Hubert Hurkacz and Martin Damm run it back in Chengdu after a February meeting in Montpellier that Damm won in a tight three setter, 7-6(5), 6-4. That match was on an indoor hard court in Europe, and this one, on outdoor hard in China, is close to a clean slate given the surface difference the article notes.
Hurkacz, ranked No. 46 after slipping from a career high of No. 6, has had an up and down season at 26-19 but arrives in good touch, having opened with a 6-3, 7-6(10) win over Alexander Shevchenko that required him to save a mountain of tiebreak pressure. His serve remains one of the best on tour when it is working, and that alone makes him dangerous in best of three.
Damm, at No. 106, beat Shintaro Mochizuki comfortably in the first round and has a respectable 31-24 season record, but he is yet to beat a top 50 player twice in a row and will need his serve to hold up against Hurkacz's return.
The head to head favors Damm, but the surface switch and Hurkacz's superior firepower make him the pick here.
**Prediction: Hurkacz in two sets. Confidence: medium.**