Hubert Hurkacz is the 9th seed from Poland and is aiming for his first-ever Australian Open quarterfinals appearance. But in his way lies France’s unseeded Arthur Cazaux, who is the first non-Australian wildcard to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open since 1994. The match is scheduled to take place at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Sunday night ET.
The winner of this match could well take on the winner of the other fourth round match between Daniil Medvedev and Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals. Hubert Hurkacz has had a difficult run so far in the competition, as the unseeded Czechia player Jakub Mensik dragged him to a five-setter in the second round itself. In the third round, Hurkacz took 4 sets to get past Ugo Humbert, another Frenchman and the 21st seed.
On the other hand, it has been a dream run for Arthur Cazaux, who is extremely inspired by the late Kobe Bryant’s Mamba mentality. Cazaux put up a fighting performance in a first round thriller to send Laslo Djere of Serbia packing home. But the best match of Cazaux’s career was in the second round as he showed the maturity and skill of a player beyond his years and experience to outclass 8th seed Holger Rune in 4 sets. That match would give huge confidence to dispatch another top 10 player in the tournament, even as it is a Herculean task without a doubt.
Arthur Cazaux found it much easier going in the third round, winning in straight sets against the unseeded Dutchman, Tallon Griekspoor. Cazaux will play Hurkacz for the first time ever in his short career. However, The SportsRush predicts a 4 sets win for Hubert Hurkacz as he could be peaking at the right time ahead of more high-profile matches in the competition. Plus, Hurkacz’s form last season and coming into this tournament, especially on outdoor hard courts, was very good.
The Hurkacz vs Cazaux match will take place not before Sunday, 11 PM EST (2 PM local time). Fans in the United States can watch Hubert Hurkacz live in action on ESPN+ and ESPN 2. While the Hurkacz vs Cazaux live streaming in Australia will be on 9Now, while it will be broadcast on Channel 9. The weather in Melbourne is expected to be cloudy and windy with 60% humidity and 17 degrees celsius, which could make conditions more in favor of Hurkacz as well.
Additionally, the loser of the Hubert Hurkacz vs Arthur Cazaux match will take home $250,000, while the winner will be assured a minimum of $400,000 as prize money even if they go on to lose in the quarterfinals.
