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Hubert Hurkacz vs Flavio Cobolli: ATP Halle – First Round
The 2022 ATP Halle champion Hubert Hurkacz is starting this year’s tournament against Flavio Cobolli in the first round.
Hubert Hurkacz Profile
Hubert Hurkacz is ninth in the ATP rankings, one spot lower than his career high. The Polish are 29-12 for the season and will play their first match on grass.
Hurkacz is coming off a round-of-16 loss to Grigor Dimitrov at the Roland Garros. Earlier in the tournament, he defeated Denis Shapovalov, Brandon Nakashima, and Shintaro Mochizuki.
Hurkacz won the title in Estroil this year, defeating Pedro Martinez in the final, and reached the semifinals in Marseille.
He won the title in Halle in 2022, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Flavio Cobolli Profile
Flavio Cobolli has the best ranking in his career, being No. 49 in the world. The Italian is 24-16 for the season and 0-1 on grass.
Cobolli is coming off a 7-6, 6-3 loss to Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round in Stuttgart.
At the French Open, Cobolli lost in the second round to Holger Rune in the fifth-set tiebreak.
Cobolli’s best result of the season is the semifinal in Geneva and the third round at the Australian Open.
This will be his first appearance in Halle.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first match between Hubert Hurkacz and Flavio Cobolli.
Prediction and Conclusion
Hubert Hurkacz took a week off after Roland Garros and is ready to start the season on grass at the place he won the title two years ago. The Polish have been in the top 10 for a while now and are one of the favorites to win again in Halle. He will start the tournament against Flavio Cobolli, who is one of the rising stars this season but has very limited experience on grass. That gives a huge advantage to Hurkacz, who, despite the great movement by Cobolli, will win this match in straight sets.
