Defending champion Hurkacz beats Medvedev to make return trip to semi-finals

Hubert Hurkacz is back in the Miami semis after defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Thursday. Hurkacz awaits the winner of the next quarter-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Miomir Kecmanovic.

Hubert Hurkacz Miami

Ricky Dimon

March 31, 2022

Miami Open 2022: Men’s Singles Draw | Results | Order of Play

Hubert Hurkacz is just two wins away from defending his 2021 Miami Open title.

Hurkacz is back in the Miami semi-finals after defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7), 6-3 on Thursday afternoon. The 10th-ranked Pole generated 14 break-point chances and converted three of them to prevail after two hours and four minutes.

And STILL 🇵🇱

Defending champion @HubertHurkacz extends his winning streak in Miami to a perfect 10 matches – taking out Medvedev 7-6(7) 6-3!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/iwkJQylHsf
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 31, 2022

A roller-coaster first set saw Hurkacz fail to serve it out at 5-3 after missing two set points on Medvedev’s serve in the previous game. However, the 25-year-old recovered in the tiebreaker. Hurkacz’s only deficit came at 4-3, but he swiftly erased that and finally capitalized on his fifth set point at 8-7.

Medvedev did well to save two break points in the first game of set and hold, but that only delayed the inevitable. Hurkacz generated a whopping six more break points at 2-2, and this time he managed to get it done. Two easy holds later brought the No. 8 seed to 5-3, at which stage he wrapped up the proceedings in style with another break.

Medvedev denied return to No. 1 ranking

Whereas Hurkacz is one win away from getting back to the Miami final, Medvedev was one win away from regaining the No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic. Medvedev briefly found himself in the top spot in late February and earlier this month, but Djokovic got it back following the Indian Wells Masters. The 26-year-old would have regained it next week if he had defeated Hurkacz on Thursday.

Medvedev will wait to resume his quest for the top ranking spot on clay, while Hurkacz will continue his bid for back-to-back Miami titles against either Carlos Alcaraz or Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarter-finals on Friday.