Hurkacz topples Rublev and joins Alcaraz in Rotterdam semi-finals

The audience at the Rotterdam tournament's night session was in for a treat on Friday evening. After Carlos Alcaraz's resounding victory over his compatriot Pedro Martinez (6-2, 6-1), the world number 3 awaited his opponent in the semi-finals.

To round off the quarter-final program, Hubert Hurkacz took on Andrey Rublev. The Pole leads three wins to two in the head-to-head, but the two men haven't faced each other since the final of the Shanghai Masters 1000 in 2023.

Back then, Hurkacz won the third set in a tie-break. The match played in the Netherlands over the last few hours was also indecisive.

The Russian got off to the best possible start, but the world No. 21 recovered perfectly. With 17 aces, 1 double fault and 4 break points out of 5, Hurkacz won in 2 hours 24 minutes (6-7, 6-3, 6-4) to reach the semi-finals.

For a place in the final, however, he faces a tough challenge in the next round, in the person of Carlos Alcaraz. Hurkacz has yet to beat the Spaniard in three previous encounters.

The last time they met was in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 in 2023, when Alcaraz saved a match point in three sets.