MONTREAL/STARNBERG, August 13, 2022
Hubert Hurkacz snapped Nick Kyrgios‘ nine-match winning streak in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Friday when the eighth-seeded Pole blasted his way to a 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-1 victory.
Last week’s Washington champion Kyrgios entered the match in red-hot form, having won 15 of his past 16 matches, with his only defeat coming against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
However, Hurkacz handled the Australian’s firepower well but also benefited from a couple of doubles faults, which helped him to gain the decisive two breaks in the third set. The World No. 10 prevailed in one hour and 47 minutes.
High-speed Hubi 💨@HubertHurkacz ends Kyrgios’ winning streak with a 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-1 victory to reach the Montreal semi-finals!#OBN22 pic.twitter.com/9P0GXloeGt
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 12, 2022
“Nick has been playing some incredible tennis throughout the past weeks, so it is a pleasure playing against him,” Hurkacz said in his on-court interview. “I hope the fans enjoyed it as well, but I am happy with the result in the end.”
Hurkacz improves his record to 2-0 against the Australian following a three-sets win earlier this year in the Halle semi-finals. He will next take on Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud, who hammered hometown favourite and No. 6 seed of the ATP Masters 1000 event Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and 14 minutes.
Make that 6️⃣ Masters 1000 SFs for @CasperRuud98 👏
He hands Auger-Aliassime the most one-sided loss of his career with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in Montreal.#OBN22 pic.twitter.com/D530IVe5sx
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 12, 2022
“It was one of those days where everything goes in one favour and luckily it was in my favour. With a player like Felix, you need to rely on some margins going your way. I didn’t expect them to all go on my side,” Ruud said. “It was a bit of a difficult start. I got broken but then was able to turn everything around. I hit my spots, made the shots I needed to and make him hit a lot of balls. That was the game plan and it worked well.
”I am sure Felix has played better than he has today. He has for sure, I have seen it before. It is a pity because he is playing at home. Maybe that was a factor, you could be nervous, but I am not going to talk for Felix. It was a big moment. This arena was full today and I am lucky I was able to win.”
Carreno Busta to face Evans in semis
In other action, Pablo Carreno Busta continued his fine run of form in Quebec with a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over British qualifier Jack Draper. The 31-year-old Spaniard, who hasn’t dropped a set this week, broke his rival three times to advance in one hour and 53 minutes.
Up next for Carreno Busta will be Daniel Evans from Great Britain, who rallied past US-American Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. The encounter lasted two hours and 17 minutes.
The semis are set in Montreal 🎾
🇵🇱 Hurkacz vs Ruud 🇳🇴
🇪🇸 Carreno Busta vs Evans 🇬🇧🇩🇪🇩🇪 Krawietz/Mies vs Koolhof/Skupski 🇳🇱🇬🇧
🇵🇱🇵🇱 Hurkacz/Zielinski vs Evans/Peers 🇬🇧🇦🇺Who will battle for a title on Sunday 🏆 #OBN22
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 13, 2022
