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Match Details
Fixture: (15) Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik
Tournament: Canadian Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Toronto, Canada.
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik preview
15th seed Hubert Hurkacz will square off against Alexander Bublik in the first round of the 2023 Canadian Open.
Hurkacz started the season pretty well. However, after a good couple of months, he has been rather inconsistent.
Hurkacz helped Poland make it to the semifinals of the United Cup and then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. He then claimed his first title of the season at the Open 13 Provence.
Following a quarterfinal finish in Dubai, Hurkacz exited in the third round from the Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami. His clay swing wasn't too noteworthy, with third-round appearances at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the French Open being his best results.
Hurkacz fared better during the grass season. He made it to the semifinals in Stuttgart, while his title defense at the Halle Open ended in the second round. The 26-year-old lost to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon. He then lost his opener at the Citi Open against Michael Mmoh in three sets.
Bublik has had a rather rough season, with nine of his 16 match wins coming during last month's grass swing. He won the Halle Open and made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, the first time he did so at a Major. Aside from that, a semifinal finish in Marseille back in February was his other decent result.
Bublik also competed at the Citi Open. Following a first-round bye, he faced veteran Gael Monfils in the second round but lost to him in straight sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Hurkacz leads Bublik 5-1 in the head-to-head. The former won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Open 13 Provence in straight sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Both players had a disappointing return to hardcourts as they crashed out of the Citi Open without winning a match. Hurkacz even held three match points against Mmoh but failed to get the job done. He has been pushed to deciding sets plenty of times this season, with his record in those being quite above average.
Aside from three good results, Bublik has struggled the entire year. He has lost in the first round 10 times this season. After winning his first match against Hurkacz back in 2020, he lost the next five and managed to win just one set in those defeats.
Hurkacz and Bublik are known for their big serving, but there have been just two tie-breaks in their previous six contests. The former has been able to counter the latter's serve quite well.
Hurkacz is also more consistent in all areas compared to Bublik. Given their overall results and rivalry, the Pole should be able to make a winning start to his campaign here.
Pick: Hubert Hurkacz to win in three sets.
