Four men remain at the ATP Montreal Masters 1000 as the tournament reaches its conclusion this weekend. Two intriguing matches are on schedule on Saturday with Norway’s Casper Ruud taking on Hubert Hurkacz. We are also guaranteed a first-time Masters 1000 finalist as Pablo Carreno Busta battles Dan Evans in the second semifinal. Who do you think will reach the final?
ATP Montreal Semifinal Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-head: Ruud 1-0 Hurkacz
Ruud easily dispatched home favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals on Friday, dropping just three games against Canada’s last remaining participant at the National Bank Open. The Norwegian is projected to return to the top five and will climb to a new career-high world #4 if he wins the trophy on Sunday. His post-Wimbledon run has been particularly impressive and remains on course to reach a second final in the North American hard courts in 2022.
Hurkacz, for his part, ended Nick Kyrgios’ 15-match winning streak in an absorbing encounter and is now in pole position to clinch his second Masters 1000 title. Despite his first-round exit at Wimbledon, the eighth seed returned to winning ways on North American soil. Hurkacz has a fine record in this part of the continent having captured the biggest title of his career in Miami last season. He was summoned to play his best tennis in each of his three matches at the Montreal Masters, beating Ruusuvuori, Ramos Vinolas, and Kyrgios in three sets.
Hurkacz 0ut-servedNick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals – which is not an easy feat to pull off on a hard court. He has the ability to strike big off both wings and moves extremely well for a man of his stature. But in terms of movement, he is likely to play second fiddle to Ruud who is a workhorse in the men’s tour. The Norwegian’s serve is also far too polished to give up cheap points and his superior athleticism should help him grind down Hurkacz for the second time this year.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
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Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dan Evans
Head-to-head: firs meeting
Evans sneaked into the semifinals of the ATP Montreal Masters slightly unnoticed. The Briton is projected to rise 16 places in the ATP rankings following his 1-6 6-3 6-4 win over an in-form Tommy Paul. Evans recovered from a terrible opening set and grabbed control of the match in sets two and three by absorbing Paul’s power and redirecting with depth.
Carreno Busta, meanwhile, is into the last four without dropping a set. The Spanish baseliner prevented an all-British collision by taking down Jack Draper in straight sets. Carreno Busta’s weight of shot overwhelmed Draper despite the British qualifier taking an early lead in the first-set tiebreak. Ultimately, the experienced Carreno Busta secured three breaks of serve in the second set to close out victory.
This should be another close semifinal. Carreno Busta’s form this week mirrors his decent run to the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier in January. Evans will try and get under his skin, by neutralizing his pace and intensity with his dextrous slices. However, the Spaniard is a consistent hitter from the back of the court and Evans will need to finish off points on his own rather than wait for errors. Evans is likely to fall short.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
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