Hubert Hurkacz has extended his winning streak to eight consecutive matches with a 2-6 6-3 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal at the Miami Open.
Hurkacz, who entered the match with just one win from seven head-to-head matches against Tsitsipas, hit 15 aces and broke three times.
Hurkacz and Tsitsipas needed a third set for the sixth consecutive match.
Tsitsipas broke twice in the first and seventh games to win the opening set 6-2. The Greek player built up a 6-2 1-0 lead with another break in the first game of the second set and held two break points in the fourth game but Hurkacz won six of the next seven games from 0-2 down with two breaks in the fourth and eighth game to claim the second set 6-3.
Hurkacz rallied from 40-0 down to get the decisive break at 2-2 in the third set. The Pole hit a serve down the T to convert his first match point.
Hurkacz has beaten three seeded players en route to the semifinals and rallied from a set down in two consecutive matches in Miami, after his 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over Milos Raonic in the Round of 16.
Hurkacz will take on either Andrey Rublev or Sebastian Korda in the semifinal. Hurkacz beat Korda in last January’s Delray Beach final to claim his second ATP Tour title.
“I was trying to stay competive. I knew if I am going to start to make those shots that I was just missing I can turn it around. I was staying calm and positive in my mind. Obviuosly, the quarter finals of a Masters series you are going to try your best and stay positive and that’s what I did. You try to improve, you try to get better. Obviously having the ranking that I have now is not satisfying to me. I just want to keep winning and keep improving I believe if I keep improving my game I can win some of these big events”, said Hurkacz.
