WATCH: Hurkacz shares shocking 'casino' tactics to guess his opponent's serve
ATP
Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime met in a quarterfinal clash of two serving behemoths at the 2022 Halle Open, and fittingly, the match was decided in two tie-break sets.
This was a rematch from last year, and Hurkacz was looking to settle a score after losing to the Canadian in straight sets in the opening round of this tournament 12 months ago.
This time, he got his revenge, defeating the Montreal native 7-6, 7-6, in an hour and 47 minutes. In both tie-breaks, the clinical Pole prevailed, but it was difficult to call on the final result considering that both players played superbly behind their serves and from the baseline, such that break-point chances were only a few.
Auger-Aliassime had better serve and return numbers, hammering an impressive 21 aces without any double faults and winning 89% first-serve points (41/46). But Hurkacz won the points that mattered, including saving the only break point of the match.
After the victory, Hurkacz told reporters that he "guessed" Auger-Aliassime's serves during the match by resorting to some bizarre tactics that paid off big time.
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"I mean, as you could probably see, I had absolutely no chance on the return. Actually, in the middle of the second set, I was guessing all the time wrong so I figured out another idea."- Hubert Hurkacz
"I was looking at the shot clock and if the number was even, I was going left, if the number was odd, I was going right. So, that was my tactics for the return."- Hubert Hurkacz
Hurkacz will now progress into the semifinal, where he will play a red-hot Nick Kyrgios. The Australian put on a clinic in beating Pablo Carreno Busta in the other quarterfinal. It promises to be another serving feast between these two players as they look to win their first title of the 2022 ATP season.
