Hubert Hurkacz reacts after seeing Yoshihito Nishioka rage on court and be given penalty during Cincinnati match

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Hubert Hurkacz kept his cool to cross the line as drama ensued in a chaotic finish to his second-round clash at the Cincinnati Open.

Hurkacz, who underwent knee surgery after Wimbledon, muscled his way past Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6 7-6(4) 6-1 to advance to the third round.

The eight-time ATP champion looked down and out in the latter stages of the second set but eventually found his form in the tiebreak and was able to pull clear in the decider.

However, the match was not without controversy as Nishioka was handed a game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after being broken in the final set.

Hubert Hurkacz reacts to game penalty drama in his Cincinnati Open match

Hubert Hurkacz came out of the blocks firing in the final set and, after hitting a clean winner to break Nishioka’s serve, the Japanese struck multiple balls out of the stands.

After being hit with a point penalty, Nishioka seemed to further lose his temper and strike another ball out of sight, resulting in a game penalty.

Speaking after booking his spot in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, the world number seven seemed to sympathize with his opponent.

“I had a break point and I was committed to that return,” Hurkacz told Tennis Channel. “I hit a winner return and was up 3-1 [in the decider].

“Then he [Nishioka] mentally lost it a little bit. It’s a tricky sport, it’s challenging because you put so much emotion and heart into it and there are moments where you struggle.

“You put all your effort into it and it’s exhausting.”

How is Hurkacz doing after surgery?

Hurkacz has notoriously done well on the hard courts of North America in previous years, so the knee injury suffered at Wimbledon was a real blow.

The 27-year-old reached the final of the Canadian Open in 2022 and fell short in a three-set semi-final battle with Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati last year.

But, despite not reaching the levels we know the Pole is capable of, Hurkacz has remained positive about the state of his knee post-surgery and is happy to be back on the court after a short hiatus.