The nice Hubert has bounced back

Hurkacz made his big return at the United Cup and we can say he didn't disappoint

4 wins for one loss, he beats Zverev, Griekspoor, Wawrinka, Fritz and only loses to De Minaur in three sets, okay the guy is suddenly playing like a top 10 again as if by magic. Already physically he’s really bulked up, he’s well built and seems even more annoying to face than before. Serve quality close to a servebot’s on top of having baseline game that’s clearly at the level; for his height and profile he moves insanely well. It’s great to see him chain together several intense matches too, he seems ready to switch to the Grand Slam long format. My doubts are about how long he can sustain that kind of match though, first we need to see how he’s recovered from his huge week, after such a long absence he might feel the effects. Then you have to see what he does in a 4 or 5 set match, that’s a step above.

It’s a draw nobody wanted and it falls on Bergs, the Belgian looks made for this kind of match, his matches are always bangers. He’s also having a super solid United Cup, beating FAA, Wawrinka and Mensik, his only loss is against Zhang 7/5 in the decider. In terms of level it was patchy though, it’s really only against FAA that he plays a mutant-level match, the rest didn’t impress me even though I love the guy. I’m also thinking about the match-up, which looks like the worst possible one for him: a guy so strong on serve and so good in the role of solid baseliner, that’s really not the kind of opponent I like for Bergs. The Belgian is going to have to produce a high-level match to take out Hurkacz, it’s crazy to already be saying that when at the end of the 2025 season Hubi was still out.