'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (16) Hubert Hurkacz vs (26) Sebastian Korda
Tournament: Shanghai Masters 2023.
Round: Semifinals.
Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China.
Category: ATP 1000.
Surface: Hard (Indoor).
Prize money: $8,800,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN.
Sebastian Korda vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
26th seed Sebastian Korda will take on 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.
Korda recieved a bye to the second round of the tournament by virtue of being one of the seeded players and started with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Yunchaokete Bu. He then scripted one of the upsets of the tournament by stunning Daniil Medvedev 7-6(8), 6-2 to book his place in the fourth round.
Here, the American triumphed 7-5, 7-6(8) over 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo to set up a quarterfinal against 19th seed Ben Shelton. The first set was tightly contested and went to a tiebreak. Korda had a set point but Shelton saved it and went on to win 12-10 to take the lead in the match.
The 23-year-old bounced back in the second set and won it 6-2 to force the match into a tiebreaker. The final set saw both players breaking serve once each before another tiebreak was played. Shelton showed a lot of resistance but Korda won 8-6 to win 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6) and reach his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal.
Hurkacz, like Korda was also a seeded player in Shanghai and received a walkover to the second round. Here, he faced Thanasi Kokkinakis and won 7-6(5), 6-4 to book his place in the third round.
Hurkacz then triumphed 6-4, 6-4 over Yu-hsiou Hsu to reach the fourth round, where he survived a scare from local boy Zhizhen Zhang, winning 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(4) and reach the quarterfinals.
Here, the Pole faced Fabian Marozsan who defeated the likes of Casper Ruud and Alex de Minaur earlier in the tournament. The Hungarian started the match well and claimed the first set 6-4. However, Hurkacz bounced back and won the second 6-1 to force the match into a decider.
The Pole saved a break point in the sixth game of the final set before breaking serve to lead 4-3. He broke Marozsan for a second time in the last game of the match to register a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win and reach the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.
Sebastian Korda vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two is currently tied at 1-1. Their most recent encounter came in the fourth round of this year's Australian Open, with Korda winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(7).
Sebastian Korda vs Hubert Hurkacz odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Sebastian Korda vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Korda and Hurkacz locked horns in a thrilling fixture at the Australian Open and we could see another exciting matchup between the two in Shanghai given their respective forms.
Korda has had decent numbers on his first serve at the Shanghai Masters, serving 25 aces and winning 150 out of 203 points (73.9%). The American will look to be aggressive from the start of the match and put pressure on Hurkacz. He hit 34 winners in his last match but still produced 15 unforced errors. Korda will have to be careful not to hit too many of the latter against Hurkacz.
The Pole is among the best servers on tour and he has been impressive on his first serve so far in Shanghai, winning 174 out of 211 points (82.4%) with 63 aces to his name. He has also hit 157 winners compared to only 32 unforced errors.
Hurkacz is a brilliant counterpuncher and is a very good defensive player. However, his swift transitions from defense to offense are impressive, as is his high rally tolerance.
Both players look in good touch and we could see another nail-biter between them. While Korda has produced some impressive performances lately, Hurkacz should be able to scrape out a win if he maintains his composure throughout the match.
Pick: Hurkacz to win in three sets.
