Monte-Carlo 2023: Hurkacz vs Djere Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters first-round match featuring Hubert Hurkacz vs Laslo Djere on Sunday, April 9, 2023.

Hurkacz vs Djere Match Preview

10th seed Hubert Hurkacz begins his Monte-Carlo Masters campaign in the opening Sunday against clay-court specialist Laslo Djere. Who will prevail and reach the second round at the Principality?

Hubert Hurkacz’s clay-court preparations began in earnest at the Estoril Open this past week, where he made his tournament debut. Unfortunately for the World No. 12 he was caught cold at the first hurdle, losing to Bernabe Zapata Miralles in three sets. Hurkacz absolutely needs a big week at the Monte-Carlo Masters where he produced his best result there last year by reaching the quarterfinal. Let’s see if he will bounce back when he takes on Serbia’s Laslo Djere.

Laslo Djere, for his part, has played seven clay-court matches this season, with all of them coming during the Golden Swing in February. He is 4-3 there, making the quarterfinal in Santiago and famously taking a set from Carlos Alcaraz in Buenos Aires. Djere has scored one top-10 win this season, beating Casper Ruud in Auckland. Can he stun World No. 12 Hubert Hurkacz right off the gate?

Hubert vs Djere Prediction and Pick

Hubert Hurkacz and Laslo Djere have not played each other on the ATP Tour, with this first-round match at the Monte-Carlo Masters being their first official meeting. After struggling for wins at the Principality, Hurkacz made a quarterfinal dash here 12 months ago. It is imperative he does not lose further ground in the ATP rankings now that he has dropped outside the top 10. Djere presents a formidable challenge on the clay, but I expect Hurkacz to be in control on serve and he might just be playing the Serb at the right time.