What do you do when things don't go as planned? Hubert Hurkacz would probably answer this question simply with "stay calm", because it doesn't seem to matter to him whether things are going well or not. He always remains calm. This was also the case in his quarter-final match against Marcos Giron. In the end, his composure paid off. The fifth seed from Poland beat the American 7:6(5), 6:4 and can therefore continue to dream of winning his second title at the grass court tournament in Halle.
It was clear from the start that Hubert Hurkacz would not have an easy time in this match, although he got off to the better start. Although the Pole led 3:0 at the start, all three games went to deuce. A situation he was hardly familiar with from his previous match against Australian qualifier James Duckworth. The nimble Marcos Giron fought his way back. It was worth seeing how he absorbed the pressure of the Pole's powerful shots and in turn put the world number nine under pressure. However, he was unable to do more than break back to 3:4. It went into a tie-break. What do you do when it's 5:5 in the tie-break? Stay calm, wait for the moment when your opponent's ball comes up a little short and then bravely try to hit the winner. This is exactly what Hubert Hurkacz did, earning himself the set point he was hoping for and converting it a moment later.
Both players served very confidently in the second round. Neither player was able to register a break point - until the score was 4:4. Of course, it was once again Hubert Hurkacz who spread unrest with his stoic calm. In any case, the American suddenly got too excited. And he promptly had the first break point of the set, which the Pole immediately capitalised on. His last service game was just a formality. First match point, converted, short cheers - done. Hubert Hurkacz is through to the semi-finals and it seems as if he is already focussing on the next match.
