In the unexpected semifinals at Saturday night’s National Bank Open, Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Daniel Evans in three sets to advance to the final stages.
• Also read: National Bank Open: Hurkacz defeats Ruud to advance to finals
In an almost three-hour duel in the middle, Carreno Busta prevailed against Evans 7: 5, 6: 7 (7) and 6: 2. At the same time, he will participate in a final of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career.
He now meets the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated the Norwegian Casper Ruud this morning. This is the third time the two men have met in a tournament. They’ve each had one win so far.
Coming back to the Carreno Busta-Evans duel, the two players put on an excellent show for the spectators seated at the IGA Stadium. They delivered several long rallies and many exciting streaks at the net. You gave everything at every point. A duel at a high level.
crazy game
The decisive point came in the first set with a score of 5:5. Carreno Busta managed to break Evans’ serve to take a 6-5 lead. The last point was for the world number 23. a formality.
In a way, the Spaniard saved the day as he had a chance to close the books when leading 5-4. However, Evans showed resilience to even the score.
We had an amazing second run. Carreno Busta equalized from a 4-1 deficit to force a tie-break. In this phase, both players went to their limits. Evans had the last laugh with solid play.
Then, on the final lap, Carreno Busta found the energy to defeat his tough opponent. After a break in game six, the Spaniard had no trouble closing the books.