2021 Indian Wells Masters Third Round – Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz on and what time does it start? Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz will take place on Tuesday 12th October, 2021 – not before 02:00 (UK)
Where is Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz taking place? Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, USA
What surface is Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz being played on? Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Frances Tiafoe vs Player B? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz
What channel is Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz on? Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz will be televised on the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs
Where can I stream Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Frances Tiafoe vs Hubert Hurkacz live via their platform. Subscribers of Tennis TV can also stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
World number 49 Frances Tiafoe was exceptional against an out-of-sorts Sebastian Korda on Saturday, taking out the 32nd seed in straight sets with a first-set bagel to add insult to injury. The 23-year-old is at his very best in front of crowds like these and his fitness should serve him well in the punishing conditions at Indian Wells. Tiafoe beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of Wimbledon back in July and then Andrey Rublev in the third round at the US Open to show for his potential to reach the top of the game. World number 13 Hubert Hurkacz reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon with an even more exceptional set of victories over Daniil Medvedev and Roger Federer. The Pole won his first Masters title at the Miami Open earlier this season and his win at the Moselle Open made it three titles for the season so far.
THE PREDICTION
This could be the match of the round in what should be a boisterous, sweaty night session at Indian Wells between home favourite Frances Tiafoe and the impeccable Hubert Hurkacz. 24-year-old Hurkacz was excellent in his first match here against Alexei Popyrin on Saturday and his experience in winning a US Masters title in searing heat at the Miami Open should help his chances at a deep run here if he can get past a man no one would want to face right now. Tiafoe leads their head-to-head record 2-1 after claiming their first two meetings in Washington and the Next Gen Finals back in 2018 but Hurkacz was the winner in three sets in their most recent encounter at the 2019 Winston-Salem Open – a tournament he went on to win.
Taking into consideration the partisan crowd that Tiafoe will have no trouble whipping into a frenzy, this match looks to be on a knife-edge. Take Hurkacz to win at least a set as the player in better form but either could make it through here in a must-watch encounter.
