complement their powerful game and it enhanced the quality of the match.
Hurkacz moved to the net quite frequently and then finished points with volleys, with some of his backhand volleys reminding one of Stefan Edberg.
Bublik managed to pass him on a few occasions and kept hitting his ground strokes with a lot of venom. Both players held serve throughout the first set and a tie-break followed. Hurkacz then managed to edge the 25-year-old Kazakh to win the set.
#2. Bublik started hitting the drop shots more often, but Hurkacz emerged victorious:
If the first set saw a number of volleys being hit by Hurkacz, it was Bublik who came up with a few drop shots from the second set onwards. He thus dragged the Pole to the net and won points with volleys.
Hurkacz, meanwhile, kept hitting a good number of volleys and half-volleys to keep the pressure on the Kazakh. However, Bublik at times seemed to lack the intensity and desire required to win a close match.
Bublik broke Hurkacz in the very first game of the second set and then held his serve throughout to draw level. However, Hurkacz then got the decisive break in the eighth game of the third set before serving out the set and the match.
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