Hubert Hurkacz beats Sebastian Ofner in straight sets to reach Wimbledon third round, faces Tommy Paul next
Hubert Hurkacz defeated Austria's Sebastian Ofner 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of Wimbledon, continuing his strong comeback after a two-year absence. The Polish player will next face 21st seed Tommy Paul.
Hubert Hurkacz continued his impressive Wimbledon comeback with a straight-sets victory over Austria's Sebastian Ofner in the second round. The Polish player, ranked 94th and returning after a two-year absence due to a knee injury, defeated Ofner 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 57 minutes. He had opened his campaign with a win over 11th seed Casper Ruud. Hurkacz now moves on to face American 21st seed Tommy Paul in the third round on Friday.
Match recap
The opening set was a tense affair, with both players holding serve until a tie-break. Hurkacz saved four break points in the ninth game before the tie-break, where he eventually clinched it 10-8.
The Pole then dominated the second set, building a 4-1 lead. Ofner managed to break back once, but Hurkacz immediately regained control to win 6-4. In the third set, the match remained on serve until 4-4, when Hurkacz secured a crucial break and then served out the match confidently.I'm happy with this win. It wasn't easy, especially the first set. That tie-break was very tight and gave me positive energy.
Road to redemption
Hurkacz's run at Wimbledon is particularly meaningful given his recent struggles. At Wimbledon 2024, he suffered a serious knee injury while seeded seventh, which sidelined him for months and caused his ranking to fall to 94th.
Now working with new coach Gilles Cervara, Hurkacz has shown steady improvement. He credits Cervara for his attention to detail and effective communication.The return and recovery were pretty tough. For a few months I couldn't move. Even though we spent whole days on therapy, there was no visible improvement. At some point I felt progress and my confidence kept evolving.
- Defeats Sebastian Ofner 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-4 in second round
- Scheduled third-round match vs. Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul awaits
The next challenge is a third-round clash with Tommy Paul on Friday, 3 July. The American, seeded 21st, has also won both his matches in straight sets, defeating Soon-woo Kwon 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the second round. Paul recently reached the final at Queen's Club, underscoring his grass-court prowess. The head-to-head record favours Paul 3-1, though all previous meetings were on clay.
The winner will advance to the fourth round.Definitely a tough opponent. He was in the Queen's final two weeks ago, so it's going to be a big challenge.
Prize money and ranking implications
By reaching the third round, Hurkacz has already earned £185,000 (about 936,000 złoty), which could rise to £300,000 if he beats Paul. His live ATP ranking has jumped 22 spots to 74th after gaining 100 points from this run. The tournament offers record payouts, with champions receiving £3.6 million each, finalists £1.8 million, and quarterfinalists £480,000.
- 2nd round
- 185 £k
- 3rd round
- 300 £k
- Quarterfinal
- 480 £k
- Semifinal
- 900 £k
- Final
- 1800 £k
- Winner
- 3600 £k
