Hubert Hurkacz will face Ugo Humbert at the 2023 ATP Basel tennis event this weekend. This will be a semifinal match in the tournament. The 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel, which is the corporate name of the ATP Basel event, is part of the 500-series on the ATP Tour. That means that one of these players will be in the final with 500 ranking points to be won. For Humbert, that would be season-changing. For Hurkacz, the higher-ranked player between the two, it would still be a big help toward a successful season. My Hurkacz vs Humbert prediction is that the former will win this match behind his elite serving.
Order of Play: Right-click/Open in the New Tab to check match times: subject to change
Hubert Hurkacz vs Ugo Humbert Head-to-Head Series
These two players have met one time in the past. The match took place in 2022 on the grass-court surface in Halle. Hurkacz won the match, which was fairly competitive. Both players had some aces that day, with Hurkacz tallying 10 and Humbert 5. There could be more great serving in their upcoming match on Saturday.
On short-term form, Hurkacz is the player to be very aware of. He is into the semifinals with a 6-1 record in sets played in Basel. He also won the Shanghai title earlier this month. Humbert is 6-2 in sets played in Basel this week. But he has struggled a little bit to win efficiently. He has faced three tiebreakers so far in the tournament. One of them was in the third set in the opening round so, for 2-3 minutes of tennis, he could have gone out of the draw very early.
Humbert has been buzzing for a spot in a tournament’s semifinals lately. He made both of the quarterfinals in Beijing and Shanghai. In each case, he bumped into a much higher-ranked player, which is all you can really expect. He has a tough match ahead of him once again.
The Draw: Right-click/Open in the New Tab for the draw for the 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel
Hurkacz vs Humbert Prediction: Hurkacz advances to final
Hurkacz is only coming in at -188 in this match (bet365). For a server who was unbreakable in the last round in a really long match, those odds look great.
Hurkacz beat Tallon Griekspoor in a difficult match on Friday. He, Hurkacz, saved the only two break points he faced. Also, Hurkacz fired 23 aces and 0 double faults. That is supreme serving out of the player that ranks No. 1 for service stats this season.
Basel is an event that favors the strong servers. The venue is indoors and it’s on the hard court. Indoors means no wind to negatively affect serves and the hard-court surface means a rapidly moving ball even after the bounce. The conditions favor Hurkacz’s style of play for sure.
Humbert would not be in the semifinals if he was not playing well. But in the last round, he went 6 to 1 for aces to double faults. He’s not serving like Hurkacz is. Also, Humbert surrendered 8 break-point opportunities. If he allows that many to Hurkacz, the Shanghai champion should be off the court without a tiebreaker. Take him at -188 on the moneyline.
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