2 Responses to shanghai23hurkacz_rublev

1. Voo de Mar says:

   October 15, 2023 at 2:42 pm

   Points won by each set: | 30-22, 21-26, 43-47 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   45 % Hurkacz – 44 of 96
   30 % Rublev – 10 of 30

   An intriguing confrontation between the current best server (Hurkacz, no. 17) and a player who possesses the arguably most lethal forehand (Rublev, no. 7). Initially the Pole was delivering at 71% of 1st serves in, so the Russian couldn’t do anything as a receiver, but in Hurkacz’s opening service game of the 2nd set it dropped to 50% and a chance to break appeared immediately. In the 3rd set they both displayed their main weapons at their finest: in the first eight games Rublev seemed more stable with his furious forehands than Hurkacz with his powerful serves, but at 5:4 the Pole obtained a match point which Rublev erased in a style of his opponent – with an ace (it caught the line). The Russian took the momentum and raced to a 5:2* lead in the deciding tie-break. Despite missing his 1st serve, Hurkacz managed to win a super important rally from the back of the court. Aggressive backhand return helped him to level at 5 points apiece. Rublev’s match point at 6:5, Hurkacz fended off with an ace out-wide. Hurkacz ultimately converted his fourth match point playing very well in defense and forcing an error (17 strokes). The frantic Rublev began to hit his left thigh with the frame of the racket going to shake hands. “It was such a battle,” Hurkacz said. “Especially emotionally. I had a match point and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and then I had some match points. It was back and forth and such a tricky match. Andrey was playing some great shots. I was trying to respond. It was one of those matches and I kept believing and I am super happy with how I managed at the end.”

   Hurkacz’s route to his 7th title:
   2 Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6(5), 6-4
   3 Yu-Hsiou Hsu 6-4, 6-4
   4 Zhizhen Zhang 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(4)
   Q Fabian Marozsan 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
   S Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-4
   W Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8) – 1 m.p.

   # Hurkacz three points away from losing to Zhang (the Pole served twice to stay in the match); three days after the Shanghai final they play in Tokyo, first round, and Zhang wins 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 coming back from *1:3 in the 2nd set, and being three points away to lose the match in the decider

   Serve & volley: both 1/1

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   October 13, 2024 at 1:17 pm

   Tennis returned to Shanghai after a three-year break (COVID) as an upgraded version (the draw increased from 56 to 96

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