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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori.
Date: October 27, 2022.
Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Vienna, Austria.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €2,349,180.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori preview
Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz will square off against World No. 43 Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round of the 2022 Erste Bank Open on Thursday.
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Hurkacz kicked off his campaign in Vienna against 2022 US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. The American held a couple of break points for a 4-3 lead in the opening set, but failed to capitalize on them. Aside from that, neither player got close to a break point for the rest of the set.
Hurkacz saved a couple of set points and came out on top in the ensuing tie-break to clinch the opener. Tiafoe upped the ante in the second set, breaking his opponent's serve twice as he jumped to a 4-0 lead. The Pole put up a fight as he claimed the next couple of games to make it 4-2, but it wasn't enough as he eventually lost the set.
Hurkacz snagged an early break in the deciding set to go 4-1 up. He maintained an iron grip on the lead and didn't allow Tiafoe a way back into the contest. He soon closed out the proceedings to win the match 7-6 (9), 3-6, 6-3.
Emil Ruusuvuori arrived in Vienna on the heels of a semifinal finish at last week's Stockholm Open. He was drawn against Lorenzo Sonego in the first round. He was quick off the blocks as he raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. The two remained on serve after that, with the 23-year-old grabbing the set.
The pair were evenly matched at the start of the second set. Ruusuvuori eventually pulled ahead as he bagged the last four games of the match to win 6-2, 6-3.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Hurkacz won their last encounter at the 2022 Canadian Open in three sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori prediction
Hurkacz had to dig deep to get past Tiafoe in the first round, but maintained a steady level throughout the match. He blasted 28 aces while hitting 48 winners to just 11 unforced errors. With the win, he also kept his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals afloat.
Ruusuvuori had a much easier time against Sonego, but his stats don't measure up to the Pole's. Hurkacz's serve alone will give him a huge advantage in this encounter, with the fast courts in Vienna further amplifying his serving prowess.
Their previous meeting took place a couple of months ago. While the match was a three-set battle, Ruusuvuori was unable to make any inroads on Hurkacz's serve, going 0/5 on break points. Unless he finds a way to neutralize his opponent's big serve, the outcome is likely to be similar to their last encounter.
Pick: Hubert Hurkacz to win in straight sets.
