What a win! It took Hubert Hurkacz nearly two and a half hours and 45 winners (from which 23 aces) to secure his place in the final four at the Swiss Indoors Basel (ATP 500). He continues his journey toward a potential qualification for the ATP Finals. The Pole defeated the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor in three sets (6-7(6);6-4.;6-4) in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Tollan Griekspoor created a little sensation earlier this week by defeating the Australian Alex De Minaur. He had nothing to lose in the quarter-finals, and his good form could be seen from the start of the game.
The first set was tight, with both players successively winning their respective service games (4-4). At 5-4, the Pole even got a set point, which he did not convert. This first set was to be decided in a tie-break. Hubi had several chances to take the lead in this confrontation and even three set points (6-3). Yet, once again, the Dutch returned heroically and even went on to win the set (8 to 6 in the tiebreak)!
Although this breathtaking comeback boosted Griekspoor’s confidence, Hurkacz quickly put pressure on the latter by obtaining three break points at 1-1. The third one turned to the advantage of the Silesian (2-1). From that moment on, there was no coming back. Thanks to his massive serves, the giant from Wrocław stayed in front and equalised at one set all (6-4).
From the start of the third set, Hubi went all in and rapidly got an opportunity to break. Griekspoor did not allow this to happen. Both players continued toe to toe until 3-3. That is when the Polish champion took a decisive advantage. He managed to break the Batavian and kept his serve. At 5-4, the unavoidable occurred. The world number 10 ended the match with three aces in a row (6-4).
On Saturday, Hurkacz will face either the French Ugo Humbert or Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker for a place in the final. The Silesian is firmly determined to win the title and make it to the last big tournament of the year, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. In order to maximise his chances of doing so, he even added one additional tournament (the ATP 250 Moselle Open in Metz) to his already busy calendar in these last months of the 2023 season.
The ATP Finals is the last big tournament of every season, gathering the 8 best-ranked players in the world. The only time Hurkacz participated in it was back in 2021 when he was eliminated in the group stage. Wednesday’s victory will allow him to join the top 10 for the first time this year.
Five players are already qualified for this year’s ATP Finals, namely Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Janick Sinner, and Andrey Rublov. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune are likely to join this list in the upcoming weeks. Hurkacz’s direct rivals for a place in Turin are Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz.
Image: Swiss Indoors Basel
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
