Hurkacz beats Ruud in National Bank Open semis

MONTREAL — Casper Ruud let the opening game of the decisive set slip away Saturday at the National Bank Open. Hubert Hurkacz took advantage — sealing an important break when his return hit the net cord and trickled over — before rolling to victory.

Hurkacz secured a berth in the final with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory at IGA Stadium. He'll next play the winner of the evening semifinal between Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta and Britain's Daniel Evans.

The six-foot-five Hurkacz, a No. 8 seed from Poland, wanted to set the tone in the third set after pulling even in the match. However, Ruud jumped out to a 40-0 lead before errors started to creep into the Norwegian's game.

A flubbed overhead smash helped Hurkacz get back to deuce. On break point, the fortunate result at the net gave him a lead he wouldn't relinquish.

"That was a lucky shot in an important moment," Hurkacz said. "Sometimes it happens. But I was trying to be aggressive at that point so I was happy that paid off."

"Obviously I don't mind hitting that cord, but it's probably better to get a winner. That's OK," he added with a smile.

Hurkacz had an 18-8 edge in aces and completed the win in two hours two minutes.

"I think I found a good rhythm and I was making the right decisions," he said.

Hurkacz flashed his big serve — he had five aces in the opening game alone — but also kept Ruud guessing throughout the match. His serve-and-volley game was working well and he occasionally used an effective floating drop from the backcourt.

He came to the net frequently to put pressure on and it paid off with an early break. Hurkacz then held at love for a quick 3-0 lead.

The near-capacity crowd, eager to see a competitive match between the two seeded players left in the draw,