NEW DELHI: Polish tennis player Hubert Hurkacz secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open by defeating French wildcard Arthur Cazaux in a hard-fought match.
Hurkacz, the ninth seed, triumphed with a straight-set victory of 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 on John Cain Arena.
Cazaux, a 21-year-old French player, initially took a 3-0 lead in the first set, showcasing a spirited performance. However, Hurkacz made a comeback, ultimately winning the tie-break to claim the set. The match continued with a serve-dominated second set, where Hurkacz once again secured the tie-break, establishing control over the proceedings.
In the third set, Hurkacz broke Cazaux in the opening game and maintained his momentum to close out the match. The Polish player exhibited a strong service game, winning 91 percent of his first-serve points and facing only one break point throughout the entire match.
Hurkacz, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, expressed his satisfaction with the performance, stating, "Arthur is such a great competitor. Congratulations to him for an amazing run here. I served well, and he was serving well as well, so I needed to stay aggressive, and I'm really happy with today's performance."
This victory propels Hurkacz into his first Australian Open quarter-final, where he is set to face Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev.
(With inputs from AFP)
