Hurkacz Puts Poland On Brink Of Victory In Brisbane

Hubert Hurkacz earned a critical win for his country on Sunday evening at the United Cup, where he defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-3 to give Poland a 2-1 lead against Kazakhstan.

“It was a lot of fun to play against Sascha. I think that the quality was really high. It was the first match of the new year on the first, so that was pretty good. I’m really happy with the quality and it was definitely a fun match,” Hurkacz said. “It was a lot of fun to play in front of such a great crowd. I’ve never been in Brisbane and I really love it here so thanks guys for coming.”

Magda Linette will now try to close out the tie for Poland when she plays crowd favourite Zhibek Kulambayeva in the No. 2 women’s singles match. If Kulambayeva springs an upset, the tie will come down to a deciding mixed doubles inside Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.

The match appeared destined for a final-set tie-break between two of the biggest servers on the ATP Tour, but Hurkacz was opportunistic at the most critical moment. On his third break point at 4-3, the Pole hit a well-placed return deep in the court to put Bublik on the back foot, then rushed forward and executed a perfect half volley to elicit an easy putaway.

If Hurkacz had any nerves as he stepped to the line to serve for the victory, he did not show them. The Pole held to love, crushing his 18th ace of the match to triumph after two hours and nine minutes.

Hurkacz now leads Bublik 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, and has won four consecutive matches. The Kazakhstani hit 15 aces and saved three of the four break points he faced, but it was his final service game that proved his undoing.