ATP Tournament in Halle, Semifinals, Saturday, 18.06.2022
Who are the two lucky ones who end up in the final of the ATP tournament in Halle? While on one side Oscar Otte will fight against the world number 1 Daniil Medvedev, the second semi-final is also highly prominent.
On Saturday afternoon, the world number 65 will be in the spotlight and in fact, is he favoured by bookmakers like Bet3000? If this is the case, the player in question can only be Nick Kyrgios.
The enfant terrible is playing a strong tournament, wants to finally clear a title once again. In my Hurkacz Kyrgios tip, I reveal why I have at least one tiebreaker on the cards in this match!
He has been the bad boy of the tennis circuit for years, many experts agree: If Nick Kyrgios would exploit his talent and show the necessary discipline, he could be one of the best ever!
Or let’s put it this way: Kyrgios IS one of the best in the world, but only if he wants to be on the day. At his premiere in Halle, the Australian obviously feels like unpacking his strongest tennis.
While in Stuttgart he was still conspicuous with point deductions and a lot of drama, in the semi-final against Andy Murray he was finished, in Halle he is clearly concentrating more on the sporting side of things. His 6-3, 7-5 against Daniel Altmaier was still expected, but since then Kyrgios has been getting better and better.
First, he turned around a deficit against none other than top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Then, he also eliminated Pablo Carreno Busta with a true demonstration and a 6-4, 6-2!
91% won points on first serve, not a single break chance for his opponent, there was no keeping up with Kyrgios. Altmaier did not have a chance to break, and Tsitsipas conceded one of his eight chances.
Some experts are already reckoning that Kyrgios could even be a real insider’s tip for Wimbledon. Now, for the first time in his career, the bad boy is up against Hubert Hurkacz, a similarly strong server.
While Kyrgios was convincing in Stuttgart as well as in Halle, the Pole has clearly improved on his performance from Swabia. There, he won the doubles title but was eliminated in the singles competition already in the 1st round against Marton Fucsovics.
Hurkacz was not at his best in Halle either, he had to fight hard against Maxime Cressy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. He finally did better against defending champion Ugo Humbert, where he won 7-6, 6-3.
The fans were treated to a typically long match in the quarter-finals. Against Felix Auger-Aliassime, there were two tiebreaks in the end, so this was a very lucky victory.
One unused break chance for Auger-Aliassime, none for Hurkacz, both just stubbornly held serve. The Pole is not known for too many aces, but he is almost unstoppable on his own service.
A fact that can also be applied to Nick Kyrgios. Although the two have never met before, there are few who expect a clear-cut affair for the first match.
My Hurkacz Kyrgios Tip
Nick Kyrgios in top form, tennis fans often have to wait a long time for news like this.
Both he and Hubert Hurkacz are serving excellently in Halle, giving their opponents virtually no chance to break. That’s also the reason why I’m almost sure to see at least a 7-6 in this match. Consequently, I’m betting:
There will be at least one tiebreak!
