The singles and doubles semifinals will be played on Saturday in Canada. In Montreal, a new men’s singles champion will be crowned, and Hubi Hurkacz is the only semifinalist to have previously won a Masters 1000 event (Miami, 2021). Hurkacz is also in the doubles semifinals, so it will be a busy day for Hubi. In singles, he faces a finalist from this year in Miami, Casper Ruud.
In Toronto, Simona Halep is the only former champion remaining, and is two wins away from her third title at this event. On Saturday, she plays Jessica Pegula, who is into the semifinals in Canada for the second straight year. Like Hurkacz, Pegula is also in the doubles semifinals. She’s teaming with Coco Gauff, who will become the new doubles No.1 if they win the title.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Saturday’s play gets underway at 12:00pm local time in Montreal and 1:00pm in Toronto.
Hubert Hurkacz (8) vs. Casper Ruud (4) – Not Before 3:00pm on Court Central in Montreal
Hurkacz ended the winning streak of Nick Kyrgios on Friday, taking him out in three sets for the second time this season. But Ruud was even more impressive on Friday, bouncing back from a marathon victory on Thursday over Roberto Bautista Agut to overwhelm Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, dropping only three games. Predominantly known as a clay court player, Casper is also establishing himself as a considerable threat on hard courts. That’s especially true in North America, where Ruud has claimed 16 of his last 19 matches. But Hubi’s success on this surface remains superior, as does his serving prowess. While Ruud prevailed in their only previous encounter, just a few months ago at Roland Garros, Hurkacz is the favorite on a hard court.
Jessica Pegula (7) vs. Simona Halep (15) – 1:00pm on Centre Court in Toronto
Halep has been dominant through four rounds this week, advancing without the loss of a set. Simona has quietly put together a strong record of 36-10 this season, though she’s yet to achieve a big result, with only one title at the 250 level at the start of the year. Pegula only dropped one set this week, to defending champion Camila Giorgi. And similar to Halep, she’s accumulated a solid record this year (29-14) without winning a title. This will be the first career meeting between these two players. Considering Halep is now 25-6 lifetime at this event, and the way in which she has easily prevailed all week, her superior movement and defense should be enough to reach her fourth final in Canada.
Other Notable Matches on Saturday:
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Dan Evans – Carreno Busta has played superbly this week, eliminating the likes of Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini without losing a set to this stage. Dan Evans has survived two grueling three-setters in as many days. This is their first career meeting.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Karolina Pliskova (14) – Haddad Maia has earned three big wins across the last three days over Iga Swiatek, Belinda Bencic, and Leylah Fernandez. Pliskova is looking to reach the Canada final for the second straight year. They have split two previous encounters, both on hard courts.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.