Daniil Medvedev will have his third shot at an Australian Open semifinal as he takes on Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who’s trying for his first.
The unusual has happened in Melbourne. All the players who were supposed to win mostly have. The top seeds are almost entirely intact, with seeds No. 1-6 in quarterfinal action along with Hubert Hurkacz (9) and Taylor Fritz (12). Whether seedings continue to hold up, however, remains to be seen.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has enjoyed a fair amount of success at the Australian Open. The world No. 3 has made 2 finals, but he ran into Grand Slam juggernauts Rafael Nadal (2021) and Novak Djokovic (2022) and he was denied a title. He may still have to face down defending champion Djokovic if he makes it to the final again, but first he’ll have to get past Hurkacz.
Hurkacz doesn’t have anywhere near the success in majors as his quarterfinal opponent. In 22 majors played, the Pole has managed to make his way into the second week just once before (2021 Wimbledon, where he made the semifinals). Still, he isn’t likely to be intimidated going into Wednesday’s match against Medvedev. Hurkacz doesn’t just hold a 3-2 record over the Russia, he also won their last two matches.
Hurkacz will need to be better converting break point opportunities against Medvedev than he was against Cazaux on Monday, where the Pole went 2 for 8. Medvedev is an opportunistic player who knows how to generate wins in Melbourne. Hurkacz has a big enough game to bother the Russian, but at this stage of the tournament, the nod has to go to Medvedev.
Cheryl pick – Medvedev in 4
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