Tough indeed.

These players have only met once before with Hubert having the advantage so this is a tough match to call.

Hubert

Hubert Hurkacz, who is enjoying a fine start to his year, squandered six match points against Feliciano Lopez in the second set of their quarterfinal. But the Pole’s confidence is such that he merely redoubled his effort in the decider, eventually claiming a deserved 6-4 6-7 6-4 win to reach the semifinals. Most impressive in that match was his return, with Hurkacz creating chances against Lopez’s often formidable serve through the 130 minute contest.



Benoit Paire too had to fight till the very end against a confident John Millman to earn his place in the semifinals. But he did struggle in his previous match, which came in Winston-Salem. That match saw Hurkacz claim five breaks of serve against the Paire serve, with the Frenchman breaking four times himself. But on the quicker courts in New Zealand, it seems unlikely that this match will see so many breaks. Indeed, Hurkacz has dropped serve just once so far at the Auckland Open.



Perhaps concerningly for Paire, he has seen his serve broken six times this week. Nor indeed can he match Hurkacz for power from the back of the court, particularly off the forehand side, which remains a real weakness in his game. He does, however, have a world-class backhand, one he will need to take full advantage of in his match. But Hurkacz looks in assured touch in all areas of his game and has not yet lost a match this season. Expect him to prove too strong for Paire.



Scores Predictor System (Proven Accuracy Of 87.68%) - http://bit.ly/2uMhHw0

But he regrouped nicely

Benoit meltdown at chair ump during tie breaker