With a semifinal appearance in Montreal, Casper Ruud maintained his outstanding 2022 season and rose to the top five in the ATP rankings, which were revealed on Monday.
The winner of the National Bank Open was Pablo Carreno Busta, whose first ATP Masters 1000 title propelled the Spaniard back into the top 20.
Ruud’s journey to his first semifinal at the Canadian Masters 1000 competition included contrasting victories over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Roberto Bautista Agut. The Norwegian overcame Bautista Agut in the third round after a gruelling three hours and 17 minutes, then shattered any home aspirations with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory against Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinal. Ruud moved up two spots to No. 5 in the ATP Rankings despite Hubert Hurkacz’s dominance in the semifinals.
Carreno Busta had a fantastic week, winning several top-notch matches to secure his first Masters 1000 title. The 31-year-old defeated Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Jack Draper in straight sets before displaying his tenacity in the decisive sets against Daniel Evans and Hubert Hurkacz to win his first tour-level title of the year. In the ATP Rankings, Carreno Busta climbs nine spots to No. 9.
Daniel Evans rose 16 places to No. 23 in the ATP Rankings, just one short of his career best, after his run to his second Masters 1000 semifinal in Montreal. Prior to losing to eventual champion Carreno Busta in the semifinals, the Briton had impressive results in Canada, including upset victories against Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, and Tommy Paul.
Nick Kyrgios, one of the ATP Tour’s top players, defeated Daniil Medvedev in the second round in Montreal to record his second career victory over a World No. 1. Hubert Hurkacz’s outstanding serving display in the quarterfinals ultimately proved to be the downfall of the Australian, although Kyrgios advanced nine spots to No. 28 in the ATP Rankings and was last outside the Top 100 in March.
During his first tournament main draw appearance in Canada, Draper had a breakthrough week at the Masters 1000 level. He then defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the second round to earn his first Top 10 victory. After losing to the motivated Carreno Busta in the Montreal quarterfinals, the Briton rose 27 spots to No. 55 in the ATP Rankings.
(Inputs from IANS)