Ask any player what their focus is when they resume a held-over, half-finished match and most will put a fast start, intensity and playing with purpose fairly high up the list.

Under the Centre Court roof on Tuesday, the young Pole Hubert Hurkacz ticked off all those items on his 'to do' list and moved into the first Grand Slam quarter-final of his career by outplaying the Russian No.2 seed Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 for the biggest win of his career.

After rain had forced them off No.2 Court on Monday evening, the match re-started with Medvedev up two sets to one and serving at 3-4. But Hurkacz used his natural aggression to break immediately, served out that fourth set with ease and pounced again to secure another decisive break in the third game of the decider.

That passage of play proved enough to set up a quarter-final battle on Wednesday with eight-time champion Roger Federer.

“It was a tough match," said the 24-year-old Hurkacz, who will be the fifth Polish man in history to play a Grand Slam singles quarter-final and the fourth at the All England Club after Wojtek Fibak, Jerzy Janowicz and Lukasz Kubot.

“Daniil is really unbelievable, he’s No.2 in the world and he has unbelievable skills,” he went on to tell the crowd. “Being able to win this match in front of you guys is so big for me.

“I talked with my coach, Craig Boynton, and I worked with my physio a little bit and prepared for today trying to do the things that weren’t working for me yesterday a little better. I did a pretty good job.”

Almost from the very first ball, Hurkacz looked more settled and more willing to take risks. A perfect drop volley with Medvedev serving at 30-all in the first game of the day earned Hurkacz a break point, and when Medvedev double faulted he was ahead 5-3 serving to force a decider.

The 6ft 5in Pole, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami in April, quickly wrapped up that fourth and struck again in the third game of the fifth set when a crunching backhand return up the line allowed him to break to love.

And from that moment, the quality of Hurkacz’s serving as he motored towards the finish line never allowed Medvedev a look in.

The Pole dropped just four points behind his own delivery in the final set and broke again for good measure to complete his biggest ever win by ranking.

 

Hurkacz and his American coach Boynton - who has guided Jim Courier, John Isner and Sam Querrey in the past - don’t have long to plan for a second meeting with Federer after the Swiss won their first on the hard courts of Indian Wells in March 2019.

The youngster, who arrived at the All England Club on a miserable six-match losing streak, said Tuesday’s win on his Centre Court debut is the perfect preparation.

“I think playing today might have helped me because I got used to the indoor conditions: the conditions on the big court, how the ball bounces there, all the crowd,” Hurkacz explained. “That actually can help me in my next match.

“Roger is a special player. What he's achieved throughout his whole career, it's unbelievable. Then the way he plays is also special.

“Being out there playing quarter-finals against him, it's really amazing. But obviously I'm out there to play my best and give myself the best chance of winning.”

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