Cincinnati 2023: Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: Quarterfinals
Date: August 18, 2023
Venue: Cincinnati, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast:- USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN | India: SONY LIV
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin preview
Hubert Hurkacz will take on Alexei Popyrin in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The Pole entered the Masters 1000 event after a narrow defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Canadian Open. He started the event with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(1) win over Thanasi Kokkinakis before clinching a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory against defending champion Borna Coric.
Hurkacz then locked horns with fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16 and took the opening set 6-3. He broke in the very first game of the second set to win it 6-4 and seal his place in the quarterfinals.
Popyrin initially failed to qualify for the Western & Southern Open and entered the main draw as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of Karen Khachanov. He started the tournament by beating Daniel Altmaier 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 and received a bye to the Round of 16 after his second-round opponent Nicolas Jarry withdrew.
The Aussie faced Emil Ruusuvuori in the third round and claimed the opening set 6-2. However, the Finn dominated the second set and won it 6-1 to force the match into a decider. Popyrin broke serve in the fourth game of the final set and this was enough to see him win 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals in Cincinnati.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin head-to-head
Hurkacz leads 2-0 in the head-to-head between the two. Their last meeting came in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with the Pole winning 6-3, 6-3.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin prediction
Hurkacz will enter the match as the favorite to win after his win over both of last year's finalists in Cincinnati. However, Popyrin will be in good spirits after reaching the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 event, so he should not be written off.
Hurkacz has served 34 aces in three matches in Cincinnati, and will be eager to fetch a lot more of those against Popyrin. He has won 120 out of 154 points on his first serve in the tournament so far, while hitting 113 winners compared to 31 unforced errors.
The Pole's strong counterpunching skills, powerful groundstrokes and swift shifts from defense to offense will no doubt be tough for Popyrin to cope up with.
The Aussie's first serve may not be as good as Hurkacz's but it has fetched him 12 aces so far in Cincinnati along with 80 out of 106 points. However, Popyrin has also served 13 double faults, so he'll need to be careful on his second serve. Popyrin hit 58 winners while producing 29 unforced errors.
The 24-year-old will look to dominate his service games while looking for the odd decisive break.
While Popyrin will not be easy to beat, Hurkacz looks very formidable at the moment and it's tough to see him lose this one.
Pick: Hurkacz to win in straight sets.