'%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: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz
Date: August 17, 2023
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Cincinnati, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Hubert Hurkacz in the third round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open on Thursday.
Following a first-round bye, Tsitsipas faced home favorite Ben Shelton in the second round. Having crashed out of last week's Canadian Open without winning a match, this was a must-win encounter for the Greek to get his campaign back on track.
The duo defended their serves extremely well as the match featured no break points at all. Both sets were decided via a tie-break, in which Tsitsipas gained the upper hand to win the match 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2).
Hurkacz edged past Thanasi Kokkinakis in a three-set marathon to book a second round showdown against defending champion Borna Coric. The Pole was on the cusp of claiming the first set as he built up a 5-2 lead.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Coric swept the next five games to clinch the set. Hurkacz found himself leading 5-2 in the second set as well and even had four set points on his opponent's serve at that juncture, but wasted them all.
But Hurkacz avoided a repeat of the last set and served out the set in the next game to clinch it. The third set was more straightforward, with the Pole breaking Coric's serve twice to complete a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
Tsitsipas leads Hurkacz 7-2 in the head-to-head. The Greek won their previous encounter at the 2022 Astana Open in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Tsitsipas did well enough to get past Shelton, with his serve helping him out by a fair margin. He won 93% of his first serve points and hit six aces as well. Hurkacz once again let go of a lead and got dragged into another three-set match. This has been a recurring theme for him this season.
However, Hurkacz was able to recover a bit more easily this time and cut short defending champion Coric's journey in Cincinnati. He rained down 10 aces, but won just 68% of his first serve points, which is slightly lower by his standards.
Tsitsipas and Hurkacz have built up quite the rivalry over the years. While it leans more in the former's favor, all but two of their matches have gone the distance. The Greek was unable to pick apart Shelton's serve in the previous round.
Hurkacz is an even better server, so if Tsitsipas is unable to improve in that regard, he might find himself in a tough spot. But the Greek has been tested by the 26-year old in the past and has emerged victorious most of the time. He's likely to do so yet again, given the Pole's tendency to wither away against top players.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.
