BERLIN (Reuters) - Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz showed his Wimbledon credentials on Sunday, hammering world number one Daniil Medvedev 6-1 6-4 to win the ATP 500 grasscourt tournament in Halle, Germany.
World number 12 Hurkacz defeated Medvedev and Roger Federer en route to the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year and showed he will once again be a force to reckon with when the Championships kick off on June 27.
Halle is the 25-year-old Pole’s fifth ATP singles title, and he kept his record in finals so far unblemished with his victory in just over an hour when he converted his second matchpoint with a backhand volley.
In contrast, it was a fifth straight defeat in a championship match for Medvedev, who has not won a title since denying Novak Djokovic the calendar Grand Slam to win the 2021 US Open for his maiden major triumph.
Play was briefly halted during the final when a protestor ran onto the court and tried to tie herself to the net before being dragged away by security guards.
Earlier this month, an environmental activist interrupted the French Open men’s semi-final between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud for 15 minutes when she jumped onto Court Philippe Chatrier and tied and glued herself to the net.