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Match details
Fixture: (2) Daniil Medvedev vs (7) Hubert Hurkacz
Date: 14 November 2021
Tournament: Nitto ATP Finals 2021
Round: Round robin (Red group)
Venue: Turin, Italy
Category: Year-ending championships
Surface: Hardcourt
Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 1 pm GMT, 6.30 pm IST
Prize money: $7,250,000
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Daniil Medvedev will open his Nitto ATP Finals campaign against Hubert Hurkacz in the first round-robin match of the Red Group on Sunday.
Medvedev, the defending ATP Finals champion, has been in blistering form of late. Barring his fourth-round defeat to Grigor Dimitrov at Indian Wells, the Russian has made the business end of every single hardcourt tournament in the North American swing.
The Russian lifted the title at the US Open and Toronto Masters and is one of the favorites to go all the way in Turin.
Hukacz has also managed to string together an impressive run on hardcourts of late. The Pole reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and followed it up with a semifinal appearance in Paris, where he pushed eventual champion Novak Djokovic to the limit.
Hurkacz will also be motivated to exact revenge on Medvedev, having lost to the Russian in Toronto.
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz have split their two meetings on tour, so their current head-to-head stands at a 1-1 deadlock. While the Pole won their first encounter at Wimbledon this year, Medvedev managed to pull level in Toronto.
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Second seed Daniil Medvedev will enter the opening round-robin contest as the favorite on paper. The Russian will, however, need to guard against complacency as Hurkacz has troubled him in their previous meetings.
For Medvedev, the biggest challenge will be to make inroads into the Hurkacz service games. The Pole possesses a huge first serve and does not shy away from following it into the net. He can also generate a lot of power off the ground and is likely to step out on court with an aggressive mindset.
The onus will be on Medvedev to come up with answers to his opponent's firepower. The World No. 2 has done well against big-serving opponents like Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime in recent weeks, which will hold him in good stead heading into his match against Hurkacz.
Medvedev has the ability to frustrate opponents with his consistent ball-striking and Hurkacz will have to ensure he stays patient in the rallies and does not pull the trigger too soon.
Ultimately, Medvedev's experience should give him the edge in this contest and help him start his title defence on a winning note.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets
