Metz 2022: Hubert Hurkacz vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Moselle Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Hubert Hurkacz vs (PR) Dominic Thiem.
Date: September 22, 2022.
Tournament: Moselle Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
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 Dominic Thiem preview
Following an opening-round bye, Hurbert Hurkacz will commence his title defense against Dominic Thiem in the second round of the 2022 Moselle Open on Thursday.
Hurkacz has had a pretty solid season so far, but there have been some tough losses as well. He carried Poland to the semifinals of the ATP Cup, but bowed out in the second round of the Australian Open. A semifinal posting in Dubai was followed by a fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells.
Hurkacz's title defense at the Miami Open was ended by Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. He did, however, win the doubles title. The 25-year old kicked off the claycourt swing with consecutive quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, but lost in the first round in Rome. The defeat didn't stop him from doing well at the French Open, where he reached the fourth round for the first time.
Hurkacz won his first title of the season at the Halle Open in the lead-up to Wimbledon. He made it to the semifinals at the All England Club last year and was expected to perform well once again, but crashed out in the first round this year. The Pole then reached the final of the Canadian Open, but lost to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Hurkacz failed to make it past the second round of the Western & Southern Open and the US Open, losing to John Isner and Ilya Ivashka respectively.
practice session with @GrigorDimitrov before some indoor tennis starts 
Enjoying a ☀️ practice session with @GrigorDimitrov before some indoor tennis starts 🔜 https://t.co/Wc11xZ9ZwN
Following a runner-up finish at the Rennes Challenger, Thiem arrived at the Moselle Open where he took on Richard Gasquet in the first round. The Frenchman went up an early break in the opening set to lead 3-1. The 2020 US Open champion clawed his way back by winning five games in a row to take the first set.
Gasquet went up a break in the second set as well to lead 4-2, but Thiem managed to get back on serve. The Frenchman saved a match point on serve at 5-4 while trying to stay in the match and managed to take the set into a tiebreak.
Thiem built up a decent lead in the tiebreak and finally got the job done on his third match point to win 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Hubert Hurkacz vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Hurkacz leads Thiem 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 ATP Cup in three sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Dominic Thiem odds
Odds will be added once they're available.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Dominic Thiem prediction
Thiem is still far from his best, but his level has improved considerably since returning to the tour in March. Thiem looked quite decent against Gasquet in the first round. His backhand worked quite well, especially when he used his slice and during crosscourt exchanges. However, his serving numbers could've been better.
Thiem will face a much sterner test against the defending champion. For starters, he'll need to be at his best during return games. Hurkacz has won a whopping 90% of his service games this season. He can easily score more free points on his serve compared to his opponent.
Thiem made quite a few unforced errors in the previous round, mainly when he tried to pull the trigger too early. He's on the right track, but he needs to improve by a huge margin to challenge Hurkacz but the defending champion should have no problem moving on to the next round.
Pick: Hubert Hurkacz to win in straight sets.