Carlos Alcaraz passed a tiebreak test on Thursday as the top seed squeezed into the Toronto Masters quarterfinals with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Hubert Hurkacz.
World number one Alcaraz was only just able to extend his win streak to 14 matches as he fended off a third-set offensive from his 15th-seeded Polish opponent.
Alcaraz needed five match points to advance over Hurkacz and flirted with disaster as he let a 5-2 lead in the final set slip into a second consecutive tiebreak.
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“I was in trouble serving for the match - I don’t know how I won,” he said after winning his 19th Masters 1000 match from 21 played this season.
“I was fighting, there was a fire inside; this match was pretty tough.
“In the tough moments, I told myself to keep fighting and go for it, play aggressively.”
The Spaniard went from 5-2 to 5-6 in a heartbeat before pulling out victory.
“I was feeling bad and could not feel my shots. But I just stayed calm and tried to find the good feeling again,” he said.
“Top players have to find the way to stay alive and end the match playing well.”
Alcaraz will face either American 12th seed Tommy Paul or qualifier Marcus Giron in the last eight.
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