German open: Hurkacz wins a thriller against Kyrgios; to clash with No.1 Medvedev in final

Halle (Germany), June 19 (IANS): Hubert Hurkacz of Poland advanced to his fifth ATP Tour final — and his first of 2022 — defeating Australia’s Nick Kyrgios at the Terra Wortmann Open, 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), to set up a title clash with Russian world No.1 Daniil Medvedev.

In a match of changing fortunes, both players stood tall behind their serves and could not be separated until late in each set.

A relieved Hurkacz conceded after the match that only a couple of shots made the difference between victory and defeat.

“One or two shots (was the difference),” Hurkacz was quoted as saying by atptour.com. “Definitely super close. Nick played a really, really great match. He’s a great player, so it was definitely a super tough one.

“Trying to hit the strings on the return, that’s what I’m trying to do,” Hurkacz said with a laugh, attempting to explain his success in the tie-breaks. “Playing here with such a great server as Nick, you just try to get one ball in and that can make the difference.”

Hurkacz tied his career-high for aces in a three-set match with 27 against Kyrgios, including 13 in the final set.

After beating Kyrgios in their maiden ATP head-to-head meeting, Hurkacz will face Medvedev for the fifth time in the final.

Their series stands level at 2-2, with all four of their previous meetings coming in the past 12 months. Hurkacz defeated Medvedev in five sets last year at Wimbledon in their first meeting.

The Pole is 4-0 in finals on the ATP Tour.

“When you play in the finals, you always want to get the big trophy,” he said of his perfect record in those matches. “It’s always super exciting to be part of the last match of the tournament… I really enjoy playing on grass courts. Of course Daniil is No. 1 in the world. I’ve never beaten a No. 1 in the world before. It’s going to be a tough one but I’ll try to enjoy it and play as good as I can.”