Olympics 2021: Hubert Hurkacz vs Liam Broady preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Hubert Hurkacz [POL] vs Liam Broady [GBR]
Date: 27 July 2021
Tournament: Olympics 2021
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan
Category: Olympic Games
Surface: Outdoor hard
Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv
Hubert Hurkacz vs Liam Broady preview
Wimbledon 2021 semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz will take on Britain's Liam Broady in the second round of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
The Pole is in the midst of a breakthrough season. After picking up the title in Delray Beach, Hurkacz went on to win the first Masters 1000 title of his career in Miami, defeating the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner en route.
Hurkacz then went on to secure the best Grand Slam result of his career as he defeated second seed Daniil Medvedev and eight-time champion Roger Federer en route to the semifinals in Wimbledon.
The 24-year-old has carried that momentum into Tokyo. He dismantled Australia's Luke Saville in the first round to set up a second-round meeting with Broady.
Broady, meanwhile, has had quite a mediocre season. The 27-year-old has a win-loss record of 3-5 this year and has failed to make it past the third round at any event.
The Brit, who has only played 22 main draw matches in his career, is representing his country in Tokyo after a slew of withdrawals. He defeated Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo in a tight three-set affair in the first round and will be hoping to pull off a massive upset on Tuesday.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Liam Broady head-to-head
The second-round encounter in Tokyo will be the first match between Hubert Hurkacz and Liam Broady, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Liam Broady prediction
Hubert Hurkacz comes into this encounter as the overwhelming favorite. The Pole has made massive strides this year and will look to continue his progress in Tokyo.
Hurkacz has a reliable baseline game built around powerful groundstrokes. His serve earns him plenty of free points during matches and the 24-year-old is also a decent mover for his height.
Liam Broady will need to come out firing and try to use his own serve and forehand to force the Pole onto the backfoot. He must also try to avoid hitting to the Pole's backhand, which is his stronger wing.
That said, Hurkacz has been in fantastic form of late and is unlikely to have many problems dealing with the Brit.
Prediction: Hubert Hurkacz to win in straight sets.