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Key Points

Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz demonstrated remarkable resilience by defeating Roberto Bautista Agut despite a mid-match back injury at the Libema Open. The fifth-seeded player showcased his serve prowess, firing 16 aces and winning 90% of first-serve points during his hard-fought victory. This match marks Hurkacz's return to grass courts following knee surgery after last year's Wimbledon. His next challenge is against qualifier Mark Lajal, who recently scored a significant upset win.

Key Points: Hurkacz Battles Back Injury to Defeat Bautista Agut at Libema Open

  • Hurkacz wins despite back injury in grass-court ATP 250 tournament
  • Fifth seed defeats Bautista Agut in two competitive sets
  • First grass event since Wimbledon knee surgery last year
3 min read

Libema Open: Hurkacz powers through pain, defeats Bautista Agut

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz overcomes mid-match back pain to win dramatic first-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut in 's-Hertogenbosch

"It's my first time here and I'm really loving it - Hubert Hurkacz"

‘s-Hertogenbosch, June 11

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz overcame a mid-match back injury on Wednesday to prevail on his debut at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, advancing to the second round of the grass-court ATP 250 event with a hard-fought win.

The fifth seed moved past Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(2), 6-4, making the most of the medical timeouts at 4-3 and 5-4 in the second set to treat his lower back. He nonetheless fired 16 aces and won 90 percent (45/50) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, during the one-hour, 38-minute match.

“It’s my first time here and I’m really loving it,” said Hurkacz, who improved to 4-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Bautista Agut. “It’s always nice to play on grass. Obviously, the end was a little bit tricky, but hopefully, I will be better tomorrow. [My back] hurts a bit, but I will do some work with the physio later.”

Hurkacz is competing in his first grass-court event since he was forced to retire from his second-round clash with Arthur Fils at Wimbledon last year. He underwent meniscus surgery on his right knee two weeks later. Hurkacz will next play qualifier Mark Lajal, who scored the biggest win of his career to defeat World No. 64 Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4.

Lajal, the No. 195 player in the ATP Rankings, is just the second Estonian man to record a tour-level win on grass in the Open Era, joining Toomas Leius.

Gabriel Diallo booked his spot in the quarterfinals by saving two match points to defeat sixth seed Jordan Thompson 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. Thompson, a two-time 's-Hertogenbosch finalist, held consecutive match points on return at 5-4 in the final set, but Diallo held firm to win 13 of the final 16 points and seal a two-hour, eight-minute victory.

“I played some really good tennis, he’s a very tricky opponent on the grass, it’s a surface that suits him well,” said Diallo, who is now 2-2 in tour-level matches on grass. “I knew I had to be really sharp. I came really close to losing on my serve, but I managed to come up with some good points and carry that momentum.”

Diallo, who is up five spots to No. 50 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will face third seed Karen Khachanov, who edged qualifier Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4). The 29-year-old Khachanov trailed 1/3 in the deciding-set tie-break but produced a gutsy turnaround to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final on grass, and first on the surface since Halle in 2022.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What a fighter Hurkacz is! Playing through pain shows real champion mentality. Hope his back recovers soon - we need more such gritty players in tennis. Also great to see young talents like Lajal making waves. Tennis needs fresh faces! 👍
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Priya M.
Grass court tennis is so different and exciting! Hurkacz's serve stats are insane - 90% first serve points won is unbelievable. But I'm more impressed by Diallo's comeback after saving match points. That's the kind of drama we watch sports for! 😍
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Arjun S.
Honestly, medical timeouts can disrupt opponent's rhythm. Not saying Hurkacz faked it, but Bautista Agut must have felt the momentum shift. Still, credit to the Polish player for toughing it out. Hope we see more Indian players competing at this level soon!
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Sanjana R.
As someone who's had back issues, I can imagine Hurkacz's pain. To perform at that level is incredible! Also, big shoutout to Mark Lajal - coming from a small country like Estonia and making history must feel amazing. More power to underdogs! 💪
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Vikram P.
The quality of tennis at these ATP 250 events is often underrated. Khachanov vs McDonald sounded like a thriller! Wish Indian broadcasters showed more of these tournaments instead of just focusing on Grand Slams. Our players need exposure to this level.
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Neha T.
Hurkacz's journey after knee surgery is inspiring! Shows how far modern sports medicine has come. But I wonder - do players push themselves too hard? Long-term health should matter more than immediate results. Just my two cents 🤔

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