WATCH: Hubert Hurkacz's sportsmanship shines through at Indian Wells 2023, as he checks on opponent Alexei Popyrin after mid-match fall
Hubert Hurkacz put his exemplary sportsmanship on display as he checked on Alexei Popyrin after the Australian fell over during their match at Indian Wells 2023.
Following a bye in the first round, Hubert Hurkacz took on Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Popyrin suffered a loss to Taro Daniel in the qualifiers of the tournament but was able to make his way to the main draw as the Lucky Loser. He defeated Zhang Zhizhen to face Hurkacz in the second round of the tournament.
During their match at the Indian Wells Masters, Alexei Popyrin just about managed to get his racket on one of Hurkacz's serves. Not expecting his shot to land in, the Australian was late getting into position for the next shot. Subsequently, Hurkacz's powerful forehand caused Popyrin to lose his balance. The World No. 11 immediately made his way to Popyrin to make sure he was alright, a gesture that was loudly appreciated by the spectators.
Hubert Hurkacz eventually won the encounter against Popyrin 6-3, 6-3.
Hubert Hurkacz will take on Tommy Paul in the Indian Wells Masters third round
Hubert Hurkacz has had an interesting start to the 2023 season with contrasting fortunes at different tournaments. The Pole had a difficult experience at the 2023 Australian Open with two challenging five-set encounters leading up to his fourth-round clash against Sebastian Korda. The World No. 11 lost the match in five closely contested sets.
He competed at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam next, where he was ousted from the tournament in the second round by Grigor Dimitrov. Hurkacz turned his fortunes around at the Open 13 Provence, winning his first title of the year by defeating Benjamin Bonzi in the final.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Hurkacz enjoyed a fairly untroubled run before running into Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the tournament. He was defeated in straight sets by the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
While he is yet to win a title in 2023, Tommy Paul has had a great start to the season with several deep runs at tournaments. After an early exit from the Adelaide International, the American registered his best finish at a Grand Slam despite a semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The World No. 19 then competed at the Delray Beach Open, where he lost to Radu Albot in the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the Mexican Open semifinals, Paul battled past Taylor Fritz in the longest match in the history of the tournament, following which he lost the final to Alex de Minaur.
Hubert Hurkacz and Tommy Paul will face off in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters. Hurkacz won their sole previous encounter at the 2021 Paris Masters in straight sets.