Sebastian Korda (No. 18) and
Alexei Popyrin
(No. 62) secured their spots in the semifinals of the
Canadian Open. The
American played an inspired match against
Alexander Zverev (No. 4) and came
away with a hard-fought victory in the third set, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4.
Similarly, Australian Popyrin pulled off a
surprise by coming back against
Hubert Hurkacz, winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 to
reach the semifinals of the Canadian Open for the first time in a Masters 1000
event. Popyrin and Korda will face off tonight for a place in the final.
Sebastian Korda surprises Alexander Zverev
The first set quickly tilted in favor of
Alexander Zverev, who secured a break in the second game and took a 3-0 lead.
However, the American fought back, recovering the break in the 7th game and
eventually took the set in a tie-break, 7-6(5).
Korda struggled to maintain his level in the
second set. After securing his first service game, he faltered both on serve
and return, allowing Zverev to win six consecutive games and take the set 6-1,
forcing a decider.
In the third set, neither player was able to
gain an advantage, with no break points played for a large part of the set.
Korda finally managed to break in the 9th game after wasting three previous
opportunities and closed out the match, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4.
Sebastian Korda at 2023 European Open
Alexei Popyrin stuns Hubert Hurkacz
Despite Hurkacz being the favorite, it was
Popyrin who secured the first break, quickly going 2-0 up. Both players were
inconsistent with their serves during the first set, with each having multiple
break opportunities. The Polish player recovered from a poor start, getting two
breaks to take the set 6-3.
In the second set, Popyrin improved his serving
while Hurkacz struggled with his first serve (only 45%). Both players managed a
break each, and the set was decided in a tie-break, where the Australian proved
more decisive to level the match 7-6(5).
The third set was a battle of nerves, with both
players saving several break points against them. At 5-5, Popyrin seized his
10th break point to move ahead and closed out the match with his serve, 3-6,
7-6(5), 7-5. The Australian is set to climb over 20 positions and reach world
No. 40 by the end of the tournament.