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

TennisSection previews the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters second-round match featuring Hubert Hurkacz vs Jack Draper on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

Hurkacz vs Draper Match Preview and Prediction

10th seed Hubert Hurkacz will take on British lefty Jack Draper in a fascinating second-round match at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Who will prevail?

Hubert Hurkacz’s three-hours 19-minute victory in the first round will take some beating this week, after he clawed past Serbia’s Laslo Djere in three dramatic tiebreak sets. Hurkacz, who suffered a shock second-round exit in Estoril this past week, saved a match point deep in the third set to complete the comeback. Last year he made the last eight at the Monte-Carlo Masters, but it looks like he will have his hands full against talented young Brit Jack Draper next.

Jack Draper, meanwhile, upset clay-court expert Sebastian Baez 6-3, 7-5 in his first match since recovering from an abdominal injury that forced him to retire from Indian Wells. The British lefty surprisingly outplayed Baez, using his humongous serve to set up points and finish them with his trademark forehand. He saved a whopping 11 of 12 break points in the match on his debut appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Hurkacz vs Draper Prediction and Pick

Hubert Hurkacz leads Jack Draper 1-0 in their head-to-head, winning that match on the indoor hard courts in Antwerp late last year. Hurkacz has dropped sets to Zapata Miralles (Estoril) and might have lost out to Laslo Djere at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Pole doesn’t have a great tiebreak record and has been on the wrong end of a handful of close defeats this season, so he would be delighted to have pulled the rabbit out of the hat on Sunday. But Draper will be expected to challenge him albeit with his limited experience on clay. The thing about Draper is that he is versatile and very adaptable as he showcased his burgeoning game against Baez. With both players serving big and crushing everything in sight, the overs is a no-brainer here.