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Match Details
Fixture: (10) Hubert Hurkacz vs Lorenzo Sonego.
Date: 18 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Lorenzo Sonego preview
Hubert Hurkacz will square off against Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
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Hurkacz took on Pedro Martinez in the first round. Neither player came close to a break point in the opening set, but the Pole managed to raise his level to gain the upper hand in the tie-break and claim the set.
Hurkacz then took control of the match and had an easier time after that. He reeled off the last four games in a row to take the second set and extend his lead. The 25-year-old faced little resistance in the third set as well, breaking his opponent's serve twice to win the match 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-2.
Sonego's first-round opponent, meanwhile, was Nuno Borges. Both players refused to cede any ground during their service games in the opening set, leading to a tie-break. The Italian came out on top in it to seize the set.
A break of serve towards the end of the second set helped Sonego clinch it. Borges held a couple of set points in the third set, but failed to convert either of them. He then saved a couple of match points in the tie-break as he staged a fightback to capture the set.
Borges' comeback was nipped in the bud by Sonego. The Italian raced to a 5-0 lead in the fourth set and soon won the match 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-1.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head
Sonego leads Hurkacz 3-1 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Moselle Open in straight sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Lorenzo Sonego odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Hubert Hurkacz vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction
Hurkacz played a great match to defeat Martinez in the previous round. He blasted 24 aces, while winning a massive 90% of his first-serve points. The Pole also struck a whopping 53 winners, while committing just 19 unforced errors. He is now gunning to make it to the third round in Melbourne for the first time in his career.
Sonego appeared to be in control in the first round, but let the third set slip out of his hands. He was still able to regroup quickly to win the match. The Italian's serving stats were pretty amazing as well and he hit the same number of winners as Hurkacz, but his unforced error count was higher at 43.
While Hurkacz is ranked higher and is the more in-form player, Sonego's superior head-to-head record has to be taken into consideration. The Italian has the ability to counter his game pretty well. The outcome of their last few matches has been decided by the finest of margins.
There weren't too many breaks of serve, with the duo having to outfox each other by engaging in long rallies, an aspect where Sonego has a slight edge. This has the potential to be a nail-biter, but if Hurkacz is able to servebot his way through this encounter, the Italian could find it tough to stop him this time.
Pick: Hubert Hurkacz to win in five sets.
