Dubai Championships: Djokovic vs Hurkacz Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Dubai Championships as Novak Djokovic takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinal on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

Novak Djokovic is still unbeaten in 2023, and whoever wants to win the Dubai Championships will most likely have to dethrone the Serbian star from the field. That is the task awaiting Hubert Hurkacz, the Polish No. 1, in the quarterfinal. Who will prevail?

Novak Djokovic stayed perfect with yet another win in the second round of the Dubai Championships. The World No. 1 looked at his vintage best in beating Tallon Griekspoor, the in-form Dutchman, to progress into the quarterfinal. Djokovic was sharp right from the off, breaking Griekspooor early on before setting the tone for the rest of the match. It took him 82 minutes to win 6-2 6-3, hammering 29 winners in the match.

After struggling to put way lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko in the first round, Hubert Hurkacz produced a much better showing in the second, beating Czech qualifier Pavel Kotov in straight sets. Hurkacz tallied nine aces, and won 86% first-serve points. He also did not face a single break point in the match to round off a 7-5 6-1 win. He will now attempt to do something no player has managed in 2023 – that is to beat Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic leads Hubert Hurkacz 4-0 in their head-to-head although there have been a couple of really close contests in the series. On a fast hard court, Hurkacz possesses a potent first serve that can win him cheap points. His explosive power off the ground can hurt Djokovic, but he absolutely needs near-perfect placement and precision. Djokovic hasn’t even shifted through the gears just yet, and he almost looks unbeatable. We fancy the Serbian star to have another comfortable day in the office.