Hurkacz stuns Zverev at United Cup for first win in seven months
Hubert Hurkacz has left no doubt — the Polish star is back.
After missing nearly seven months due to a right knee injury for which he underwent arthroscopic surgery on 2 July, Hurkacz made a statement return to action at the United Cup Monday evening. The 28-year-old stunned World No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to give Team Poland a 1-0 lead against Team Germany in Sydney.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been competing. Seven months I’ve been going through difficult times with the team and it was very challenging,” Hurkacz said. “They were all supporting me, they were all behind me. We went through definitely a long period of time not competing and not knowing when we [would] be able to be back on court again. I was just trying to cherish and enjoy every moment here on the court today.”
Hurkacz had not played a match since June in ’s-Hertogenbosch, leading to a fall to No. 83 in the PIF ATP Rankings. But the former World No. 6 played well above his ranking inside Ken Rosewall Arena, facing just one break point in his one-hour, 23-minute victory.
The two-time Nitto ATP Finals competitor held up well under pressure against Zverev, beautifully redirecting a backhand up the line to secure the critical break at 3-3 in the second set. Hurkacz faced just one break point in the match according to Infosys ATP Stats, hitting 21 aces to allow his opponent few opportunities to work his way into points.
“I was serving quite well. I was finding nice spots, so that’s definitely a nice feeling to really have good rhythm on the serve,” Hurkacz said. “Just so pleased with the performance and just also so much fun to see the fans again.”
Zverev walked on court with a 3-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead against Hurkacz, but was unable to consistently make Hurkacz uncomfortable the way he did Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor on Sunday.
Iga Swiatek will try to close out the tie for Poland when she takes the court against Eva Lys. The German earned a straightforward victory against Suzan Lamens of The Netherlands.
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