Hurkacz Makes Late Surge To Claim Cologne Win
Hubert Hurkacz made a winning start to his bett1HULKS Indoors campaign on Monday, beating lucky loser Marc Polmans 6-2, 7-5 in Cologne.
The sixth seed, who recovered from 1-5 down in the second set, converted five of 10 break points to book his place in the second round. Hurkacz improves to 13-10 this year after claiming victory in his first ATP Head2Head contest against the Australian.
“Marc is a really good player. He started the second set well, we had a couple of close games that could have gone either way,” said Hurkacz. “I was trying to come in a little bit more, especially when it was 1-5. I tried to risk a bit more and it paid off. I gained some momentum and kept myself in the set until the end.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]After recovering from 1-5 to reach 5-5, Hurkacz did not wrap up his first-round win with ease. The Pole came out on the losing side of what will likely be considered the point of the tournament at the end of the week. Hurkacz showed incredible court coverage to extend a thrilling rally, hitting two tweeners before Polmans eventually claimed the point with a forehand volley.
“I was disappointed with that rally,” said Hurkacz. “I was running side-to-side for 35 seconds. I really wanted to win this one, but Marc played an amazing point. He deserved to win that one.”
Hurkacz will face German wild card Mischa Zverev for a spot in the quarter-finals. The 33-year-old broke John Millman on six occasions to earn a 6-1, 6-4 win after 78 minutes.
Playing in his hometown, qualifier Oscar Otte upset seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3. The World No. 142 won 63 per cent of second-serve return points (19/30) to book a meeting with Radu Albot. The Moldovan needed just over two hours to overcome Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Steve Johnson recovered from a set down to beat fifth seed Filip Krajinovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The American saved seven of nine break points and will meet Kyle Edmund or Lloyd Harris in the second round. Dennis Novak also claimed a first-round win, beating Jordan Thompson 6-3 6-3.