Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6) 2-6 7-6(5) to send Spain to the ATP Cup Finals for the 2nd time in three years.
It was a brilliant match between the two players who play quite a contrasting style of play. It was never more evident than in this match where one attacked looking to shorten the points while the other stood back and defended. Bautista Agut spent the majority of the match behind the baseline waiting for Hurkacz to attack and then looking for a counter.
It worked quite well with the Spaniard hitting some unbelievable shots that will certainly make the highlight reel at the end of the year. The first set was a close one ending in a tiebreak where you could argue that one point made the difference. In the 2nd set, Hurkacu was finally able to play some consistently aggressive tennis that worked and he quickly won that set with 6-2.
In the 3rd set his level dropped off a little bit and he had to wiggle out of several tight situations in the match. It took Bautista Agut several match points with dozens of minutes apart to finally end the match. He was able to do so in the tiebreak winning it 7-5. The victory gives Spain the 2-0 lead over Poland securing them a spot in the finals of the event.
They will face either Russia or Canada with both of these matchups being mouth-watering. Poland was forced to play this match without Majchrzak who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. Hopefully, nobody else tests positive.
Spain is into the ATP Cup final for the 2nd time in three years, after beating Poland in the semifinals (2-0). Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(5), improving his ATP Cup record to 11-2 (!). Spain await Russia or Canada in the final!
