Hubert Hurkacz beats No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to win Halle Open
Hubert Hurkacz faced a tall test Sunday when he met ATP No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Halle Open, but the 25-year-old Polish player made the matchup look easy in a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Hurkacz dominated on his serve with nine aces and wins on 78 percent of his first serves. He never faced a break point in the match and won three of the eight break points he forced on Medvedev's serve.
The Halle Open victory was the fifth time in Hurkacz's career that he won an ATP singles title in as many finals appearances. Hurkacz joined fellow rising star Carlos Alcaraz and five others as the only seven players to start their career a perfect 5-0 in ATP finals.
Medvedev climbed to the top spot in the ATP rankings last week when he reached the final of the Libéma Open, despite losing in straight sets against Tim van Rijthoven. Later this month, the Russian-born Medvedev will be barred from participating at Wimbledon due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Sunday final in the Halle Open was the fifth time that Hurkacz and Medvedev have met in their careers. Hurkacz beat Medvedev in five sets during their first meeting last year at Wimbledon, but Medvedev won the next two matches.
Hurkacz eliminated Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open earlier this year and now has a 3-2 advantage in the head-to-head.
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