Hubert Hurkacz vs. Borna Coric Prediction: Battle-Hardened Players Brace for Another Tough Contest

The fifth seed On Friday, October 28th, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland will meet unseeded Croatian Borna Coric in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Vienna Open.

Hubert Hurkacz fought off a strong opponent for the second time on Thursday to keep his tournament hopes alive.

The Pole, who required two hours and 23 minutes to beat the in-form Frances Tiafoe in the first round, needed two hours and 19 minutes to beat Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The big-serving Pole served 21 aces against Ruusuvuori, who had 28 against the American. Hurkacz also won 81% (46 of 57) of his first serve points. On return, he broke his opponent twice throughout the match, taking the first and third sets with solo breaks.

Hurkacz's win on Thursday was his 40th of the season. The world number 11 will compete in his fourth straight quarterfinal, having previously advanced to that stage in Metz, Astana, and Antwerp. While he advanced to the semi-finals in Metz, he was eliminated in the last eight in the other two competitions.

Hurkacz, who won his fifth ATP championship in Halle and was runner-up at the Canadian Open, will want to make his sixth semifinal appearance of the season.

Borna Coric overcame a set deficit to defeat second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for the second match this season and the third time in his career.

The Greek has never beaten the Croatian in a full match, and Coric fought hard in a two-hour-and-44-minute battle.

Coric saved nine of the twelve break points he faced and converted half of the six he had during the match, which required a set tiebreak to decide. And it was only one minibreak that decided the match's outcome. That minibreak went to Coric, who took a 3-2 lead before holding his composure and serving to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. (7-4).

Coric earned his first Masters title earlier this year, defeating Tsitsipas in the Cincinnati Open final. Coric jumped from 152nd to 30th in the world as a result of the victory.

He is now rated 27th and is having a fantastic run, especially after missing a year due to an injury and surgery. He started his 2022 season late, but he has been outstanding since the start of the North American hard court season.

He entered the event with an 11-3 record over the previous 14 matches and has since improved to 13-3 over the last 16. Coric had started his Vienna campaign with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Quentin Halys.

Both players have won back-to-back three-set matches and may look forward to another one on Friday. It will be a tough match, but considering Hurkacz's recent indoor court consistency, he may edge over the Croatian.

• Total Under 22.5 for 1.8
• Handiсap Hubert Hurkacz (-1) for 1.82
• European Handicap 0:2 Borna Coric for 1.84