Metz 2022: Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderknech preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Moselle Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderknech.
Date: September 23, 2022.
Tournament: Moselle Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Metz, France.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Australia - beIN Sports.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderknech preview
Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz will take on Arthur Rinderknech in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Moselle Open.
After a first-round bye, Hurkacz kicked off his title defense against 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. He saved a couple of break points before managing to hold serve in the very first game of the match. Both players defended their serve quite well over the next few games.
Thiem led 40-15 on his own serve, but Hurkacz found a way to secure a break of serve here to go 5-3 up. He served out the set with ease in the following game. The 25-year was way too solid for his opponent in the second set. He snagged a break in the fifth game of the set to lead 3-2.
Thiem was unable to make his way back into the match after this as Hurkacz registered a 6-3, 6-4 victory. This is his seventh quarterfinal of the year, with a 4-2 record at this stage thus far.
Arthur Rinderknech began his Moselle Open campaign with a tough three-set win over Jaume Munar in the opening round. He was up against fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round.
Rinderknech led 4-2 in the first set, but Basilashvili won three games in a row to get back on serve. The Frenchman then saved a couple of set points while serving at 6-5 for a gutsy hold of serve. The ensuing tiebreak featured frequent momentum shifts, with the 27-year old managing to clinch the set on his sixth opportunity.
Basilashivili held a break point to go 4-3 up in the second set, but Rinderkench managed to fend it off. This proved to be too costly for him as the Frenchman bagged the next couple of games to win the match 7-6 (11), 6-3. He has now reached his third quarterfinal of the season.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderknech head-to-head
Hurkacz leads Rinderknech 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at this year's Miami Open in straight sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderkench odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Rinderknech prediction
Hurkacz played a pretty good match against Thiem in the previous round, firing 12 aces and winning 82% of his first serve points. Rinderknech's serving stats were quite decent in the second round as well, though the defending champion clearly has an edge over him in this department.
Hurkacz is simply too solid from the baseline and engaging in lengthy duels won't do Rinderknech any favors. The indoor courts play to the Pole's strengths and he'll have to come up with viable strategies to counter him.
When they previously faced off in Miami earlier this year, Rinderknech found it a little difficult to cope with Hurkacz's serve. He only managed to create a solitary break point opportunity, which he failed to convert. The Frenchman managed to take the 25-year-old to a tiebreak in the first set, but the next set was fairly one-sided.
Hurkacz serving performance in the last few months has been above and beyond the ordinary, particularly when it comes to first serves. Unless Rinderknech manages to up his return game, it's likely that history will repeat itself. Expect Hurkacz to carry on with his title defense with a win.
Pick: Hubert Hurkacz to win in straight sets.