Hurkacz’s two-set battle in Rome. The Pole suffered on the court
Hubert Hurkacz played a two-set battle in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on clay courts in Rome. The Pole ultimately lost to American Tommy Paul 6:7(4), 3:6. Disturbing scenes occurred in the second set.
Last year, Hubert Hurkacz (ATP 31) and Tommy Paul (ATP 12) met in the quarterfinals of the Italian International Championships, and the American won 7:5, 3:6, 6:3. On Thursday, the two faced each other again at this stage of the Roman competition and fought a fascinating duel. After an hour and 58 minutes, the US representative triumphed 7:6(4), 6:3.
The beginning of the match was not good for Hurkacz. The Pole was surprised in the first game and easily returned the serve. Paul increased the advantage to 2:0, but then one of many twists of the plot occurred. The fourth game was very long and even. Eventually, “Hubi” made up for the loss of the break and tied the score at 2.
Hurkacz kept a cool head in the fifth game, in which he won his serve from 0-40. Thanks to this, he took the lead for the first time in the match. Then, however, the Pole’s problems with his serve returned. Paul was doing great on the return, he led the rallies better. This allowed him to take a break and move to 4-3.
Our representative showed great fighting spirit in the final phase of the set. After a murderous eighth game, he tied the score at 4. However, a moment later, H. Urkacz lost his serve for the third time in the set. The American had a great chance to end the set, but he also lost his serve.
Ultimately, the fate of the first set was decided by a tie-break. This game was very even, and one mini-break proved decisive. When the score was 4-3 for Paul, the tennis player from Wrocław made a double fault. The Americans did not waste this opportunity. He worked out two set points, and with the first one, he finished the set, which lasted an hour and 16 minutes.
The victory in the opening set lifted Paul’s spirits. Hurkacz, on the other hand, was suffering on the court. It cannot be ruled out that the knee he injured at Wimbledon 2024 has flared up again.
The beginning of the second set was not successful for the Pole, who lost his serve in the second game. The American immediately jumped to 3:0 and waited for his next chances. However, there were situations in which the player from Wrocław was clearly in a hurry, as if he wanted to shorten the exchanges.
Hurkacz seemed a bit resigned at the time. Now and then, he turned to his team. Coach Nicolas Massu encouraged him to fight. He suggested that he hit harder with his first serve. This tactic allowed the Pole to hold serve three times, but there was no question of getting back into the game. In the ninth game, the American worked out two match points and decided the match on the second one.
Hurkacz’s defeat was decided by the large number of errors made in the exchanges. The Pole had as many as 48 errors, with 23 final strokes. Paul was the more solid player in this respect. He recorded 16 winning moves and 25 errors. In addition, he won 88 out of 162 points.
Paul ultimately won 7:6(4), 6:3 and thanks to this improved his record with Hurkacz in the main series to 3-1. The American will play in the semifinals of the tournament in the capital of Italy for the second time in a row. His opponent on Friday will be the Italian Jannik Sinner or the Norwegian Casper Ruud .
The main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome will last until Sunday (May 18). The winner will receive 1,000 ranking points and a check for 985,000 euros.
Internazionali BNL d’Italia , Rome (Italy)
ATP Masters 1000, clay court, prize pool 8.055 million euros
Thursday, May 15
singles quarterfinals :
Tommy Paul (USA, 11) – Hubert Hurkacz (Poland, 30) 7:6(4), 6:3