Francisco Cerundolo vs Hubert Hurkacz Prediction & Betting Tips - Paris, France

Prediction published on 02/11/2023, 05:37  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 02/11/2023 at 09:19 in ATP Paris Prediction

World number nine Hubert Hurkacz will take on 20th-ranked Francisco Cerundolo in the Round of 16 at the ATP Paris Masters on Thursday. The winner of this match will move on to face either Alexander Bublik or Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. This is only the second time they will meet in competition, and Hurkacz won that match in straight sets. The Pole comes into this match in solid form after reaching the final in Basel, where he was edged out by Felix Auger Aliassime. He also claimed his second ATP title of the year last month, winning the Shanghai Masters against Andrey Rublev. With those performances, Hurkacz is now 45-22 for the year and 23-11 on his favored hard surface. He is also the bookmaker's favorite in this one. 

Meanwhile, it has been a difficult few months for Cerundolo since returning to the hard surface back in August. The clay-court specialist has failed to get past the third round in any of his last six tournaments. That includes first-round exits in Cincinnati, Tokyo, and last month in Vienna. While he has made two finales already this season, those came on the grass in Eastbourne and the clay in Lyon back in May. Cerundolo's record now stands at 39-25 for the year and just 10-10 on the hard surface. His struggles on the hard court become evident when looking at his record on the dirt, which is now 19-12. The Argentine will know that he is in for a difficult afternoon here, but can he pull off an unlikely victory?