Dan Evans was the first player to take a set off Pablo Carreno Busta, but it wasn’t enough
(Picture: Getty Images)There will be no British representative in the final at the National Bank Open after Dan Evans fell at the penultimate hurdle.
Battling Evans was bidding to reach the first ATP Masters 1000 showpiece of his career in Montreal after wins over Filip Krajinovic, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, and forced a deciding set against the in-form Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday night.
The British No2 was the first player at the tournament to take a set off the Spaniard, who ended hopes of an all-British semi-final showdown between Evans and Jack Draper on Friday, racing out to a 3-0 lead in the second set which he eventually won after having to save match point.
Evans was eventually outlasted 7-5 6-7 6-2 across two hours and 58 minutes by Carreno Busta, with the pair appearing exhausted as they embraced at the net as the match ended.
The 23rd-ranked Carreno Busta relied on his first serve to dominate his opponent, recording 43 winners and breaking on five of his eight chances.
The victory pushes the Spaniard through to his first ATP Masters final, which will be against eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz after the Pole earlier dropped his first set before fighting back to defeat Casper Ruud.
Evans' strong recent showings should see him surge up the rankings to the edge of the top 20, with those ranked 32 and higher seeded for the upcoming US Open.
The 32-year-old will next play Krajinovic in the first round of the Western and Southern Open, the final warm-up tournament before Flushing Meadows.
