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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (12) Hubert Hurkacz
Date: 6 May 2022
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST, 5.30 pm IST
Prize money: €6,744,165.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot
Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will square off against 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open on Friday.
The Serb is slowly playing himself into form after a turbulent start to the season. Djokovic's first tournament was at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he reached the quarterfinals after beating Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov. However, he was beaten by eventual runner-up Jiri Vesely. The Serb lost his No. 1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev as a result, but reclaimed it after the Russian's exit at the Indian Wells Masters.
Djokovic suffered a second-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who went on to reach the final of the tournament. The 34-year-old then competed in the Serbia Open and reached the final with wins over Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic and Karen Khachanov. However, he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets in the title clash.
Djokovic received a bye to the second round of the Madrid Open and beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last 16. The Serb booked his place in the quarterfinals after Andy Murray withdrew from their last-16 encounter due to illness.
Hurkacz, meanwhile, began the season strongly by helping Poland reach the semifinals of the ATP Cup.
The 25-year-old also reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Miami Masters. On both occasions, he lost to the eventual winner (Andrey Rublev in Dubai and Carlos Alcaraz in Miami).
After a quarter-final run at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Hurkacz headed to Madrid, where triumphed over Hugo Dellien 7-5, 6-7(11), 6-3. He then fought off Monte-Carlo runner-up Davidovich Fokina in three sets.
In the last 16, Hurkacz beat Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-3 to reach his third Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the seasoh.
Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
This will be the fourth meeting between the two players, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head 3-0. Their first encounter was in the first round at Roland Garros in 2019, which the Serb won in straight sets. They next met in the third round at Wimbledon the same year, with Djokovic winning 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4.
Their third meeting came in the semifinals of last year's Paris Masters. Hurkacz won the opening set 6-3 but Djokovic bageled him in the second before taking the third in a tie-break.
The winner of the match will take on either Rafael Nadal or Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz odds
(All odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
This could be a rather tricky encounter for Djokovic since he is still lacking in match practice this season. Hurkacz has won six out of seven matches on clay this year, although none of his victories have come against a higher-ranked player.
Djokovic looked good in his victory over Monfils and would have ideally liked to have played a full match against Murray as well.
The World No. 1's refined attacking and defensive skills make him dangerous on any surface, irrespective of the bounce and speed. Djokovic is among the best returners of all time, and that will be put to the test by Hurkacz, who has served 43 aces in the tournament so far.
The Pole will have to serve exceedingly well and use his counterpunching skills to put Djokovic on the back foot.
The match could turn out to be a thriller but as is so often the case with Djokovic, he should be able to win the big points and progress in Madrid.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in three sets.
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