Ilya Ivashka, of Belarus, serves against Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Ilya Ivashka, Emil Ruusuvuori and Mikael Ymer all took down seeded opponents '“ including No. 1 Pablo Carreno Busta '“ on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open.
Ivashka beat Carreno Busta 7-6 (2), 6-3, upending the world's 12th-ranked player. That sent the 27-year-old from Belarus into Friday's semifinals to face Russuvuori, a 22-year-old from Finland who beat 14th-seeded Richard Gasquet 7-6 (5), 6-1.
The winner of that semifinal will reach their first ATP Tour hard-court final.
Ymer followed by beating 13th-seeded Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3 in the first night quarterfinal. He'll face 15th-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, who became the only seeded player to win Thursday by beating Marcos Giron 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the day's final match.
Ivashka, ranked No. 63 in the world, twice converted break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout the match against Carreno Busta, a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2017.
Ruusuvuori beat Gasquet - a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist - to claim his fourth straight-set win in five tournament matches.
Ymer's win came after he broke Tiafoe's serve three times in the third set, ending the 23-year-old American's run that had included a second-round win against Andy Murray.
Alcaraz also broke serve three times in his final set, including the final game.
The hard-court tournament is a tuneup for the U.S. Open, the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which starts Monday in New York.
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Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, hits a return against Ilya Ivashka, of Belarus, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, chases down a ball at the net against Ilya Ivashka, of Belarus, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Ilya Ivashka, of Belarus, hits a return against Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Richard Gasquet, of France, hits against Emil Ruusuvuori, of Finland, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Emil Ruusuvuori, of Finland, hits a return to Richard Gasquet, of France, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Richard Gasquet, of France, hits against Emil Ruusuvuori, of Finland, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Richard Gasquet, of France, reacts after losing a point to Emil Ruusuvuori, of Finland, in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Mikael Ymer, of Sweden, hits a return to Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, smiles after winning a game in the first set against Mikael Ymer, of Sweden, during the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press
Mikael Ymer, of Sweden, reacts after defeating Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3 during the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The Associated Press