The extraordinary stories of Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz collided in the Miami Open 2021 semifinals. Eventually, the Polish No. 1 rose to the occasion and reached his first-ever Masters 1000 final, winning the match 3-6, 4-6.

Before coming to South Florida, both the players had already grabbed an ATP title in 2021. But to win the Miami Masters or even reach the finals would become the biggest win of their careers.

Notably, the 23-year-old Russian was yet to drop a set till his way to the semifinal. On the other side, the Polish caused the second-biggest upset in the quarterfinals, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Now, it was time for them to bring only their A-game on the court and that they certainly did. Here’s how the second Miami Open semifinal went down.

Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz: Set 1

Hubert Hurkacz, 24, got the perfect start to the match. He opened the service game with a hold to nil and engineered an early break in the next game. In no time, he was already leading 0-3 in the opening set.

Unquestionably, it was a shocking start for the fourth seed, Andrey Rublev. By all means, Hurkacz had capitalized on the confidence from his previous match, and the Russian had no answer for it.

Furthermore, the Polish went on to widen the crack he caused after the early break. On the shoulders of accuracy and control, Hurkacz successfully converted another break point at 1-4.

Serving for the opening set, the 24-year-old showed the first signs of error in his game. Moreover, it was time for Rublev to gear up; he saved three set points to keep the set alive at 2-5.

In the end, it was not enough on the Russian’s part as Hurkacz had already done the damage. Eventually, the Polish took the opening set 3-6.

Rublev vs Hurkacz: Set two

At this point, there was no way of shaking the Polish star’s confidence. Consequently, Rublev saw a similar result in the first game of the second set to his first service in the opening set.

Pouncing on the early break, Hurkacz delivered a few big serves to put himself in front at 0-2. And despite pulling off some incredible winners, the Russian could not find a way to settle his loss.

All credit goes to the mindset Hurkacz brought into the match; even though he was leading, he kept working on finishing the semifinal. At 3-5, Rublev needed to hold his serve to keep his fight alive.

Although the Russian looked dismayed, he managed to save a match point and asked Hurkacz to serve for the match. Consequently, the Polish saved three break points to continue his dream run in Miami, closing the match at 3-6, 4-6.

Next up, he will play the biggest title match of his career against the supremely talented Jannik Sinner. Without a doubt, it is their earnest work throughout the tournament that earned them a seat in the Miami Open 2021 final.

Let us see who becomes the new Masters 1000 champion in 2021 and etches his name on the Miami Masters for eternity. Who are you backing up to win?

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