#NextGenATP Hurkacz To Make Slam Main Draw Debut

If you are unfamiliar with Hubert Hurkacz, you’ll know the #NextGenATP Pole well soon. The 21-year-old defeated Argentine Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the final round of Roland Garros qualifying on Thursday in one hour, 55 minutes to move into his first Grand Slam main draw.

Hurkacz seeks his first ATP World Tour win, but he has enjoyed plenty of success on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, helping him to the No. 13 spot in the ATP Race To Milan. He made the final, semi-finals and quarter-finals at three consecutive Challenger events in China. The only Polish man in the men’s singles draw, Hurkacz owns a 2-9 tour-level record, and will look to make a splash on the terre battue.

American Denis Kudla will play in his third Roland Garros main draw after the No. 7 seed beat No. 24 seed Jurgen Zopp 6-2, 6-1.

“Clay has never been my best surface, that’s no secret, but I’ve been playing really well in the lead-up without results really being there,” Kudla told RolandGarros.com. “I’m happy I really showed up for Roland Garros for the big show.”

Czech Adam Pavlasek will compete in the main draw for the second time after ousting Austrian Dennis Novak 7-6(8), 6-4. Pavlasek beat this year’s Quito champion, Roberto Carballes Baena, to make the second round in 2016.

“I feel amazing after the way I’ve played in all three matches of qualies,” Pavlasek said. “I’m just so happy to make the main draw again, that was tough.”

Rounding out the early qualifiers is Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, who will debut on the Parisian clay after defeating Ukrainian veteran Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2. The No. 2 seed in qualifying broke out on the ATP World Tour earlier this year with a run to the Marseille semi-finals, which included a win against Stan Wawrinka.

The remaining 12 qualifiers will be decided on Friday, with notable players such as #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud and 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis in action.