The quarterfinal battle between Alex de Minaur and Hubert Hurkacz is the big match of the Australia vs. Poland tie. Scheduled for Friday, January 9, at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, this clash features two players with contrasting styles and quite a different season behind them.
Hurkacz had a fair amount of injury problems lately but has shown good form in Australia. Now he’s up against the home favorite and de Minaur is the clear odds favorite this time at around 1.50 (-200)
Match Details
- Event: United Cup Quarterfinals
- Date: Friday, January 9, 2026
- Location: Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney
- Head-to-Head: De Minaur leads 2–1
De Minaur vs Hurkacz
I think in this match we will see a battle of “The Wall” against “The Server” and de Minaur will have to show his excellence defensive talents once again.
- Alex de Minaur (Australia): Currently ranked world No. 6, De Minaur is playing on his home court in Sydney. Known for his great court movement and “never say die” attitude, he thrives on long rallies and forcing opponents into extra shots. He will need to neutralise Hurkacz’s massive serve.
- Hubert Hurkacz (Poland): Despite a lower ranking of No. 83 due to a long injury layoff in 2025, Hurkacz has been in decent form this week and we know how good he can be. He stunned Zverev in the group stages and has already served over 40 aces in just two matches.
Some of the key factors
- De Minaur is one of the best returners on tour. Whether he can get Hurkacz’s 220+ km/h serves back into play will be one of the main stories of the match.
- Hurkacz is returning from knee surgery. While he looks sharp, De Minaur’s strategy will be to make the match as physical as possible to test the Pole’s endurance.
- This is a must-win tie. If Iga Swiatek wins her match against Maya Joint earlier in the evening, De Minaur will be under pressure to win this match to keep Australia’s hopes alive.
Predictions
Alex de Minaur is the favorite here on home soil, it won’t be an easy battle against Hurkacz that seem to be in fine form. The main goal this month for Alex is of course the first Slam coming up shortly but I think he will raise his game here today for his country and his game should be well suited against the Pole. He won the only two games they met previously on hard-courts.
Expect a tight contest but I predict de Minaur takes it in two sets and we will see one tie-break.
