Daniel Evans was being played off the court by a red-hot Tommy Paul in the pair’s Montreal quarter-final on Friday evening. But the workmanlike Briton kept the faith in his steady game to advance to his second career ATP Masters 1000 semi-final with a hard-fought 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

“The crowd, that’s what they buy their tickets for. That’s live sport,” Evans said in his post-match press conference. “You never know what’s going to happen. It was an amazing match, amazing atmosphere. I played on the court before. In the day it was amazing, but at night, there’s something about playing sport at night, it’s extra special.”

After Paul filled up the highlight reel with his pace and powerful ground game early on, Evans capitalised on the slightest of openings in sets two and three to win both by a single break. The 32-year-old secured an early lead in the deciding set, then crucially escaped 15/40 to move within one game of victory at 5-3.

Evans saw a match point go begging in spectacular fashion on return and absorbed one last Paul backhand pass on serve before completing the turnaround by expertly backing up strong serving in the clutch.

“I just didn’t think he could carry that on,” Evans said of his opponent’s blistering start. “If he did, I had to walk off and shake his hand.”

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In his 4-3 service game in the final set, Evans rode his luck as Paul clipped the tape on a mid-court forehand — the sort of ball he feasted on for much of the two-hour, 17-minute contest. The World No. 39 took matters into his own hands the rest of the way as he powered to the key hold.

Evans saved six of eight break points in the match as he withstood 41 winners from Paul, who stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday. The American moved up three places to No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings by reaching the quarter-finals, setting himself up to reach a new career-high.

With wins against fifth seed Andrey Rublev and 10th seed Taylor Fritz in the previous two rounds, Evans is through to his second Masters 1000 semi-final in as many years. He upset then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to reach that stage at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021 and also reached back-to-back Masters 1000s doubles finals with countryman Neal Skupski last season (Miami, Monte Carlo).

With victory in his first ATP Head2Head meeting with Paul, Evans improved his 2022 record to 19-17 and sealed progress to a second tour-level semi-final of the year (Sydney). He has moved up 16 places to No. 23 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week and also occupies 23rd place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

As he turned the tide in the second set against the American, Evans excelled at winning points from attacking positions, as illustrated by INSIGHTS: Conversion statistics from TennisViz. His 70 per cent conversion rate on such points exceeded the ATP Tour average of 66 per cent.

Figure 1: Daniel Evans won 70 per cent of points played in attack in the second set, surpassing the ATP Tour average.

An all-British semi-final could be on the cards, with #NextGenATP star Jack Draper set to take on Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta to close the Montreal evening session.

“Hopefully those boys have a great match,” Evans said. “Jack’s an amazing talent. He’s going to be around. You’re going to see him here [at the top of the game for] 10 years easy. It’s a great moment for him. I hope he goes out there, enjoys it, whatever happens.

“Carreno [Busta] is a great player, experienced pro. Underestimated a lot. He’s a very tough opponent.”

Daniil Medvedev is two Western & Southern Open wins away from securing his status as World No. 1 through the US Open, but a dangerous group of players could stand in his way in Cincinnati, Friday’s draw revealed.

The top seed will open against either Maxime Cressy or Botic van de Zandschulp before a potential third-round meeting against one of 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov, Denis Shapovalov, Tommy Paul or Jenson Brooksby. Should Medvedev reach the quarter-finals, he could get a chance to avenge his Montreal loss to Nick Kyrgios, who meets Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the opening round and could see 11th seed Taylor Fritz following that.

Rafael Nadal, set for his first competitive action since an abdominal tear forced him to pull out of Wimbledon, could pass Medvedev at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings if he wins the Cincinnati title and his rival fails to reach the quarter-finals. Seeded second, the Spaniard will face Borna Coric — who entered the draw with a protected ranking — or a qualifier in his first match.

Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is also lurking in Nadal’s bottom quarter. The Canadian will open play against the winner of one of the standout first-round matchups between Alexander Bublik and Alex de Minaur.

Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud share the draw’s third quarter, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz landed in the second section. Returning finalist Andrey Rublev is seeded sixth and will hope to emerge from Medvedev’s top quarter.

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In addition to Bublik vs. De Minaur, other notable first-round contests include Dimitrov vs. Shapovalov, ninth Cameron Norrie vs. Holger Rune, 12th seed Matteo Berrettini vs. Frances Tiafoe and Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Miomir Kecmanovic.

Main-draw action begins Sunday at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski rallied from a set down to defeat Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 in Montreal Friday and consolidated their lead in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. The duo avenged its Hamburg loss to Glasspool and Heliovaara to advance to the semi-finals at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.

The five-time champions in 2022 (Melbourne, Adelaide 2, Doha, Madrid, and ‘s-Hertogenbosch) are looking for their second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season.

Also advancing to the semi-finals were two-time Roland Garros champions, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, who took down Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-2, 7-5. The Germans will clash against Koolhof and Skupski, a rematch of the Barcelona final, which Krawietz and Mies won in a deciding match tie-break.

Krawietz and Mies are chasing their third title of the season, but their first since the clay season, when they won back-to-back trophies in Barcelona and Munich.

Should Krawietz and Mies win their first ATP Masters 1000 title this weekend, they will climb to seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

One day after playing what he called one of the best matches of his career, Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Montreal campaign came to a disappointing end in Friday’s quarter-finals. Playing in the city of his birth, the Canadian was swept off Court Central 6-1, 6-2 by fourth seed Casper Ruud.

“It’s super disappointing to lose any tournament like this, and especially here,” Auger-Aliassime said in his post-match press conference, giving full credit to his opponent. “This is a tournament we don’t play every year, so it’s always special for me to play here,” he later added.

It was the World No. 9’s first quarter-final appearance at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, which alternates between Toronto and Montreal each season. Auger-Aliassime had thrilled his home fans this week with victories against Yoshihito Nishioka and ninth seed Cameron Norrie, but came undone against Ruud at the ATP Masters 1000.

“I’ve been thinking since the match ended what happened,” he said. “I think I have to see. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high from yesterday [a 6-3, 6-4 win against Norrie] and I was trying to repeat that instead of just living with what I had, just fighting with all the tools that I had today, fighting with my opponent today.”

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The 22-year-old kept his belief after the one-sided opening set, but said “it really felt like the worst possible outcome” after dropping serve twice to fall behind 0-3 in the second.

“At that point it gets really tough,” he explained. “I try my best, but he was also getting more and more comfortable and confident, so then things get much more difficult.”

Using the difficult defeat as a learning experience, he now turns his attention to Cincinnati and the US Open.

Despite the defeat, Auger-Aliassime has moved up one place this week to seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, with his biggest points haul this season coming from his maiden title in Rotterdam. He will still have plenty of chances to add to that trophy count this year and beyond.

“The important thing for me is to understand what happened and try to act on it after I try to move on. I’m not someone who falls into emotions or doubts or wonders,” he said. “Tennis is a sport, many things happen: sometimes good things, sometimes not as good.

“The important thing is to keep going. Even when you win it’s important to see what you can improve. I’ve been doing that for my whole career, so this is not new. In a few hours from now, once I will have digested this loss, I will try to look at the future.”

As the sun set on a brutally humid evening in Atlanta late last month, a young American star was rising in front of Tour-veteran John Isner’s eyes: 19-year-old Ben Shelton. The 6’ 10” six-time tournament champion and former World No. 8 toiled for two hours, 24 minutes before eking out a 7-6(8), 4-6, 7-6(3) victory, that left a strong impression on the elder statesman of American tennis.

“He’s an incredible talent. I watched him play a-year-and-a-half ago in college and saw how athletic and talented he is,” Isner said. “I’m going to be a big fan of his in the future… Truthfully, I don’t see myself beating him anytime in the future. I hope I don’t have to play him again.”

Two weeks before his Tour-level debut, Shelton made his first ATP Challenger Tour final in Rome, Georgia, but fell short against China’s then-highest-ranked player, Wu Yibing.

The teenager has been building upon his NCAA singles title in May, reaching four semi-finals of the five Challenger Tour events in which he has competed. A week after completing his sophomore season at the University of Florida, the lefty reached the last four at the Challenger Tour event in Little Rock, Arkansas (just the second of his career).

“When I went to Little Rock, I started to believe more in myself and my abilities, that I could hang with the guys that are ranked 150 in the world or 250 in the world and that gave me a little confidence.”

His current semi-final run in Chicago (he plays Dutchman Gijs Brouwer Saturday) includes a quarter-final victory over former World No. 43 Jordan Thompson and will bring Shelton to a career-high mark inside the Top 250 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

“(The Challenger Tour) gives you an opportunity to see tennis from guys who are playing at a Top 100 level. It’s a lot of different types of competition and it sets you up for playing on the ATP Tour. It’s a really good stepping stone and the level isn’t that far off from ATP.”

Coached by his father, Bryan Shelton, a former World No. 55 and current head coach of the University of Florida men’s tennis team, Ben credits his dad for much of his collegiate and pro success. Growing up in a tennis family can lead to immense pressure and high expectations, but for the Sheltons, it’s been an exciting journey.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s become a really good situation where (my dad) doesn’t even have to tell me things and I know what he’s thinking or he knows what I’m thinking. He’s really helped me work on developing my game and not worry about quick success, but being in it for the long run,” the teen said.

The former Florida High School Athletic Association singles champion resided in Atlanta until he was 10, at which time the family moved to Gainesville, Florida, so it was fitting that his first Tour-level win came this past month in Georgia’s capital, where he took out Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-2, 7-5.

Known for his blistering serve, athleticism, and firepower, the college standout is getting ready for the two biggest tournaments of his life after being awarded wild cards to the ATP Masters 100 event in Cincinnati and the US Open.

Shelton played in the US Open qualifying last year, where he was ousted by eventual quarter-finalist, Botic Van de Zandschulp.

“I’m really excited, I was fortunate enough to play the qualifying last year and that was a great experience to get my feet wet. I’m glad the USTA has been able to help me out and I’m grateful they gave me a wild card.”

Tennis fans, we need your help in selecting which #ATP50 Game Changing moments to feature in our August issue of the ATP Tour Insider newsletter!

Which is your favourite rivalry from the past 50 years of the ATP? Will it be the modern matchups between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, or perhaps John McEnroe against Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg or Ivan Lendl, or Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras?

Which hot shot wowed you the most? Who has your vote for most courageous comeback? From the 1972 World Championships Tennis Finals clash between Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver, to Andy Murray’s phenomenal performance at the 2016 season finale to clinch World No. 1, which final had you on the edge of your seat? 

Check out our immersive ATP 50 features – you’ll especially want to see all the hot shots in full – before making your picks. Each category has 10 choices, and we want you to select your top three.

* 10 Memorable Title Matches In ATP History
* There Will Always Be Hot Shots
* 10 Defining Rivalries In ATP History
* 10 Courageous Comebacks

You can cast your votes once a day between now and August 22nd, so make sure to bookmark this page and return daily to support your favourite #ATP50 moments. Make sure you’re also subscribed to the ATP Tour Insider to find out the results!

Founded as a players’ association at the 1972 US Open, ATP has since undergone a journey of evolution over the course of its rich 50-year history. Today boasting hundreds of millions of fans, a global Tour across more than 30 countries each season and iconic superstar athletes, the ATP Tour has grown into one of the world’s pre-eminent sports entertainment platforms.

To mark this major milestone, ATP’s ‘Game Changing’ campaign celebrates 50 years of iconic moments, influential figures and changing styles that shaped the game known and loved by fans around the world.

Casper Ruud reached his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season Friday, when he capitalised on a misfiring performance from Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to advance 6-1, 6-2 in Montreal.

The fourth seed recovered from dropping serve in the opening game as he played the more consistent and aggressive tennis throughout the clash on Court Central, with home favourite Auger-Aliassime leaking errors from both wings.

The 23-year-old committed nine unforced errors in the match compared to Auger-Aliassime’s 25, while he hit with great accuracy to pull around the Canadian, who looked nervous in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

“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 in his on-court interview. “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.”

With his 74-minute victory, Ruud has improved to 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series and will next play eighth-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz.

The Norwegian has won three tour-level titles this year, while he advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami in April, losing to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Ruud, who is up to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is now 38-13 on the season, while he holds an 11-3 record on hard courts.

“The last hard-court tournament I played in was in Miami where I reached the final. I wanted to make a deep run here,” Ruud said. “I didn’t think it was too likely, being the first hard-court tournament back, but I have been playing great from the first point in the first match.”

After breaks were exchanged at the start of the first set, it was Ruud who found his range to drive ahead. The fourth seed struck his watertight backhand with precision and looked dominant on return, with Auger-Aliassime making only 45 per cent of his first serves in the opening set.

The Norwegian pushed further ahead at the start of the second set, firing a number of stunning passing shots against the sixth seed, who hit a double fault to fall a double break down in the second set. Ruud, who won 10 consecutive games in the match and hit 22 winners, held serve for the seventh time to comfortably secure victory.

Sixth seed Auger-Aliassime was the first Canadian to reach the quarter-finals at the hard-court event since Denis Shapovalov enjoyed a breakthrough run to the last four in Montreal in 2017.

The 22-year-old downed Yoshihito Nishioka and Cameron Norrie in straight sets earlier this week, but struggled throughout against Ruud in front of a packed home crowd.

Did You Know?
Ruud would rise to second in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin if he wins the title in Montreal on Sunday, while he would climb to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, surpassing his previous career-high No. 5

Hubert Hurkacz survived an attacking bombardment from Nick Kyrgios to reach his fourth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on Friday in Montreal, overcoming the Australian 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-1 on Court Central.

In an absorbing clash at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, the Pole adjusted to the 27-year-old’s quick play on serve, while he delivered decisive blows from his own strings to advance after one hour and 46 minutes and improve to 31-13 on the season.

“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.”

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, after a fast-paced and intense first two sets, the Australian was unable to match the Pole’s energy in the third set, with eighth seed Hurkacz grinding down a tiring Kyrgios – who struggled physically – to move to 11-6 in deciding sets this year.

“I started really well. Nick was maybe a little bit injured, which might have hurt his serve. With both of us serving so well, that few per cent can make the difference,” Hurkacz added.

Hurkacz now leads Kyrgios 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and has improved his record to 28-1 after winning the first set this year. The 25-year-old, who triumphed in Miami in 2021, will continue the quest for his second ATP Masters 1000 crown against fourth seed Casper Ruud or home favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime.

In a lively match, both players looked strong on serve for large periods. Kyrgios averaged 10 seconds between points during the first two sets as he frequently interrupted the crowd’s roars with his fast-paced style, while Hurkacz rushed to ready himself for the return.

The Pole clinched a tight first set in the tie-break with a backhand winner, before Kyrgios battled back in the second set. With the help of a net cord at 3/2 in the second-set tie-break, the World No. 27 gained a crucial mini-break, before he levelled the match with his seventh ace of the set.

A third-set push was a step too far for Kyrgios, though, with the Australian seemingly tiring on the hard courts in Montreal. Hurkacz quickly broke at the start of the decider, before he remained solid on serve to triumph.

Earlier this season, Hurkacz clinched his fourth tour-level title in Halle and is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin as he looks to make his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Did You Know?
Hurkacz is the only former Masters 1000 champion left in the draw.

Opportunity is knocking for Casper Ruud as he readies for the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers Friday for the second consecutive year. Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, all summarily dismissed on an upset-filled Wednesday in Montreal, are out, leaving the Norwegian as the highest-remaining seed.

“It will be interesting to see what’s going to happen. I will be here tomorrow fighting for a place in the semi-finals,” said the Norwegian, who improved to 37-13 on the year with a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 turnaround against Roberto Bautista Agut, his first win over the Spaniard in three attempts. “I guess I’m the highest-ranked still standing, still surviving, but it will be a new match tomorrow.”

The Roland Garros finalist will go up against homegrown favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime, who, with a 6-3, 6-4 dismissal of ninth seed Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, became the first Quebecois to reach the final eight in his native Montreal.

“Montreal people, French Canadians, are really proud people. We’re a small community in the world and we support each other in everything we do,” said Auger-Aliassime, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday. “Especially in professional sports, I think whenever you see an athlete coming from the province of Quebec do things on the world stage, people are very proud. It makes me proud to be in that position, for sure.”

Their ATP Head2Head stands at an even 1-1, with Ruud having captured their most recent encounter last year in the opening round in Madrid, 6-1, 6-4.

The clay-raised Ruud continues to build an impressive hard-court resume. Last year, he reached back-to-back quarter-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati before capturing the San Diego crown. In April, he punched his way through to the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami (l. to Alcaraz, 7-5, 6-4). Continued success during the North American summer swing would further his case for a spot in Turin and the year-end Nitto ATP Finals.

“He’s a tough opponent,” said Auger-Aliassime. “He’s one of the most solid and consistent players we have right now on the Tour. Of course, we all know his quality on clay, but I feel like in the last year he’s improved tremendously all his shots. The forehand has always been good, the backhand has improved a lot, the serve as well. He’s very good physically. I’m expecting a tough match. He’s not an easy guy to beat.”

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Riding a streak that has seen him win 15 of his past 16 singles matches, a run that includes the Wimbledon final and the Washington title, Australian Nick Kyrgios is into his first quarter-final on Canadian soil, and will face eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz on Friday. The Pole prevailed in their only previous encounter, in June, en route to the Halle title.

“These days are starting to blend into one another. I’m just kind of playing the game, physio, eat sleep, play — it’s tiring, but that’s the sport,” said Kyrgios. “I am missing home a little bit, I’m not going to lie. I’ve got my mum, my dad who I haven’t seen in about three months. But at the same time, I know I’ve only got a couple more tournaments before I go home.”

The 27-year-old will surely take solace in the fact that his recent surge (and the resulting Pepperstone ATP Rankings jump) will see him seeded at the US Open, which gets underway later this month.

“It was a goal more so I didn’t get one of the big titans or gods in the first round,” he said. “Now I can actually work my way into the draw if the draw is kind. I always feel as if my game is right there. I always feel that, no matter who I play.”

Once again above the .500 mark at 18-17 on the year, Brit Daniel Evans got past 10th seed Taylor Fritz for the second time in a matter of days, and will now face another American in the zoning Tommy Paul. Evans’ countryman, 82nd-ranked Jack Draper, meets Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who upset seventh seed Jannik Sinner.

Jack Draper’s dream debut continued on Thursday in Montreal, but it was an injury nightmare for Gael Monfil in the pair’s third-round match.

The #NextGenATP Briton led 6-2, 0-2 on Court Central when Monfils suffered a foot injury in what was his first ATP Tour appearance since Madrid in May. The Frenchman appeared to reaggravate an issue for which he underwent a small procedure later that month.

After a medical timeout, Monfils stepped back on the court with intentions to play, but retired before hitting another ball after a courtside discussion with his team.

“I know what it’s like to do an ankle,” a subdued Draper said post-match. “I did one last year and rebounded. I hope Gael is alright. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. I guess to be in the quarter-finals is nice for myself, but it’s never how you want it to happen.”

After upsetting third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas late Wednesday night to earn his first Top 10 win, Draper backed it up with a clean opening set against Monfils. He did not face a break point in the opener and converted on his two chances to ease into the lead.

The 20-year-old qualifier dropped serve in the second game of set two but created a 15/30 opening on return before Monfils’ injury. 

With just two tour-level wins to his name entering 2022, Draper is through to his third ATP Tour quarter-final and his first at the ATP Masters 1000 level at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

“On Tour, sometimes it’s your week,” he said of his breakthrough. “If you train hard every day and keep your head down, I suppose these things happen. I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals here. It means a lot.”

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After his win against Tsitsipas ended after midnight local time, Draper will be pleased to get off the court before sunset.

“The most important thing is to just to get a good sleep now,” he said, looking ahead to his quarter-final against Jannik Sinner or Pablo Carreno Busta, “I finished last night very late. I came out today and spoke to my coach and we were thinking it was going to be a tough mental challenge today to come out here and be all there. But I think I did a good job of that and hopefully tomorrow I can put a little bit of pressure [on my opponent].”

Daniel Evans defeated Taylor Fritz for the second time in as many weeks early Thursday evening, claiming a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5 win on Court 9. After Fritz retired in the third set of the pair’s Washington matchup last week, the American fought to the end in Montreal. The 10th seed denied Evans on his first attempt to serve out the match at 5-4 in the decider, though the Briton played his part with three ad-side double faults into the net.

But Evans responded with an instant break back and made no mistake in his second attempt to book his quarter-final place on serve. 

He will next face another American in Tommy Paul, who earned a 6-4, 6-2 result against 13th seed Marin Cilic, saving four break points in his final service game. Paul saved a match point to stun Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday in the second round.