ATP Japan Open 2023: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen Live Stream, Match Timings, Prediction and Preview

Hurkacz leads the head-to-head matchup against Zhizhen by 2-0.

ATP Japan Open 2023: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen Live Stream, Match Timings, Prediction and Preview

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen (Via ATP/X)

Polish No.1 Hubert Hurkacz has no time to rest on his laurels as he faces Chinese no.1 in men’s singles Zhang Zhizhen in the first round of the ATP 500 Japan Open. Hurkacz won his second Masters title after defeating 5th seed Andrey Rublev in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. This encounter will be a re-match of the round of 16 clash between the pair at the Shanghai Masters last week.

Hurkacz edged past the World No. 57 in a thrilling 3-set encounter defeating the Chinese pro 7-8(6),4-6,7-6(4) en route to his 7th ATP tour-level title. The pair have faced off once before last week’s encounter as the Pole prevailed in the Round of 64 of the 2019 Shanghai Masters.

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen: Match Details

  • Tournament: ATP Japan Open 2023
  • Match: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen
  • Date: 17 October, 2023
  • Time: 9 p.m. (EST)
  • Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Tokyo, Japan
  • Round: First-round (Round of 32)
  • Surface: Hard Court
  • Prize Money: $15,710
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Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen: Match Preview

World No.11 Hubert Hurkacz scraped past 5th seed Andrey Rublev after a nail-biting end to the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday. Hurkacz, 16th seed, defeated the Russian 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8) in two hours and nine minutes to win his second title of the year and edge past Rublev in the head-to-head (3-2), taking a slender lead.

Hubert Hurkacz
Hubert Hurkacz with the Shanghai Masters trophy (Credit: AFP)

Hurkacz is yet to confirm his spot in the year-end ATP championships to be played in Turin, Italy. The 26-year-old will hope to put in a good performance in Tokyo in order to move one step closer to confirming his spot in what would be his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, having qualified in 2021.

On the other hand, Zhang is enjoying his most successful season on tour so far in his career. The 27 year-old Chinese pro became the first ever Chinese player to reach a Masters 1000 quarter final as he defeated Taylor Fritz in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters earlier this year. Zhang also won the Gold medal in the men’s singles competition of 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou.

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen: Match Prediction

Hurkacz boasts a decent Win/Loss record of 39/20 this year in comparison to Zhang’s 18/16. Going by the Pole’s form on his serve and an impressive improvement in his baseline game, it would be difficult to imagine the Chinese pro standing a chance against the big-serving Polish star.

Zhang Zhizhen
Zhang Zhizhen (Credit : 2023 Quality Sport Images)

Match Prediction: Hubert Hurkacz to win in straight sets.

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zhang Zhizhen: Match Telecast

  • USA – Tennis Channel
  • UK – Amazon Prime
  • Canada – TSN
  • Australia – beIN Sports
  • Belgium – BeTV
  • China – MIGU
  • Germany – Sky Deutschland
  • Indonesia – beIN Sports

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