Hubert Hurkacz battled past to beat Mikael Ymer 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) at the Open 13 Provence in Marseile.
Both players traded breaks in two deuce games in the first two games. Hurkacz earned a second break in the sixth game to seal the opening set 6-3.
Ymer broke serve in the fourth game to win the second set 6-3 forcing the match to the decider. Hurkacz went up a break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in the third set, but Ymer pulled back on serve in the next game before saving a break point in the sixth game.
Hurkacz saved a match point at 5-6 in the tie-break of the third set and reeled off three consecutive points to reach his first semifinal in his three appearances at the Southern French tournament.
Hurkacz has improved his record to 8 wins to 4 defeats in 2023. The Pole is aiming to win his sixth ATP title, and his first since Halle last June.
The 2021 Miami champion set up a semifinal against Alexander Bulik, who beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8-6). Bublik converted two of his three break points.
Bublik broke serve in the seventh game of the first set to take a 4-3 lead. Dimitrov broke straight back to draw level to 4-4. Bublik earned his second break at deuce to clinch the first set 7-5. Dimitrov broke serve in the fourth game to win the second set 6-3 forcing the match to the third set.
Both players went on serve in the third set en route to the tie-break. Bublik saved two match points at 4-6 in the tie-break of the third set and won the final four points to clinch the win.
Bublik reached the semifinal in Marseille for the second time in his career and his first semifinal since Metz last September. Ù
French Next Gen player Arthur Fils upset Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 to advance to his second consecutive semifinal. The Frenchman converted four of his twelve break points. He won five of his six matches on the ATP Tour after reaching the semifinal in Montpellier and Marseille. Fils dropped just one point on his first serve.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. I was watching Wawrinka play during all my young career. I was hitting in Bercy as a sparring partner, and now I beat him”, said Fils.
Fils set up an all French semifinal against his compatriot Benjamin Bonzi, who beat Alex De Minaur 6-2 6-4 with four breaks of serve after 1 hour and 40 minutes. Bonzi is aiming to reach the second final of his career. He finished runner-up to Tallon Griekspoor in the final in Pune last January.