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Hubert Hurkacz acknowledged the presence of Roger Federer in the stands while also wishing his grandmother on her birthday after edging past Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8) to win the 2023 Shanghai Masters on Sunday, October 15.
With both players looking to win a second career ATP 1000 title, it was the Pole who came good on the day of the big final, serving up 21 aces against an opponent he had not defeated since 2021.
Hubert Hurkacz chose to dedicate the victory to his grandmother on her special day after the thrilling win against Rublev. He now leads 3-2 in the head-to-head against the Russian.
"Wanted to dedicate today this victory to my grandmother, who is having her birthday today, so happy birthday," said an emotional Hurkacz.
Roger Federer, who was the oldest champion at the Shanghai Masters following his win over Rafael Nadal in the 2017 final, was in attendance during the summit clash between Hurkacz and Rublev. Acknowledging the 20-time Grand Slam champion's presence, Hurkacz said:
“It’s really cool. Seeing Roger in the stands, hopefully he enjoyed the match a bit as well. He had so much success, winning here a couple of times. Such a big tournament with a lot of tradition over the years. Just really happy today."
Hurkacz saved a match point before prevailing in a pulsating tie-breaker in Shanghai to register his seventh tour-level title, which also marked his second Masters 1000 win (previously winning 2021 Miami Open).
Hubert Hurkacz, who last won a title at Marseille earlier this season, is now 11th in the ATP Live Race to Turin.
Hubert Hurkacz captures seventh career tour-level win at Shanghai
Hubert Hurkacz who beat Frenchman Benoit Paire to win his maiden ATP title at Winston Salem in 2019 had to wait until the beginning of the 2021 season to add a second to his kitty.
At the Delray Beach Open, Hurkacz got past American Sebastian Korda before embarking upon a memorable campaign at the 2021 Miami Open.
In Miami, the Wroclaw-born player had a dream run, defeating second-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the qaurterfinals before accounting for fourth-seed Andrey Rublev in the semifinals.
A straight-sets win over Jannik Sinner in the title round gave Hurkacz his first-ever ATP Masters title, which was followed by a triumph at the the 2021 Moselle Open, where he defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in the final.
A huge title win against Daniil Medvedev allowed the Pole to emphasize his grass-court credentials at the Halle Open in 2022. Benjamin Bonzi then failed to stop Hukacz from capturing his sixth tour title in the final at Marseille earlier this season.
