TennisSection previews the 2021 Cincinnati Open as Pablo Carreno Busta takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the Round of 16 on Thursday, August 19th, 2021.
Will Hubert Hurkacz continue to power his way into the later stages of hard court tournaments this year as he loves these conditions? Will Pablo Carreno Busta continue to improve his game as he returns to the ATP Tour after winning the Bronze medal in Tokyo? Both players are great in these conditions, and I expect a very entertaining encounter. However, only one will make their way to the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Cincinnati Open. Who will it be?
Hubert Hurkacz came through a tight win against the experienced Andy Murray, beating the Brit in straight sets, 7-6/6-3. Hubert Hurkacz has shown some amazing tennis over the last week and a half, going far at the Toronto Open and nearly beating the eventual Champion, Daniil Medvedev, and he now started well at the 2021 Cincinnati Open. Hubert has won a Masters 1000 in these exact same conditions this year in Miami, so he knows he has a very strong chance of doing it again, and I am sure he will come out now against Pablo Carreno Busta determined to continue improving and getting closer to a top 10 spot in the world.
Pablo Carreno Busta cruised through his first match since he won Bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics when he beat Novak Djokovic, beating Dominik Koepfer in straight sets 6-4/6-2. This was a great opening win for the Spaniard to get because he did not show any rust at all and has gotten some momentum going as he now enters the Round of 16 of the 2021 Cincinnati Open. Pablo is so hard to beat as he is an amazing mover on all surfaces and he returns most balls with interest. However, his return game is going to have to be at its best as he meets the big serving and huge forehand hitting, Hubert Hurkacz.
Hubert Hurkacz and Pablo Carreno Busta have met 1 time before, with Pablo Carreno Busta leading the head to head 1-0. Their only prior meeting was in 2015 in a Challenger Tour tournament so we cannot really take this match into account. Since then, both players have improved drastically and they are now ranked 12th (Pablo) and 13th (Hubert) in the world! They are both great opponents and I expect a tight battle here at the 2021 Cincinnati Open, but I think that Pablo has an edge in this match. Hubert has been playing great don’t get me wrong, but Pablo is a great returner and he showed us that he is not rusty. I do expect a 3 setter as they are so similarly ranked and in great form, but expect the Spaniard to make his way to the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Cincinnati Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Pablo Carreno Busta in 3 Sets.
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