ATP Tournament in Stuttgart, Semifinals, Saturday, 17.06.2023
The dream of the first German winner since 1991, it lives! At the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Jan-Lennard Struff is preparing to play his way further into the hearts of his fans. On Saturday, he will reach for his ticket to the final.
His opponent is seeded fourth and is also considered the favourite by Bet-at-Home, but in recent weeks the (still) second best German tennis player has made many world stars despair.
For this reason, I have gone in search of indications in my Struff Hurkacz tip that promise a very close, exciting semi-final. My recommendation is: One tiebreak, please!
It was obviously just a little breather, but unfortunately at the worst possible moment! Jan-Lennard Struff climbed up the world rankings before the French Open, playing better than ever before.
But in Paris, of all places, his nerves failed him and he was knocked out in the first round. Immediately after this disgrace, the Warsteiner started his preparations on grass, no easy undertaking immediately after the clay court season.
But the man who reached the final in Madrid a few weeks ago and beat players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur or Casper Ruud seems to be very comfortable on the fast surface.
In Stuttgart, he is driven by the German fans, and the support is bearing fruit! Since 1991, when it was Michael Stich, no German has won the tournament, now a long wait could come to an end.
Struff started very confidently with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Zhizhen Zhang, then Tommy Paul was the first tough opponent. In a never-ending match, the German finally celebrated a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).
One break, 21 aces and 90 % won points on the first serve, what a statistic on his own service! In the quarter-final against Richard Gasquet it was again relatively close, but at 6-4, 7-5 two sets were enough.
The 33-year-old collected all service games, this time he even reaped 91 % won points on service number one. The 18 aces also showed how well he gets on with the Stuttgart grass.
No wonder the German fans now have hopes of reaching the final. It was seven years ago that Struff and Hurkacz met each other directly for the first and so far only time, albeit as part of their national teams.
Struff triumphed 7-6, 6-4, 6-1, so now it will be the first duel in a main draw. Our betting providers see the Pole slightly ahead, but odds of 1.65 to 2.20 show how close the match could be.
Hubert Hurkacz continues to hold his own in the top 15, although this year there are no runaways upwards. At the French Open he had already failed in the 3rd round against Juan Pablo Varillas.
Three times he offered the spectators five sets, including three tiebreaks. For the first time since February, he has finally made it to a semi-final again, and there was no thought of boredom in his matches on the Neckar.
He won 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) against Yosuke Watanuki, and a little later a 6-4, 6-4 win over Christopher O’Connell brought cheers. 91% of points won on the first serve, 16 aces and no break chance for the opponent? Struff can sing a song about that!
A result that actually came as a bit of a surprise. For months, Hurkacz has not been so good at winning straight games without a tiebreak. In mid-March in Indian Wells, more than three months ago, he had last triumphed in this way!
Since then, which is almost unique, the Pole has had to go through no less than 18 (!) tiebreaks! He makes ideal use of his 1.96 metres, but sometimes lacks penetrating power when returning.
My Struff Hurkacz Tip
From a German perspective, I am of course keeping my fingers crossed for Jan-Lennard Struff that the fans in Stuttgart will once again see a finalist from their own ranks. Do I think the Warsteiner is strong enough? Definitely!
He seems to have mastered the change from grass to clay very well and wins close duels. Something that can also be said of Hubert Hurkacz, and has been for months.
The Pole loves the tiebreak and serves just as well as Struff on the Neckar. I could very well imagine three sets, but since the 7-6 is permanently flashing for both, I decide for the following tip:
We’ll see at least one tiebreak!
