The business end of the 2023 National Bank Open is quickly arriving. There are just eight men left in the draw looking for a spot in Sunday’s final and a chance to bag 1000 ranking points alongside $1,019,335 in prize money.
In Thursday’s last sixteen encounters, Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tricky meeting with Hubert Hurkacz, which saw him squander a 5-2 lead in the third set before prevailing in a tiebreak.
Second seed Daniil Medvedev had it much easier, and although he to had a slight wobble in the second set, losing a break of serve, he ultimately cruised through 6-4 6-4.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina then denied the top 3 seeds from making the last eight by upsetting Casper Ruud in a rain-affected match that went to a third-set breaker.
You can see the complete list of round 3 results below.
Round of 16 Canadian Open 2023 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Hubert Hurkacz (15)
3-6 7-6(2) 7-63
Daniil Medvedev (2)
Lorenzo Musetti (16)
6-4 6-4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Casper Ruud (3)
7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(4)
Jannik Sinner (7)
Andy Murray
(W/O)
Alex de Minaur
Taylor Fritz (8)
7-6(7) 4-6 6-1
Tommy Paul (12)
Marcos Giron (Q)
6-3 6-2
Mackenzie McDonald
Milos Raonic (WC)
6-3 6-3
Gael Monfils
Aleksandar Vukic (LL)
6-4 6-4
Alcaraz Survives Hurkacz Test
Another tough test for the Spaniard, but he came through it, recording a 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(3) over Hubert Hurkacz.
The Pole started the match in fine fettle, winning the first three games before taking the opening set 6-3. He broke in the first game of the second, but from there, Alcaraz took charge, extending the rallies and taking care of his serve.
Once he’d levelled the match in a tiebreak, it looked to be plain sailing at 5-2 with two match points, but his game went AWOL allowing Hurkacz to win four straight games to lead 6-5.
Fortunately for Alcaraz, he settled back down and played another solid breaker to get his 14th straight victory.
Honestly, I didn’t know what happened; I started feeling bad at that moment. I couldn’t feel the right way in my shots. I didn’t know what happened. But I was thinking about staying calm, trying to find a way to overcome the problems and find the good feeling again. At 5-6 serving, I started to feel better. The big players have the feeling of finding a way to stay alive and try to end the match playing well. In the tough moments, you must believe in yourself, try to go for it. It doesn’t matter if you win or not. You have to believe you will play your best in that moment; try to play aggressively. In the two tie-breaks, I did pretty well. That’s why I got the win. Alcaraz on his win over Hurkacz
Foki Flips Off Rude
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina started Toronto in blistering form but had to dig deep in the last sixteen, overcoming Casper Ruud with a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) victory.
The Spaniard clinched the first set on a tiebreak before the rain arrived, delaying proceedings for 90 minutes.
Ruud found his form on resumption, capturing the second set and finding himself within two points of victory at 5-3, 30-0.
However, Fokina came storming back, breaking and winning the final set tiebreak to earn his fifth top-10 career win.
Other Matches of Note
Murray withdraws before Sinner match: The Brit said he picked up an injury similar to an issue he had in Stuttgart a year ago, which kept him out of action for a couple of weeks, and he didn’t want to risk making it worse.
Medvedev Progresses Against Musetti: A comfortable win for the 2021 Toronto champion, who played cleanly from the baseline to move past the Italian with little trouble.
De Minaur Foils Fritz: The speedy Aussie had too much in the tank for Fritz, who has played several lengthy matches over the last ten days.
Rogers Cup 2023 Quarter Final Matches
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Tommy Paul (12)
Gael Monfils (PR) vs Jannik Sinner (7)
Mackenzie McDonald vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Alex de Minaur vs Daniil Medvedev (2)
Who are your picks to make the semi-finals in Toronto? Let me know in the comments.