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One of the opening clashes of the 2023 Men’s Australian Open is an all European affair with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz taking on Spain’s Pedro Martinez. Read on to see our Australian Open predictions:
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
Hurkacz vs Martinez – Match Predictions
Contents
There is always a buzz around the first Grand Slam of the year and there will be particular interest in this game with it being the first time that these two players have contested a match on a hard surface. Hurkacz has reached the second round of this tournament in 2020 and 2022, with Martinez getting to the third round in 2021.
Hurkacz to Win 3-0
The tall Polish player is a big server and capable of playing a serve and volley game if necessary. At the same time, he has an excellent baseline game and, with a world ranking of 11, is the highest ranked Polish player of all time. In their previous meeting, Hurkacz won 2-1, but we think his skills will be best suited to this surface and we do not expect him to drop a set.
Over 31.5 Games
The last time these two played each other on the main tour, there were 29 games in total. However, that was in a best of three format. Although we expect Hurkacz to win the big moments in this game and take the match 3-0, we do not expect him to dominate any sets and we anticipate at least one going to a tie-breaker.
Hurkacz vs Martinez Preview
Let’s provide you with some additional context ahead of this game. These two are both excellent players, so let’s zoom in on them both:
Hubert Hurkacz Preview
The Polish 25 year old has seen real progress over the last 12 months of his career. Indeed, in 2022, the only Grand Slam that he didn’t progress from the first round was at Wimbledon. He reached his first fourth round at a major event – at the French Open – and he now looks ready to improve his current win record of 33% in Melbourne.
Pedro Martinez Preview
The Spaniard is also 25 years of age and has reached the third round of all Grand Slams with the exception of the US Open where he is yet to get beyond the opening rounds. He had a good 2021 but 2022 was a bit of a step back for his career. He will come into this game hoping for a fresh start but is up against a formidable opponent.
Hurkacz vs Martinez Head to Head
This will be the third time these two have come up against each other but only the second time on the main ATP Tour. Hurkacz won their first meeting in straight sets during the third qualifying round at the US Open in 2018. Martinez did steal a set when they met on clay last year in Monaco, but Hurkacz again came out on top and will be looking to build on his 2-0 current lead.
Hurkacz vs Martinez Match Details
- Match Schedule – January 16th at 01:30 GMT
- Venue – Kia Arena, Melbourne Park
- Viewing options – Online Streaming (Ladbrokes), Discovery+, Eurosport
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