By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, April 6, 2024

 

Pedro Martinez dethroned defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 4-6, 6-4—his first Top 10 win—to set up an Estoril final vs. second-seeded Hubert Hurkacz.

Photo credit: Millennium Estoril Open Facebook

Hungry semifinalists seized career milestones in Estoril today.

World No. 77 Pedro Martinez dethroned defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to score his first Top 10 win and charge into the Estoril Open final.

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Winless in six prior meetings vs. Top 10 opponents, Martinez overcame nerves and the defending champion to reach his third career final and first since 2022 Santiago.

Martinez broke twice in the final set for a 4-1 lead. The Spaniard won 12 of 13 service points at start of the decider stretching his lead to 5-1. 

The top-seeded Ruud rallied saving two match points to break back in the eighth game. Ruud held for 5-4. In his second shot of serving it out, Martinez kept calm and closed in three hours, seven minutes.

Martinez saved nine of 12 break points in the match. The Spaniard will face Hubert Hurkacz in Sunday's final.

Martinez is the fourth Spanish finalist in tournament history following in the footsteps of Nicolas Almagro (2016), Pablo Carreno Busta (2016-2017) and Albert Ramos-Vinolas (2021). 

Earlier, Hubert Hurkacz hit his way into his first Tour-level clay-court final.

Contesting his first ATP clay-court semifinal, Hurkacz held off Chilean Cristian Garin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in today's first semifinal.



The second-seeded Pole pumped four aces and saved five of seven break points in a one hour, 58-minute triumph.

Hurkacz improved to 18-8 advancing to his 10th ATP final and first since he fell to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Basel final last fall.

World No. 10 Hurkacz carries a 7-2 career finals record into Sunday's title match.