A huge opportunity awaits the final four in Toronto, with three of the remaining competitors bidding to reach their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

Top seed Rafael Nadal continues his quest for an unprecedented 33rd title at the elite level following a gripping comeback victory over Marin Cilic on Friday. He faces Masters 1000 semi-final debutant Karen Khachanov. Also on tap is an intriguing clash between Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson and surging #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek teen is playing the best tennis of his young career and will square off against an equally in form World No. 6.

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Nadal vs Khachanov | Anderson vs Tsitsipas

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Anderson and Tsitsipas will kick off the semi-final slate with a day session clash. The 19-year-old leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series by a slim count of 1-0, having rallied from a set down on the clay of Estoril earlier this year. Tsitsipas has been one of the hottest players on the ATP World Tour during the summer hard-court season, and he will look to continue his winning ways on Saturday. 

A semi-finalist last week in Washington, he hopes to go one step further and not only reach his biggest final to date, but become the youngest to beat four Top 10 opponents at a single tournament, since the ATP World Tour was established in 1990. The Athens native has posted a 7-1 mark between the Citi Open and Rogers Cup, including signature wins over Novak Djokovic, David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and most recently Alexander Zverev on Friday. 

Anderson, meanwhile, is also hoping to secure his spot in a first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 championship match. The fourth seed will look to his explosive game to neutralise Tsitsipas’ agility and all-court brand of tennis. Runner-up at Wimbledon, Anderson has picked up where he left off, punctuated by a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over World No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov on Friday. This is his second Masters 1000 semi-final appearance, having reached the last four in Madrid earlier this year.

In Saturday’s night session, Nadal continues his bid for a fourth Rogers Cup crown and second in Toronto. Also the champion exactly one decade ago in 2008, he will look to move one step closer when he faces Khachanov for the first time. Nadal will be bolstered by his comeback victory against Marin Cilic on Friday, rallying from the edge of defeat to prevail in three tight sets. He is seeking to reach his first hard-court final since Shanghai of last year (l. to Federer).

Opposite Nadal will be Russia’s 22-year-old star Khachanov, who is in search of a third ATP World Tour title match and first at the Masters 1000 level. Guaranteed to rise to a career-high of at least No. 26 in the ATP Rankings, Khachanov is dominating at the Aviva Centre. No sets lost in four matches, including wins over seeds Pablo Carreno Busta and John Isner, has the Moscow native surging at the right time.

Marin Cilic had a firm grip on his quarter-final encounter against Rafael Nadal in Toronto. But Nadal did what he does best, turning in an impressive 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback at the Rogers Cup on Friday.

With the victory, the top seed secured his place at the Nitto ATP Finals in London from 11-18 November. The first singles player to punch his ticket for the season finale at The O2, Nadal has now qualified for the 14th time.

The Spaniard was made to work to book his spot in the Rogers Cup semis for the sixth time and first since 2013. His Croatian opponent was in cruise control throughout the opening set, dominating proceedings with a hyper-aggressive, scorching display. It was peak Cilic on a picture perfect evening at the Aviva Centre. But the World No. 1 was up to the task, steadily building his own aggression and discovering his rhythm when he needed it most.

“It means a lot to me to be in the semi-finals,” said Nadal. “It’s because it was a very important match for me. Being in the semi-finals is great news at the start of the hard court season. And winning three good matches in the first Masters 1000 is so important for me.”

Nadal continued his quest for an unprecedented 33rd title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. He is a three-time champion in Canada, with victories in Montreal in 2005 and 2013 and in Toronto in 2008.

Cilic barely put a wrong foot in the 40-minute opening set, executing his game plan to perfection behind 17 winners. Nadal had no answer for his baseline blasts, which carried him to a double break lead. The Mallorca native would deny five set points while serving down 5-1, but a forehand winner sealed the opener with aplomb.

But Nadal turned it around in a flash as the second set got underway. The bevy of set points saved was a mini victory that seemed to inject new life into the World No. 1. A late break at 5-4 would give him the set and force a decider, where he once again came up clutch. With Cilic serving to stay in the encounter, Nadal converted his third match point to prevail after two hours and 20 minutes.

“The way that he played in that first set was unstoppable,” Nadal added. “So I resisted him. I play with the right tactics. I tried to find my solutions, but it was so difficult. The dynamic was very bad for me and unbelievable good for him. So I know that the beginning of the second set would be decisive.

“And then at 2-1, I had that break where he missed couple of balls and was the first time in the match that he made some mistakes. Maybe that was a key moment. And of course that last game of the second set that he was up 40/15, and he made two mistakes. So yeah.”

Nadal found a way to win behind his trademark grit and determination, overcoming 38 Cilic winners. The Croatian, who was bidding to reach his fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final and first in Canada, suffered just his third defeat (25-3) when winning the opening set this year.

Making his first hard-court appearance since January, when he retired from his Australian Open quarter-final against Cilic due to injury, Nadal got his revenge in style. He extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead to 6-2, with five of his wins coming on hard. He has not lost to Cilic in a completed match since 2009 (Beijing).

Next up for Nadal is Russia’s Karen Khachanov. He owns a 3-0 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the 22-year-old will enter their semi-final meeting with a wave of momentum at his back, having not dropped a set all week in Toronto. Nadal has triumphed on all surfaces against Khachanov, winning on the grass of Wimbledon and hard courts of Beijing last year, as well as at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters earlier this year.

Did You Know?
Next up for Nadal is Russia’s Karen Khachanov. He owns a 3-0 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the 22-year-old will enter their semi-final meeting with a wave of momentum at his back, having not dropped a set all week in Toronto. Nadal has triumphed on all surfaces against Khachanov, winning on the grass of Wimbledon and hard courts of Beijing last year, as well as at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters earlier this year.

Roger Federer and Andy Murray, who have combined to win nine of the past 13 Western & Southern Opens, could meet in a blockbuster third-round clash in Cincinnati. And while fans will salivate over that possible meeting between two former World No. 1s, there is plenty to watch out for with top seed Rafael Nadal, defending champion Grigor Dimitrov and 69-time tour-level titlist Novak Djokovic all getting placed in a stacked top quarter.

If Federer moves past Peter Gojowczyk or Joao Sousa and Murray defeats 16th seed Lucas Pouille and then Leonardo Mayer or a qualifier, the superstars will face one another for the 26th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. It would be their first meeting since the same tournament three years ago.

Murray is competing in just his fourth tournament in nearly 14 months, continuing his comeback from hip surgery in January. And if he plays Federer, he will try to overcome a five-match losing streak against the Swiss. Federer, who leads their rivalry 14-11, has triumphed in three of their four battles in Cincinnati, with their past three meetings at the event (2009, 2014, 2015) coming in the quarter-finals or later.

The rest of their quarter is full of standouts as well, as whoever emerges from their section will likely face eighth seed Dominic Thiem, 12th seed Diego Schwartzman, former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka or Japanese star Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals.

All eyes will be on the top quarter, though, with four current or former Top 3 players in the ATP Rankings looking to make their mark at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Nadal could possibly meet Canadian Milos Raonic in his opener, so long as the eight-time titlist advances past a qualifier.

The Spaniard, who triumphed in Cincinnati five years ago, could eventually face Dimitrov or Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Dimitrov lifted his first Masters 1000 title in Ohio one year ago, while Djokovic is trying to complete the career ‘Golden Masters’, as Cincinnati is the only tournament at the elite level he has not yet won. The duo could meet in the third round, with a second-round clash against Marco Cecchinato, who beat Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, looming for the Serbian.

Third seed Alexander Zverev, a three-time Masters 1000 winner, is projected to meet 2016 champion Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals. Fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro, who is pursuing his second title at this level, will potentially meet sixth seed Kevin Anderson in the last eight.

But don’t wait for all of those possible matches to come to fruition, as you can grab popcorn for plenty of meetings in the first round.

#NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who on Friday at the Rogers Cup became the youngest player to beat three Top 10 players at a single tournament since Rafael Nadal at the 2006 Monte-Carlo Masters, will face 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin in his opener. The 19-year-old has won two of three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against the Belgian, including a victory last October in Antwerp to reach his maiden ATP World Tour semi-final.

An all-#NextGenATP opener also promises to be a thriller, with Canadian Denis Shapovalov and American Frances Tiafoe clashing for the second time. Tiafoe beat the left-hander in the Delray Beach Open semi-finals earlier this season en route to his maiden tour-level title.

Other First-Round Matches To Watch:
– No. 9 John Isner vs. Sam Querrey

– Jack Sock vs. Hyeon Chung

– Kei Nishikori vs. Andrey Rublev

– No. 12 Diego Schwartzman vs. Stan Wawrinka

#NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas produced a stunning comeback on Friday, saving two match points to upset defending champion Alexander Zverev 3-6, 7-6(11), 6-4 at the Rogers Cup.

The 19-year-old hit 28 winners, including 18 on his forehand side, to stun the second seed after two hours and 27 minutes. Tsitsipas becomes the youngest player since Rafael Nadal in 2006 (Monte-Carlo) to conquer three Top 10 opponents in a single tournament.

Tsitsipas will face Kevin Anderson for a place in Sunday’s final. Anderson defeated reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 to reach his maiden semi-final at the event.