The men’s singles semifinals will be decided on Friday. Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz prevented Daniil Medvedev from recapturing the No.1 ranking in the quarterfinals. In the semis, he takes on the ATP’s fastest rising star Carlos Alcaraz, who outlasted Miomir Kecmanovic in a thrilling quarterfinal on Thursday evening decided by a third-set tiebreak.
The other semifinal sees Casper Ruud, in his fourth Masters 1000 semifinal, against Francisco Cerundolo, who is one of the unlikeliest semifinalists at this level in recent memory.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 1:00pm local time.
Casper Ruud (6) vs. Francisco Cerundolo – 1:00pm on Stadium Court
While this is indeed Ruud’s fourth Masters semifinal, it’s his first on this surface. The other three came on clay: in Rome, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. But he did reach three quarterfinals at this level last season, and on Wednesday took out Sascha Zverev, who is one of the best hard court players in the world. Cerundolo would certainly have been considered a clay court specialist prior to this event, having never won an ATP match on a hard court. The 23-year-old from Argentina has reached the semifinals or better at two clay events in South America since last March. He has a great forehand, and has played superbly in Miami. However, he has also benefited from two opponents suffering injuries (Opelka, Tiafoe) and another falling ill (Sinner). In their first career meeting, Ruud’s significant edge in experience should be a huge factor. And considering Casper’s impressive victories this fortnight over Zverev and Norrie, he should be favored to achieve his first Masters 1000 final.
Hubert Hurkacz (8) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (14) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court
Hurkacz loves playing in Florida. He is now 16-1 in the state where he often resides and trains, which includes results from Miami as well as Delray Beach. And he’s already secured his spot in the men’s doubles final alongside John Isner. He’s just one win away from returning to the singles final in Miami. Two weeks ago in Indian Wells, Alcaraz was just a few games away from upsetting his idol, Rafael Nadal, and reaching a Masters 1000 final of his own. Now he has another chance to achieve that career milestone, one month before his 19th birthday. Normally one would assume Carlos would be less than fresh for this semifinal, just 24 hours after such a battle in the quarters. But he’s incredibly fit, and will surely have plenty of energy on Friday evening. Plus, Hurkacz played two matches on Thursday between singles and doubles. Just like the day’s first men’s semifinal, this will be a first career meeting. Both men played excellently in their quarterfinals. But based on how impressive all aspects of Alcaraz’s game have so quickly progressed, this feels like the teenager’s time to take another big step in his young career. His speed, power, and tennis acumen may prove too much for the defending champion.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens (1) vs. Coco Gauff and Katy McNally (4) – Kudermetova and Mertens are a new partnership this season, and were the champions last month in Dubai. Gauff and McNally have teamed since a very young age, but haven’t won a title as a team since last May.
Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhaoxuan Yang vs. Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva – Alexandrova and Zhaoxuan teamed a few times last year, but this is by far their best result to date. Siegemund and Zvonareva won the US Open two years ago.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
