Hubert Hurkacz vs Flavio Cobolli Prediction: A tough and exciting clash definitely

Hubert Hurkacz returns to the court once again in the tournament after edging out Yoshihito Nishioka in the previous round. Next up for Hubert is Flavio Cobolli and both players are set to battle each other in the round of 16. Records show only one meeting in the past between these two players and that was at the ATP Halle in Germany, back in June this year. Hubert Hurkacz won that match in straight sets.

It comes as no surprise to see Hubert Hurkacz in the round of 16 stage of the ATP Cincinnati tournament. He is expected to go deep in the competition and to achieve that, he will face Flavio Cobolli in the round of 16. Hubert Hurkacz already won their first and only meeting back in June, and the odds are in his favor to win once again.

Hubert Hurkacz’s last match against Yoshihito Nishioka ended in a three sets win for Hurkacz, with a score of 3-6,7-6,6-1. His stats in that match is summarized below:

SERVE: - first serve 61%, first serve points 74%, second serve 95%, second serve points 49%, break points saved 89%

RETURN: - first serve return points 30%, second serve return points 36%, break points converted 1.

Flavio Cobolli hopes to do better this time when he faces Hubert Hurkacz in this round of 16 match. He lost to Hurkacz at the round of 32 at the ATP Halle back in June. Although not a lot has changed since then, Flavio Cobolli aims for a different outcome in this second meeting.

Flavio Cobolli defeated Luciano Darderi in the last round. The match ended midway into the second set after Darderi called in an early retirement to hand Cobolli automatic qualification. Flavio Cobolli’s stats is summarized thus:

SERVE: - first serve 64%, first serve points 81%, second serve 95%, second serve points 65%, break points saved 80%

RETURN: - first serve return points 26%, second serve return points 58%, break points converted 2.

The outright favorite of the contest is obviously Hurkacz, but Cobolli has been performing well on hard courts all season. For Hurkacz, his big serve is his main weapon, and in the last match, he hammered 21 aces. He will be eyeing a deep run to improve his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals; his best hard-court result this year was the semifinals in Marseille. By contrast, Flavio Cobolli is having a breakout year where he's finally coming of age. Lacking Hurkacz's experience at this level of competition, his recent form – a 21-9 record on hard courts this year – suggests that should he find a rhythm, he may be able to push Hurkacz to the limit.

He is the favorite for the win, but Cobolli's resilience makes one think that things may not turn out quite so simple. Hurkacz to win this, most likely in three sets.

• Hubert Hurkacz to Win at 1.74 Odds
• Hubert Hurkacz (-1.5) Games Handicap at 1.83 Odds
• Under 23.5 Games at 1.80 Odds