Hurkacz, the clay court finally tamed?

Hubert Hurkacz won his first ever ATP clay-court title in Estoril on Sunday. In the final, he perfectly neutralized an in-form Pedro Martinez. Winning in two sets (6-3, 6-4), the Pole had never made such a good start to the clay-court season.

And with good reason: Hurkacz had never before progressed beyond the quarter-finals on this surface, which is by far the one he has the most difficulty taming. But things seem to be changing this year. As well as winning the title, the world No. 8 displayed a mastery that was unprecedented.

Whereas he used to allow himself to be drawn into lengthy duels as soon as he set foot on a clay court, he proved to be much more of a killer in the Portuguese city. He won 3 of his 4 matches in 2 sets, saving precious energy to go further in the tournament. A new aptitude which he will have the opportunity to confirm this week in Monte-Carlo.