Pablo Carreno Busta and Daniel Evans had never faced each other before. Now Carreno Busta comes to win the first duel between the two, in three sets of 7-5 and 6-7 (7) and 6-2, but more importantly, this victory gives him a ticket for the final of the National Bank Open.
Posted at 11:26 p.m.
Carreno Busta was not particularly spectacular or exceptionally effective. He simply refused to crash. The Spaniard had won the first set thanks to a break of service at 11e game, but it was more Evans who caught the eye with some remarkable shots, especially at net.
Fallout of Matteo Berrettini (15) and Jannik Sinner (7), Carreno Busta had to be patient to triumph. The second round had started badly for him. He trailed 4-1 against his rival and he committed many unforced errors.
It was when he began to attack with more regularity that things started to go well for the 23rd.e world player. The second set went to a tiebreaker and it was Evans who held on better in the long rallies that defined this set.
The start of the ultimate run was just as tight. Carreno Busta smashed Evans at 3-2 and that was what gave him the fuel to go through with it. The match eventually ended with a double fault from Evans.
Carreno Busta will face Hubert Hurkacz in the final on Sunday. This will be his first final in a Masters 1000 category tournament. The 31-year-old athlete is on an excellent streak, having lost only one set since the start of the tournament. On the other hand, his opponent only played matches of three sets.