Defending Miami Open champion, Hubert Hurkacz knocked out Daniil Medvedev in the men’s quarterfinals to set up a showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.
His 7-6 (9), 6-3 straight sets win prevented the Russian from regaining the world no.1 ranking.
In a tight contest, the Pole produced an intense and aggressive performance as he clubbed his groundstrokes and finished points at the net to triumph in two hours and two minutes.
The four-time Masters 1000 champion – who was aiming to reach the semi-finals in Miami for the first time – never found top gear against Hurkacz as he struggled to fully impose his baseline game on the Pole.
In an entertaining first set, Hurkacz flew into a 3-0 lead, pulling Medvedev from corner to corner courtesy of his heavy ball striking.
From 5-2 behind, the World No. 2 showed everybody why he is a 13-time tour-level champion as he hit with greater depth forcing a more nervy Hurkacz into errors.
However, the 25-year-old recomposed himself in time to edge a tight tie-break, receiving a slice of luck at 7/7 when his mis-hit forehand dropped awkwardly at the feet of Medvedev, who could only hit his half-volley long.
Hubert Hurkacz continued to play aggressively at the start of the second set as he troubled Medvedev with deep returns.
In a mammoth fifth game, the Pole fired the ball into the corners eventually breaking Medvedev on his sixth break point of the game. He then powered through his final service games and broke a tiring Medvedev again to seal his standout win over the top seed while leveling their ATP Head2Head series at 2-2.
The eighth seed is now 10-0 at the tournament since 2021, having captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami last year.
Hurkacz will play Spains Carlos Alcaraz in the last four as he aims to win his first trophy of the season.
The World No. 10 clinched three tour-level crowns in 2021. But his best result this year before Miami was a run to the semi-finals in Dubai.
