Photograph: Getty Images
Pablo Carreño Busta (ESP) def [8] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
31-year-old Pablo Carreño Busta has enjoyed a career-best week in Montreal, winning his first title at Masters 1000 level.
The Spaniard had previously claimed six singles titles, with just one coming above ATP 250 level, before his momentous triumph this week.
In doing so, he became just the fourth Spanish man in the last 15 years – alongside Nadal, Alcaraz, and Ferrer – to win a Masters singles title, and was also the first unseeded man to win in Montreal since 2002.
Competing in his 52nd Masters 1000 singles main draw, Carreño Busta was brilliant from the outset, dropping a combined fourteen games in three victories over Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner, and Casper Ruud.
Entering Sunday’s final as the underdog against 8th seed Hubert Hurkacz, the former top 10 player had to rally from a set down to earn his biggest career win.
After struggling to get a look in at the Hurkacz serve in the opening set, Carreño Busta broke to love early in the second and carried that momentum into a decider.
Breaking the Hurkacz serve again early in the third, Carreño Busta played some extraordinary defensive tennis to hold off a final push from the Pole.
The Spaniard managed to verbally frustrate his usually-calm opponent – an indication of his consistency and level, especially in the deciding set.
Speaking on court post-match, Carreño Busta was overjoyed in being able to claim Montreal’s maple syrup-bottle trophy.
“Please don’t wake me up if I’m dreaming because I am enjoying this a lot”, he said.
“It was a pleasure [to play in Montreal] and I hope to come back next year.”
Despite falling just short of a second Masters title, Hurkacz was full of praise for his Spanish opponent.
“I want to congratulate Pablo. He has played unbelievable throughout this whole week and he deserves to win this title after so many years”, he said.
Earning 1000 ATP singles ranking points – the most he’s ever collected at a single event – Carreño Busta will rise from 23 to 14 in the world.
The new ranking will help the Spaniard ensure a strong seed at the US Open – the major where he has enjoyed his most success and will once again be dangerous.
For 25-year-old Hurkacz, a Masters final helps solidify his place inside the ATP top 10, ahead of a massive US Open campaign.
From an Australian perspective, just two men – Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios – contested the ATP main draw in Montreal.
Both won their way through to the 3rd round, setting up an all-Aussie clash and the pair’s first meeting on tour.
Kyrgios proved too strong for De Minaur, downing his compatriot 6-2, 6-3 and marking himself as our best Australian player by some margin.
After enjoying a nine-match singles winning streak – the longest of his career – Kyrgios fell to Hurkacz in a tight quarterfinal.
Playing 14 matches in 13 days to start August, Kyrgios’ heavy load caught up with him, appearing to have both shoulder and lower back issues in Montreal.
After a few days off, the Wimbledon finalist should be raring to go ahead of Cincinnati and the US Open.
In Montreal doubles action, 34-year-old Australian John Peers reached his sixth Masters 1000 doubles final but was unable to claim a fifth title.
Peers teamed up with Britain’s Dan Evans for just the second time, coming through a difficult draw to reach Sunday’s decider.
In the round of 16, the pair saved two match points to defeat fifth seeds Mektic and Pavic before overcoming second seeds Granollers and Zeballos in the quarterfinals.
In the final, Peers and Evans rallied from a set down to force a deciding super tiebreak but were unable to defeat the in-form duo of Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof.
For both Skupski and Koolhof, it is a second Masters 1000 doubles title, having teamed up to win in Madrid earlier this year.
The pair have also created a 1235-point lead in the 2022 ATP doubles Race, having now won six titles this season.
Meanwhile, on the back of a third final this year, Peers will move back inside the ATP Doubles top 10, up to world number 9 – his equal highest ranking since 2018.
And for Dan Evans, the doubles final capped off a very strong week, having also reached his second Masters 1000 singles semi-final.
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