US Open 2022: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Ilya Ivashka Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 US Open as Hubert Hurkacz takes on Ilya Ivashka in the second round on Thursday, September 1st, 2022.

After breezing past Oscar Otte, Hubert Hurkacz will be hoping of more of the same when he takes on Ilya Ivashka in the second round of the US Open. Will the Pole maintain his hot streak on US soil or will the Belarusian produce a shock win over the number eight seed?

Hubert Hurkacz made serene progress into the second round, after defeating Oscar Otte 6-4 6-2 6-4. The Polish No. 1 did not face a single break point in the match as he fired 18 aces in dominant serving display. Hurkacz also won 83% first-serve points and fashioned 12 break points on the Otte serve, breaking him four times. Remarkably, Hurkacz has done so well outside the New York slam on US soil, but has never gone beyond the second round in four previous visits to the US Open. Will he turn his fortunes around when he takes on Ilya Ivashka?

Ilya Ivashka, for his part, won a roller-coaster match againstSam Querrey, who sadly could not quite master a win in his final tournament of his tennis career. Querrey, who six weeks ago, took the decision to bring the curtain down, made a brilliant start as he snatched the first set 6-4 against the run of play. With a cheerful crowd backing him on Court 7, including his relatives and friends, Querrey did not have the gumption to close it out as Ivashka came up with some crunch first serves and very effective return games to level the match. The third-set tiebreak was particularly pivotal as the Belarusian took it and Querrey’squest to win the contest went up in smoke in the fourth.

Hubert Hurkacz leads Ilya Ivashka 3-2 in their head-to-headacross all levels. They have only played once at tour level, back in Pune in 2019 where Ivashka won in three sets. Hurkacz is a different player from three years ago having established himself as a mainstay in the world’s top 10. Ivashka will certainly have his moments to trouble Hurkacz owing to his monstrous serving and some flat ground strokes. But the Pole’s consistency should see him advance into the third round for the first time at the US Open.