Wimbledon 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Daniil Medvedev vs (14) Hubert Hurkacz
Date: 5 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Daniil Medvedev moved into the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in his career with a 6-7 (3), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic on Saturday. This was also the Russian's first career win from two sets down.
Medvedev will next face rising star Hubert Hurkacz in the last 16 on Monday. Hurkacz, on his part, ousted Alexander Bublik in straight sets on Saturday to make it to the fourth round of a Major for the first time in his career.
Medvedev started slowly in his match against Cilic, as the Croat took the racket out of his hands with some monstrous serves and forehands. The Russian on his part struggled to serve and move as well as he usually does, which put him in a deep hole.
But Medvedev didn't give up hope, and he began the third set with a spring in his step. The 25-year-old broke Cilic to love in the latter's first service game of the set, and never looked back from there.
Hubert Hurkacz, meanwhile, faced no such drama in his encounter with Alexander Bublik. Hurkacz beat the Kazakh 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and didn't drop serve a single time in the match.
Hurkacz, the reigning Miami Masters champion, entered Wimbledon desperately looking for form. The Pole had lost six of his seven tour matches post his title run at the Floridian event.
But he has seemingly turned a new leaf at the All England Club, and he has done it in style. Hurkacz is yet to drop serve at SW19 this year, and in fact hasn't even faced a break point since the four he faced against Lorenzo Musetti in the first round.
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz will be meeting each other for the first time on tour, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Hubert Hurkacz has struck 109 winners in nine sets so far, which reinforces his offensive ability. The Pole has also been extremely accurate off the ground, having conceded just 53 unforced errors in his three matches combined.
Hurkacz has the serve to trouble Daniil Medvedev on grass, and he could make things really difficult for the Russian with his deep and heavy groundstrokes. On Saturday Medvedev struggled in the rallies where Cilic was able to strike the ball deep, and Hurkacz could reap dividends from a similar tactic.
If Medvedev's serve is firing, he would still be the favorite to eke out a narrow win. But given the vulnerabilities he displayed against Cilic, it seems unlikely he will be able to get past a red-hot Hubert Hurkacz.
Prediction: Hubert Hurkacz to win in four sets.