World No.41 Hubert Hurkacz has received a boost going into the US Open after winning his first ATP title at the rain-affected Winston-Salem Open.
The 22-year-old toppled top seed Benoit Paire 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the final on Saturday. Following up on his straight sets wins over second seed Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals. Against Paire, Hurkacz had to battle back from a break down in the final set to prevail. Winning 67% of his first service points, but only 41% of his second.
“It’s a huge win for me,” Hurkacz said. “Benoit is an amazing player, so it was a really great win for me, great match. I had to fight a lot. It was great to have, but it I’m so excited that to lift my first trophy here.”
The win continues what is a breakout year for the Polish tennis star. He has already scored wins over top 10 players Kei Nishikori, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem. However, Winston-Salem was his first ever final on the ATP Tour. As a junior Hurkacz was a runner-up in the boy’s doubles at the 2015 Australian Open.
Hurkacz’s triumph has also made history. It is the first time a player from Poland has won an ATP title since Wojtek Fibak in 1982. He is also the first Polish player to contest a tour final since Jerzy Janowicz.
“I’m so happy. Being here I haven’t realized I’ve won the title,” the former Next Gen star said. “On Monday I have another match to come (at the U.S. Open). Obviously today I’m going to be excited and tomorrow I’ll focus on the next job.”
There is also some consolation for Paire, who has now reached three tour finals within the same season. The first time he has ever done that at the age of 30. His win-loss record for 2019 currently stands 29-21.
“It was a tough match against Hubert,” Paire said. “It was very cold today, so it was not easy to play full. We stopped for 10 times during, so I think it’s never easy to play a match like this. But honestly it was a good match. Hubert played good, so he was confident from the beginning of the week.”
Both players will now head to New York to play in the final grand slam of the year at the US Open. Hurkacz will open up against Jeremy Chardy. Meanwhile, 29th seed Paire faces Canada’s Brayden Schnur.
Hurkacz is the 14th first-time winner on the ATP Tour this season.
