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.

One day after beating World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, Nick Kyrgios maintained his sky-high level in Montreal to breeze past follow Aussie Alex de Minaur on Thursday.

In a 6-2, 6-3 victory, the Washington champion took flight early as he overwhelmed his opponent to win the first four games in 11 minutes. With his forehand firing, Kyrgios won 17 of the first 21 points to set the tone on Court Rogers, the match having been moved from Court Central due to afternoon rain.

“Incredibly tough after yesterday’s big high, playing Daniil, and the crowd was amazing. It was a day I’ll probably never ever forget,” Kyrgios said of his upset win.

“Today was really hard mentally for me to go out here and play Alex,” he continued. “We’re such good friends and he’s been having such a good career so far and carrying the Australian flag for so long. It was just tough mentally. It’s never easy to play a player like that, especially if they’re Australian.

“I just got out here and got the job done. I played the way I had to play. He’s a hell of a player. If you play to his strengths, he’s one of the best players we have in the game and he’s so fast. He’s going to have a hell of a career.”

After closing out a 23-minute first set with a pair of serve-and-volley winners, Kyrgios broke immediately in the second set to seize control. But De Minaur found his footing to break back on his first opportunity of the match, leaving Kyrgios jawing at his player box.

But Kyrgios took out his frustration with a booming forehand return to open the 1-1 game, then showed great patience in several long rallies to immediately re-establish his advantage.

After failing to serve out the match at 5-2, Kyrgios produced four more points of baseline brilliance to break at love and claim victory in just over an hour. The efficient victory will be a welcome one, with the Aussie playing his ninth singles match in 10 days dating back to his Washington opener.

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

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Following the victory in his first ATP Head2Head matchup with De Minaur, Kyrgios will next face eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who edged Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals.

By reaching the quarters, Kyrgios moves up to No. 27 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, a position which will earn him a seed at the US Open later this month. 

“It was a goal, more so so I didn’t get one of the big titans or gods [in the] first round,” he said. “I can actually work my way into the tournament. I always feel that my game is right there, no matter who I play. Today I felt amazing and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Kyrgios is also up to 19th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He has won 15 of his past 16 matches, with his only loss coming to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime demonstrated his title credentials in Montreal Thursday, downing Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals on home soil for the first time.

The 22-year-old brought the home crowd to their feet throughout his 72-minute victory as he blasted the ninth-seeded Brit off the court to improve to 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

In a dominant display, Auger-Aliassime targeted Norrie’s forehand with his watertight groundstrokes, while he hit 15 aces and demonstrated great footwork, dancing around his backhand to paint the lines with his forehand.

The sixth seed, who lost to Norrie in the Los Cabos semi-finals last week, is making his fourth appearance at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers and will next play Norway’s Casper Ruud as he looks to win his first ATP Masters 1000 crown.

The World No. 9 now holds a 34-18 record on the year and is 11-6 on hard courts, highlighted by the run to his maiden tour-level title in Rotterdam in February.

Norrie arrived in Montreal in form, having advanced to his fourth tour-level championship match of the season in Los Cabos.

The 26-year-old dispatched #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima and Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets in his opening two matches in Canada, but was unable to match Auger-Aliassime’s aggressive hitting on Court Central.

Casper Ruud continued his quest for a first ATP Masters 1000 title Thursday, rallying past Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in rainy Montreal.

The Norwegian recovered from a slow start as he upped his intensity in the second set to level. Following a 69-minute rain-delay, the fourth seed opened his shoulders in the decider to finish the job after three hours and 17 minutes at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

In front of a lively crowd, Ruud found greater depth, consistency and topspin on his backhand in the third set, which allowed him to force Bautista Agut back and close points with his powerful forehand.

“It was a tough battle. The first two sets were two hours and 20 minutes. Good intensity and I was feeling it a bit in the legs,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “Luckily there was some rain, which gave me some time to breath out and regain some energy and I can thank the weather gods today, giving me some extra time and energy.”

The 23-year-old, who advanced to the quarter-finals in Toronto last season, has improved his ATP Head2Head series record against the Spaniard to 1-2 and will next play home favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“This win was a bit extra special. It was against a player I had never beaten before,” Ruud added. “Such good quality two first sets. I didn’t feel I was able to find any holes in his game, which was frustrating. He is a very tough player, one of the best over the past six, seven, eight years. Someone I think all young players should look up to. How professional he is and how great a fighter, runner and competitor he is.”

The World No. 7 is the highest seed left in the draw, after Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas all lost on Wednesday.

Ruud has won three tour-level titles this year, while he advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami in April, losing to 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Ruud is now 37-13 on the season, while he holds a 10-3 record on hard courts.

Bautista Agut was aiming to reach the quarter-finals at the Canadian Masters 1000 event for the fourth consecutive year. The 34-year-old had won his past six matches, having lifted the trophy in Kitzbühel last month.

Chinese men have been lighting up the ATP Challenger Tour recently, none more so than Zhang Zhizhen, who recently won his third Challenger title. After back-to-back runner-up finishes in Luedenscheid, Germany and Trieste, Italy it was a trip to Cordenons, Italy where Zhang collected his first Challenger title of the season.

“My emotions after winning were quite happy, because it was the third time for me this year to reach a final and the last two I lost. In Luedenscheid, it was hard to win the match, but in Trieste it was quite close in three sets. There was a chance, but I didn’t catch it.

“This time (Cordenons), after losing the first set, I was thinking ‘Oh shoot, again, one more time (I’m going to lose), I don’t want it to be like that.’ So, when I won the last point I was really excited,” he said.

This past week, Zhang and Shang Juncheng became the first Chinese duo to win Challenger titles in the same week (Shang won in Lexington, Kentucky).

Three weeks ago, Zhang narrowly missed making history with countryman Wu Yibing, who was victorious in Indianapolis in the same week the 25-year-old fell in the Trieste final. Zhang made sure the historic moment didn’t slip from his hands a second time.

“It is history for us, but I missed the chance earlier, the same week Wu Yibing won in Indianapolis,” Zhang said. “This time I was like, ‘I don’t want to miss the chance!’”

China is yet to have a player reach the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but Zhang believes he could be the one to change that. In 2020, the Shanghai native climbed to No. 136, which remains the highest ranking achieved by a male Chinese player. Now striving for a Top 100 breakthrough, the World No. 161 is hopeful that he will be the man to make Chinese tennis history.

But he’s not the only Chinese player with his eye on the Top 100. Zhang is in a race with Wu, whom he frequently messages on WeChat, to reach the milestone. Wu, 22, has three Challenger titles this season and, at World No. 173, is currently only 12 spots behind Zhang.

“I believe it is me and not Wu Yibing (who will do it first),” he joked. “I hope he also can reach that (Top 100). We want to be fast to break this goal and it seems like we are in a very good position. We talk about everything… but we don’t need to talk about (the ranking) because we both know it is our goal.”

Zhang believes we will only begin to see more Chinese men climb up the rankings, including recent Lexington Challenger champion, 17-year-old Shang. After Zhang and Shang were crowned champions this past week, ‘Jerry’ first reached out to the Shanghai native to congratulate him.

“Jerry sent a message to me first and said ‘Congrats!’ and then I also said ‘Congrats!’ and that he is doing very well,” Zhang said. “I was in the hotel and just sat down for some dinner. (Having) pizza and beer, I took a picture and sent it to him. Then he sent me back a picture of water at some restaurant with his family and coach.”

Coached by Luka Kutanjac, the World No. 161 will travel to Poland for the Kozerki Open before flying to the United States, where he is entered in the US Open qualifying. Should he advance, Zhang will become the first Chinese man to compete in the US Open main draw in the Open Era. Zhang has fond memories of reaching the Wimbledon main draw last season and becoming the first Chinese man to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open Era.

“It was quite special for me. Last season was my first time playing on grass and then I made it past the qualies into Wimbledon, I didn’t expect that. There’s a lot of memories there.”

And Zhang hopes there are many more to come.

Play has resumed at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at 3:52 p.m. local time on Thursday, after the action was halted for 69 minutes due to rain.

Third seed Casper Ruud and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut will resume their match in the third set, after the Norwegian clinched the second set to level the match at 6-7(4), 7-6(4) 0-1. Hubert Hurkacz and Albert Ramos-Vinolas are locked at 5-5 in the first set in Montreal.

Washington champion Nick Kyrgios, Indian Wells titlist Taylor Fritz and home favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime will be in third-round action later on Thursday.