Halle Open: Hurkacz defeats Medvedev to lift singles title

HALLE: Poland's Hubert Hurkacz won the Halle Open title after defeating World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in straight sets here on Sunday.

The fifth-seed Pole broke Medvedev three times on his way to a quick-fire 6-1, 6-4 win and secured his maiden tour-level title on grass in just 63 minutes on OWL Arena.

Claiming his fifth tour-level trophy in Halle sees Hurkacz projected to return to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since January.

The 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Hurkacz had come through his quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime and his semifinal against Nick Kyrgios without breaking serve once, but the 25-year-old made immediate inroads in the championship match as he broke twice to race to a 5-0 lead early. He wrapped up the first set with ease having fired eight winners, including five aces.

Medvedev's frustration began to show as Hurkacz broke again in the first game of the second set, and although the World No. 1 did raise his level on serve, he was unable to make an impact on the powerful Hurkacz delivery.

The early break proved enough for the Pole to seal a comprehensive win having won 84 percent (32/38) of points behind his first serve in the match and without facing a breakpoint.