Hurkacz leads Poland to the brink of United Cup glory
In a dazzling display of skill, Hubert Hurkacz proved vital in propelling Poland to the brink of the United Cup final in Sydney on Saturday, effortlessly outclassing Alexander Shevchenko with a convincing 6-3, 6- triumph. 2.
After a rough start to the tournament, where he suffered losses to Casper Ruud and Tomas Machac, Hurkacz redeemed himself with a polished performance, following up his quarter-final win over Billy Harris. Her latest victory takes Poland one step away from their second consecutive final, boosting hopes ahead of a crucial match for world number 2 Iga Swiatek, who is due to face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Last year, Hurkacz felt the anguish of losing in the final to Alexander Zverev, despite holding match points. The current world number 2 rallied to snatch victory, and, along with Laura Siegemund, won the deciding mixed doubles match against Hurkacz and Swiatek. Reflecting on his journey, Hurkacz said: “The last match here gave me a little confidence and I played better in each match.”
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After struggling against the punching power of his opponents in previous matches, Hurkacz showed his ability to dominate from the baseline against Shevchenko. He particularly impressed on serve, with 76% of first serve hits, while winning 80% of first serve points and 73% of second serve points.
Shevchenko, displaying early resilience in the second set, began to disrupt Hurkacz by keeping him off balance. However, after missing a chance at 30-30 in the fourth game, Shevchenko gave in to a series of unforced errors, allowing Hurkacz to easily break and take control of the match.
With the win, Hurkacz now holds an overwhelming 4-0 lead over Shevchenko in their Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, cementing his status as a formidable competitor on the ATP Tour.
