Hubert Hurkacz 'liked draws as they were before' despite Shanghai Masters victory

October 16, 2023

ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments

Hubert Hurkacz ‘liked draws as they were before’ despite Shanghai Masters victory

Hubert Hurkacz has won his second Masters 1000 title, but the Pole has admitted that he is not a fan of the new 12-day tournaments that are being introduced to the ATP Tour.

Hurkacz beat Andrey Rublev, 6-3 3-6 7-6(8), and saved a championship point in the process to win his second title at this level.

The Shanghai Masters go alongside the 26-year-old’s surprise Miami Open triumph back in 2021, and he reflected on his ‘battle’ with Rublev after the match.

“It was such a battle,” said Hurkacz. “Especially emotionally. I had a match point and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and then I had some match points. It was back and forth and such a tricky match.

The world No.11 continued, “Andrey was playing some great shots. I was trying to respond. It was one of those matches and I kept believing and I am super happy with how I managed at the end. It is such a big tournament and so much tradition. It is a huge event and I am really happy now.”

Hurkacz is the sixth different man to win the men’s singles title at the Shanghai Masters, and the final was watched on in the stands by two-time champion Roger Federer, who was actually defeated by the Pole in his final ever singles match at Wimbledon.

Roger Federer watching tennis is a *vibe*
😎 @rogerfederer #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/JI4EzT3vrz
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 15, 2023

And the new Shanghai Masters champion commented on the former No.1’s presence, “It’s really cool. Seeing Roger in the stands and healthy. He has so much success here, winning it a couple of times. It’s such a big tournament with so much tradition throughout the year. It’s a huge event and I’m really happy today.”

Despite the joy of winning his second title of the year, Hurkacz did suggest that he prefers when Masters 1000 tournaments consisted of only 56-players and lasted a week, rather than the new 12-day events.

“Now they are a little longer events. I really enjoy being here, but I liked the draws as they were before, with around 54 players,” revealed Hurkacz. “I think they were incredible draws. Now it is even more difficult to win these types of events. There are 96 players. Everyone wants to win, battle and compete.”

There is no time to rest for Hurkacz, who is scheduled to compete at the Japan Open this week with his first round match against Zhizhen Zhang, who he actually beat in Shanghai.

Inside the baseline…

Hurkacz appears to have come out of nowhere to win this title in Shanghai, especially with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner in the draw. However, with his serve firing Hurkacz is always going to be a threat and he has now given himself an outside chance at reaching the ATP Finals.

Hubert Hurkacz and his run to the Shanghai Masters title

Hubert Hurkacz won the seventh ATP title of his career in Shanghai, and this is how he did it:

First Round – Received a bye as the 16th seed

Second Round – Beat Thanasi Kokkinakis, 7-6(5) 6-4

Third Round – Beat Yu Hsiou Hsu, 6-4 6-4

Fourth Round – Beat Zhizhen Zhang, 7-6(6) 4-6 7-6(4)

Quarter-final – Beat Fabian Marozsan, 4-6 6-1 6-3

Semi-final – Beat Sebastian Korda (26), 6-3 6-4

Final – Beat Andrey Rublev, 6-3 3-6 7-6(8)

Shanghai ❤️🏆
This one feels special. This season hasn’t been easy but I never stopped believing. Thanks to my family, my team and everyone cheering in the crowds and on tv. Well done Andrey on a great tournament! Thank you Shanghai.
Happy birthday Grandma 😊
📸 Hector Retamal pic.twitter.com/Q8YI7ONbfQ
— Hubert Hurkacz (@HubertHurkacz) October 15, 2023