ATP Cup 2022: Hubert Hurkacz vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (POL) Hubert Hurkacz vs (ESP) Roberto Bautista Agut

Date: 7 January 2022

Tournament: ATP Cup 2022

Round: Semifinal

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $10,000,000

Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 8 am GMT, 1:30 pm IST

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime

Hubert Hurkacz vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview

Hubert Hurkacz at the 2022 ATP Cup.

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz will take on Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the first semifinal of the 2022 ATP Cup on Friday.

Hurkacz is unbeaten in the tournament so far. He defeated Greece's Aristotelis Thanos 6-1, 6-2 and Georgia's Aleksandre Metreveli 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 in his first two group stage matches.

The Pole then faced Argentina's World No. 13 Diego Schwartzman in his final group match, winning 6-1, 6-4. This is the first time Poland have reached the semifinals at the ATP Cup and Hurkacz has been instrumental in leading them to this stage.

Roberto Baustista Agut at the 2022 ATP Cup.

Roberto Bautista Agut, too, has been in impressive form, winning all three of his group stage matches without dropping a set.

He easily defeated Chile's Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-3 in his first match. Following that, the World No. 19 defeated the eighth-ranked Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-6 (4). In his last match, he won against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4.

Bautista Agut and Team Spain have done well in the absence of Rafael Nadal. They'll be aiming to reach their second final at the ATP Cup, having done so previously in 2020.

Hubert Hurkacz vs Roberto Bautista Agut head-to-head

The two have played each other twice before, with Bautista Agut leading 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 Cologne Open, in three sets, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-0.

Hubert Hurkacz vs Roberto Bautista Agut prediction

Hubert Hurkacz at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.

Both players have competed incredibly well over the course of the week and will be looking to continue their winning ways.

Hurkacz is more versatile and he is capable of converting offense to defense and vice versa in a flash. He's got a great serve as well, which is evident from the 33 aces he has hit at the ATP Cup this year against just three double faults.

Bautista Agut is more of a defensive player, using his counterpunching skills to navigate his way through the match. He's a consistent shotmaker, though his backhand is a weakness that many players aim to exploit. Unlike his opponent, the Spaniard doesn't win as many free points on serve.

Hurkacz's varied style of play should give him a slight edge in the contest, as he'll be able to handle the Spaniard's game quite well in these conditions.

Prediction: Hubert Hurkacz to win in three sets.

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Also Check Out: Updated ATP Cup 2022 Results