Hubert Hurkacz put together a stirring comeback on Thursday to record a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas to advance to the semifinals of the Miami Open.
The 26th-seeded Hurkacz was dominated in the first set and was down 0-2, 15-40 in the second set before turning things around in his quarterfinal victory.
“I was just trying to stay competitive,” Hurkacz told Tennis Channel. “I knew if I could make those shots that I was just missing, I could turn it around.”
The 24-year-old Pole certainly did that as he saved 10 of 13 break points en route to the stunning win. His semifinal opponent will be the winner of Thursday night’s clash between fourth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev and American Sebastian Korda.
Hurkacz recorded 15 aces compared to seven for Tsitsipas. He had seven aces in the second set and five in the third.
Tsitsipas, from Greece, was one point away from winning his sixth straight game before Hurkacz fought out of the hole to win six of the final seven games in the second set.
Tsitsipas held a 2-1 lead in the final set before Hurkacz won the next three games en route to completing the superb rally.
“It’s the quarterfinal of a Masters (1000) series so you’re gonna try your best and fight to the end, and that’s what I did,” Hurkacz said.
–Field Level Media
