Astana Open 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (7) Hubert Hurkacz.
Date: October 7, 2022.
Tournament: Astana Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Astana, Kazakhstan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $1,900,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Top 10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz are set for a quarterfinal showdown at the 2022 Astana Open on Friday.
Tsitsipas defeated home favorite Mikhail Kukushkin in straight-sets to move on to the second round, where qualifier Luca Nardi awaited him. Both players defended their serve quite well in the opening set, as neither came close to a break point. The Greek then played a fantastic tie-break to take the set.
The second set played out in an almost similar manner, except Nardi had a couple of break points to go 6-5 up and would've served for the set after that. Tsitsipas, however, got himself out of trouble and managed to hold serve. The set soon went into yet another tie-break, with the World No. 5 coming out on top to win the match 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3).
Hubert Hurkacz defeated Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets to set up a second round against Alexander Bublik. He broke his opponent's serve twice to go 4-1 up in the opening set. The Kazakh started to put up a fight as he won the next couple of games.
Bublik then had another opportunity to secure a break of serve, but Hurkacz proved to be too solid for him. The World No. 10 then held a couple of set points on his opponent's serve in the following game, but was unable to close it out. He still managed to serve out the set himself in the next game.
Hurkacz snagged an early break in the second set to lead 3-1. Unlike in the previous set, Bublik was unable to put any pressure on the Pole's serve this time. The 25-year old held on to the lead he acquired to win the match 6-4, 6-4.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
The two have faced off eight times prior to this. Tsitsipas leads Hurkacz 6-2 in the head-to-head. The Pole won their previous meeting at the 2021 Miami Open in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Tsitsipas was unable to come up with any break points against Nardi in the second round. Against a server of Hurkacz's capabilities, he'll need to step up his return game considerably. The Pole's serving stats rank him amongst the top servers on the tour this year.
The Greek will be feeling quite confident of his chances considering his record against Hurkacz. Four of their previous meetings have been on indoor hardcourts, with Tsitsipas winning all of them.
But their matches are hard fought and often go down to the wire. All but one of their eight encounters have been decided in three sets. Tsitsipas generally performs quite well in these conditions, as he has four titles on indoor hardcourts to his name.
Both players have looked quite solid in Astana this week. Tsitsipas has been more consistent than Hurkacz this year and given their past history, the 24-year old might further extend his winning record against his rival.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.