On the night from Friday to Saturday Poland competes with Kazakhstan in the semi-finals of the United Cup team tournament. First, the singles players took to the court, including Hubert Hurkacz (16th ATP) and Aleksandr Shevchenko (78th). The Pole was the favorite due to his higher position in men's tennis and greater successes, but on the other hand, after returning to the game, he has not been in the best form recently, and his rival a few days ago defeated, among others, in the United Cup. Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Great start for Hurkacz
Hurkacz started this match very well. He served great, played accurately and took a 2-0 lead. In his opponent's service game, he created an advantage on the court with flat plays. Shevchenko, who does not have such a powerful pass as the Pole, was unable to defend himself against the opponent's pressure.
After 10 minutes it was 3-0 for the Pole, who impressed with his calmness and determination on the court. He often went forward and finished actions with volleys. He was helped by serving in the form of aces or winning passes. After one of the serves, the producer showed that the ball had reached a speed of 217 km/h.
In the next games, both men easily kept their passes. This was in favor of Hurkacz, who was already leading 5:2. Shevchenko couldn't guess the direction of our serve tennis player. Thanks to this, the Pole quickly built an advantage, scoring winners from deep inside the court or taking advantage of the situation at the net. His volleys were very precise.
Hubert Hurkacz ended the first set with a service ace with a score of 6:3. It was a very successful game for the Polish representative. He dominated his opponent and made almost no mistakes. There were no visible fluctuations in his game, unlike in the previous matches of the current edition of the United Cup.
A sure victory for the Pole
The second set started calmly on both sides, with no breaks. Kazakh revived a bit and looked better on the court. He won his passes more easily, look for opportunities to attack Hurkacz. But in the end it was Shevchenko who was broken.
When the score was 2:2, he made several mistakes and the scoreboard read 0:40. Hubert Hurkacz did not waste the opportunity. Flat backhand down the line, then forehand and approach to the net respectively. Shevchenko tried to pass him, but first the Pole defended with a volley, and then his opponent hit the net. 3:2 for our tennis player, and after a while 4:2 after three aces in one game by the Pole.
Hurkacz followed the attack and pressed his opponent once again. The Kazakh's weaker serving resulted in two break opportunities. The Pole played very aggressively again, pushed forward, did not wait for what his opponent would do and took advantage of the opportunity. 5:2 for him!
After 58 minutes, Hubert Hurkacz won 6:3, 6:2. It was the best performance of our tennis player in several months. He played very solidly, almost flawlessly. He proved his superiority on the court. He didn't let Shevchenko believe for a moment that this could be his day. The Pole was helped by a fantastic service – he didn't have to defend himself match not a single break point.
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IN match Poland – Kazakhstan is 1-0. The ladies will start playing in a moment. In the singles, Iga Świątek will face Jelena Rybakina. This is a clash between the world's top two and six, an absolute hit. If Świątek cannot cope with Rybakina, the mix will decide the competition between both teams. Report on Sport.pl.