A pair of veterans will go up against rising stars–albeit of much different ages–when quarterfinal action in Metz takes place on Friday. Andy Murray is facing Hubert Hurkacz, while Pablo Carreno Busta battles Holger Rune.
(1) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (WC) Andy Murray
Hurkacz and Murray will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this summer when they meet again in the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open on Friday. They previously collided at the recent Cincinnati Masters, where Hurkacz got the job done 7-6(4), 6-3.
Murray has earned himself another shot at the 13th-ranked Pole thanks to Metz victories over Ugo Humbert (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) and Vasek Pospisil (6-3, 6-3). The 34-year-old Scot is in decent form and looks healthy enough, but he still cannot be trusted to string together three consecutive impressive performances. Plus, Hurkacz built up some confidence with a 6-2, 6-3 beatdown of Lucas Pouille on Thursday. This is just a bad matchup for Murray, as the two players wield similar styles of tennis and right now the 24-year-old does pretty much everything better.
Pick: Hurkacz in 2
(Q) Holger Rune vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
It has already been a wildly successful week for Rune, who just barely qualified for the main draw with a marathon three-set win over Philipp Kohlschreiber. The 18-year-old Dane then parlayed that into a double-bagel of Bernabe Zapata Miralles and another three-set victory over Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday.
It certainly doesn’t get any easier for Rune, as now Carreno Busta is on the other side of the net. The 16th-ranked Spaniard is 33-13 this season following a 7-5, 6-2 success against Mikael Ymer in his Metz opener. Although thought by many (see: Kyrgios, Nick) to be a clay-courter, Carreno Busta is in truth considerably better on faster surfaces. It is actually Rune who has been playing almost entirely on clay in 2021. This probably won’t be as competitive as expected; Carreno Busta may hand out a free lesson based on his experience and fine form.
Pick: Carreno Busta in 2
WWW?
Hercules in 2; PCB in 2.