Two weeks ago, Pablo Llamas Ruiz became the youngest Spaniard to win an ATP Challenger Tour title since an 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in 2021. How did Llamas Ruiz learn of that statistic? From the World No. 1 himself.

“I had no idea until Carlitos sent me the [Instagram] link and congratulated me,” Llamas Ruiz said in Spanish to ATPTour.com. “I clicked on the link and thought, ‘Unbelievable’. It’s something I absolutely didn’t expect, and it’s given me even more enthusiasm to keep working.”

Llamas Ruiz, 20, was playing just his 10th Challenger event of the year in Segovia, where he saved three match points in the semi-finals before being crowned champion the next day. The #NextGenATP star’s rapid rise is only fueling his fire.

“It was something that I never expected, that I would win my first Challenger title on hard courts, it’s incredible,” Llamas Ruiz said. “I’m so, so happy to win the title. I want to keep winning, keep training. I need to think that it’s just one title because if I think, ‘Oh, I won a Challenger, I won’t work more’, that’s bad for you.”

As if he needed any more inspiration to continue his climb, the Spaniard can look to his friend and recent Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who won four Challenger titles before ascending to the biggest stages of the sport.

“Seeing that just two years ago he was winning Challengers and now he’s the World No. 1 is really inspiring,” Llamas Ruiz said. “Everyone has their own path, but I know I can be there too, I just need to keep working. I believe I can achieve it, that I can compete against the best.”

Both aged 20, Alcaraz and Llamas Ruiz have fond memories together. In 2018, they clinched the junior Davis Cup in a decisive doubles rubber, lifting Spain past France 2-1 to win the trophy in Budapest. Llamas Ruiz, who prefers to be called, ‘Llamas’ because there are ‘a lot of Pablos’, recalled that he and Alcaraz would often do what teenage boys enjoy: joking, dancing and singing together.

“We were so, so happy on court. I remember I played with him and almost every point, we were laughing,” Llamas Ruiz said. “That’s an experience that I had with him and now he’s No. 1 of the world. It was incredible. I remember the point we won to win the junior Davis Cup, I finished with an ace and we were so, so happy.

“I would love to play with him again on the ATP Tour. I hope for that, I want that and I feel like he wants it too. So if I go up a little bit more, then I will try to play with him.”

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Before ‘Llamas’ ascends to the ATP Tour, he will continue to develop his diverse game on the ATP Challenger Tour. A simple guy at heart, the Spaniard has enjoyed keeping tabs with Alcaraz, who is also following Llamas Ruiz’s journey.

“Lately, I’ve been talking more with Carlitos. When I won the Challenger title, my friends asked me, ‘Has Carlitos congratulated you?’” Llamas Ruiz said. “It was quite surprising that he sent me the link, gave me encouragement, told me to keep working, and said he was really happy for me. It filled me with satisfaction, ‘The World No. 1 is saying these things to me!’

“It’s a joy to have that friendship with him. Sometimes when people achieve a lot of success and rise to the top, they forget what’s behind them. It’s really nice to see that Carlitos hasn’t forgotten that, he’s a great person.”

At a career-high No. 146 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Llamas Ruiz will next aim to qualify for his maiden Grand Slam main draw at the US Open, where countryman Alcaraz claimed his first major title last year.

Pablo Llamas Ruiz wins the Open Castilla y Leon in Segovia.” />
^{Pablo Llamas Ruiz wins the Open Castilla y Leon in Segovia. Credit: Alberto Simon}

-Reporting contributed by Guido Molteni

Third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury escaped a thrilling Match Tie-break on Thursday to book their ticket to the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers quarter-finals.

The American-British duo escaped Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-7(3), 6-3, 12-10 to advance after one hour, 50 minutes. In the Match Tie-break, Gille and Vliegen won three consecutive points from 7/9 to earn match point. Ram and Salisbury then tallied three consecutive points themselves, converting their third match point.

Aiming for their first title of the season above ATP 250 level, Ram and Salisbury will next meet Max Purcell and Andrey Rublev, who defeated Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 7-6(7).

Eighth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who won in Los Cabos last week, also won after saving two match points against Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. The Mexican-French team survived 6-3, 6-7(3), 12-10 and will next face second seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.

Fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden cruised past Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-3, 6-3. Sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz downed wild cards Nicolas Mahut and Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-4.

Andy Murray was forced to withdraw from the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Thursday evening. After spending nearly five hours on court across his opening wins against Lorenzo Sonego and Max Purcell, the Briton pulled out ahead of his meeting with Jannik Sinner with an abdominal injury.

“I have an issue with my abdominal so unfortunately I’m not going to be able to play this evening. I’m really sorry,” Murray said, addressing the stadium crowd. “I feel like I’ve let you down. I’ve rarely been in this situation in my career and I feel terrible.”

It is just Murray’s seventh time conceding a walkover in his long career. A three-time champion at the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada (2009, 2010, 2015), the 36-year-old was especially upset given that this might be his last appearance in Toronto. He was seeking his first quarter-final at the event since his 2015 title run, and his first Masters quarter-final since he won the Paris crown in 2016.

“I don’t know, this might be my last time playing here as well. So to finish like this feels rubbish,” Murray said before thanking the Canadian fans for the support over the years. He also took time to sign autographs before leaving the court.

Murray is up four places to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings behind his two wins this week — his highest mark since 2018—  and is hopeful for a speedy recovery with Cincinnati and the US Open around the corner.

“I had a very similar issue last year in Stuttgart before Wimbledon, which forced me to miss the Queen’s Club tournament,” he recalled. “I was able to play Wimbledon. It took me about 10-12 days before I was feeling good again.

“This is not as bad as that but obviously the danger if you compete and play is you could make it worse. I’ll need to see how it develops over the coming days and hopefully feel better in a few days.”

Courtesy of the walkover, Sinner advanced to face Gael Monfils in Friday’s quarter-finals and moved ahead of Andrey Rublev into fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz overcame a slow start and a dramatic ending Thursday to down 15th seed Hubert Hurkacz and reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The Spaniard rallied past Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(3) to extend his winning streak to 14 matches. Alcaraz held a 5-2 lead in the deciding set and served for the match twice before closing the third-round contest on his fifth match point.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what happened,” Alcaraz said of his third-set slide. “I started feeling bad at that moment. I couldn’t feel the right way in my shots. I didn’t know what happened. But what I was thinking was to stay calm, try to find a way to overcome the problems and find the good feeling again. I think at 5-6 serving, I started to feel better.

“The big players have that feeling to find a way to stay alive and try to end the match playing well.”

Alcaraz struggled to find his best level early, committing unforced forehand errors as the Pole won the first three games of the match for the loss of just three points. A finalist last year in Montreal, Hurkacz played tight to the baseline and took the ball early to push the World No. 1 throughout the two-hour, 38-minute battle.

Despite being broken in the opening game of the second set, Alcaraz stayed focussed and found greater consistency in extended rallies as Hurkacz’s first-serve percentage dropped from 69 per cent to 48.

Alcaraz won 19 consecutive points behind his serve spanning from late in the second set to the third, but struggled to close the match. The two-time major champion had two match points on serve at 5-2 before Hurkacz won four straight games and forced the 12-time tour-level titlist to a tie-break.

“In the tough moments you have to believe in yourself, try to go for it,” said Alcaraz, who committed 28 unforced errors to 48 winners. “It doesn’t matter if you win or not. You have to believe you are going to play your best in that moment, try to play aggressive. I think in the two tie-breaks I did pretty well. That’s why I got the win.”

Aiming for his seventh title of the season, Alcaraz improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATPHead2Head series with Hurkacz and now boasts a 49-4 season record. He will next play 12th seed Tommy Paul, who upset the Spaniard last year in Montreal. Alcaraz is making his Toronto debut this week and is hoping for his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the year after winning in Indian Wells and Madrid.

Six-time tour-level titlist Hurkacz, who has tallied a 27-17 record this year, was aiming for his second win over a World No. 1.

The American Paul cruised past countryman Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year and set a third meeting against Alcaraz (1-1). Paul struck 22 winners to Giron’s 13 and fended off seven of eight break points faced.

Paul, who is World No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, won 17 of 22 points behind Giron’s second serve to level his Lexus ATPHead2Head series with the California native at 1-1. A quarter-finalist last year in Canada, Paul will aim for his maiden win against a World No. 1 on Friday night.

Daniil Medvedev continued his standout 2023 ATP Masters 1000 record on Thursday when he cruised past Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The second seed was watertight off the ground throughout the one-hour, 33-minute clash, hitting with consistency to limit opportunities for Musetti. Medvedev recovered from a dip in concentration in the second set when he squandered his break advantage, but responded immediately to earn his 48th win of the season.

Medvedev is chasing his third Masters 1000 crown of the season, having triumphed in Miami and Rome. He also reached the final in Indian Wells, holding a 22-3 record at Masters 1000 events this year. If the World No. 3 clinches the title in Toronto, he will join Carlos Alcaraz on a Tour-leading six trophies this season.

The 27-year-old, currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, will next face Alex de Minaur. Medvedev now holds a 9-1 record in Toronto, having triumphed at the Canadian event in 2021.

Musetti was aiming to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season after advancing to the last eight on clay in Monte-Carlo. The Italian was unable to sustain any real pressure on Medvedev, who won 82 per cent (28/34) of his first-serve points.

De Minaur completed a stunning first-set comeback en route to a 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-1 victory against American Taylor Fritz. With his win, the Australian reached the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

De Minaur trailed 1-5 in the first set against Fritz, who squandered two set points on serve. The Australian eventually sealed the opener on his sixth set point and took advantage of some loose hitting from Fritz in the third set to advance after two hours and 28 minutes.

Fritz is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and was hoping to boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals with a deep run in Toronto. However, he struggled to find consistency against De Minaur, committing 55 unforced errors.

”It feels great to finally break that barrier,” De Minaur said when asked about reaching the last eight at a Masters 1000 event for the first time.

“It’s just a never-say-die attitude. It doesn’t matter what the score is. I’m always going to fight till the end. Being able to compete and stay positive got me into the match. I knew even if I lost that set I’d be in the match and playing a lot better.”

Earlier this year the 24-year-old captured the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 in Acapulco. He has now won six of his past seven matches, after advancing to the title match in Los Cabos last week (l. to Stefanos Tsitsipas).

Did You Know?
Medvedev owns a Tour-leading 31-3 record on hard courts this season.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina earned his fifth Top 10 win on Thursday when he claimed a hard-fought 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) victory against World No. 5 Casper Ruud at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

After Davidovich Fokina clinched the first set, play was suspended for one hour and 34 minutes due to rain. Ruud came out firing on the resumption and was two points away from victory, leading 5-3, 30/0 in the third set before the Spaniard came roaring back to clinch a thrilling victory after three hours and three minutes in Toronto.

Davidovich Fokina struck 58 winners and played aggressively in the late stages of the deciding set, advancing to his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

“I kept very focused on every point,” Davidovich Fokina said. “He had the serve to close out the match, but I was focused on every point to be there and not give up. It was very tough. We played long rallies, with a lot of pressure. When I broke for 4-5, it was a show of power to finish the match.”

With his first Top 10 win on a hard court, the 24-year-old improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Ruud, whose best result this year was a run to the final at Roland Garros. The World No. 37 will meet Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-finals.

Earlier, McDonald overcame Canadian Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-3 in 71 minutes to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.

Raonic, who did not compete between July 2021 and June 2023 due to a series of injuries, earned victories on home soil against Frances Tiafoe and Taro Daniel earlier this week, but was unable to play with the same intensity against McDonald.

The American McDonald is up 16 spots to No. 43 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 28-year-old has now advanced to six tour-level quarter-finals this season.