The first week of the Golden Swing on the ATP Tour has been completed, and we already have a first-time winner. Polish icon Hubert Hurkacz won his first-ever clay court Tour title as he defeated Pedro Martinez in the 2024 Estoril Open.
The 27-year-old reached the semis at a clay court for the first time in his career at Estoril. He had joked about taking tips from compatriot Iga Swiatek. The 22-year-old has already won three French Open singles titles. But it seems instead of World No. 1, Hurkacz approached fellow Tour colleague Casper Ruud.
The Norwegian was also in contention for the title in Estoril. He, however, was defeated in the semis by Martinez. However, interestingly enough, he seemed to have given some crucial tips that helped Hurkacz win the finals. The Pole took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to thank the former World No. 2.
Thanks @CasperRuud98 for some clay court tips Tweeted Hurkacz.
Ruud was quick to give a sassy reply while also congratulating the Pole on his maiden clay court title.
No worries my friend @HubertHurkacz! You owe me dinner now btw.. Tweeted Ruud, in reply to Hurkacz.
Barring his semi-final win over Cristian Garin, Hurkacz didn’t drop a set throughout the week in Estoril. Although the matches went close in the second round and quarterfinals, he managed to see them out in straight sets.
The win in Estoril saw Hurkacz jump two places in the rankings to become the new World No. 8. He returns to his career-high ranking with his eighth career title. As for Ruud, the Norwegian dropped two places and is now the World No. 10 following his semi-final exit.
Hubert Hurkacz to take on Jack Draper, Casper Ruud awaits his first opponent in Monte Carlo
Following the action in Portugal, the two men have quickly headed to Monaco for the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. It is the first Masters-1000 event on clay for the season.
Ruud is a former semi-finalist, having reached the last four in 2021. As for Hurkacz, his best result came in 2022, reaching the quarterfinals. The 10th-seeded Pole will begin his campaign at the event with a first-round clash against Jack Draper.
Ruud, being the eighth seed, starts his campaign in the second round. He awaits the winner of the match between qualifier Christopher O’Connell and Alejandro Tabilo. While the two have traded rankings, the seeds in Monte Carlo were made with the old rankings, which see Ruud as the higher seed.
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