Popyrin pushes German all the way in three-set thriller
The Australian, seeded 18th, took it right up to his big-serving opponent, claiming the first set in a nail-biting tiebreak before the German fought back to clinch a hard-earned 6-7 (10-8) 6-4 6-3 victory in Toronto on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
Zverev, who claimed the 2017 Canadian Open with a win over tennis royalty Roger Federer, has booked his spot in the semi-finals.
Leading into their quarter-final clash between former champions, world No.3 and Toronto top seed Zverev held a 3-0 head-to-head record against Popyrin, so history was certainly on the German's side.
Both players are physically imposing, tall with blistering serves and crunching groundstrokes, so it was always going to be a tough battle.
Neither player could make any inroads into the other's serve in the first set, with each only having one break-point opportunity.
Zverev scored a mini-break to start the tiebreak, but Popyrin squared things up again, before the agile Australian finally clinched the set 7-6 (10-8), thanks in no small part to a net-cord that left the German no chance.
After a first set that featured no breaks of serve, Zverev secured the first break of the match when he broke the Aussie early for a 2-0 lead in the second.
However, Popyrin broke back in the seventh game to square things up again, before the German broke once more in the 10th game to take the set 6-4.
Zverev made a flying start to the deciding set, breaking Popyrin in the second game, before securing a second break to clinch the decider and advance to the semi-finals.
He will face the winner of the clash between Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov and American Alex Michelsen, the No.26 seed.
Despite Popyrin's loss, Australian interest remains strong at the tournament, with the red-hot Alex de Minaur, fresh off a title win at the Washington Open, to play his quarter-final against fourth-seeded American Ben Shelton.
Their clash on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) will be the first meeting between the pair.
While he might leave Toronto disappointed, Popyrin has hit form at the right time and will be looking to improve on last year's showing at the year's final major, the US Open.
Popyrin reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in New York in 2024, hot on the heels of his Canadian Open victory.
With his huge serve and booming groundstrokes, Popyrin is a constant danger on hard courts, and his rivals will be keen to avoid playing him at the US Open.
Popyrin's impressive run in Toronto included wins over world No.5 Holger Rune, as well as former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champ Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev, blessed with all the physical attributes needed to be a top-flight tennis player, has been as high as No.2 in the world rankings, but has admitted his state of mind has often let him down in the past.
The German, a three-time grand slam runner-up, lost the 2020 US Open final to Austria's Dominic Thiem, despite racing to a two-set lead in the decider.
Zverev also lost the 2024 French Open decider in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz, as well as this year's Australian Open final against world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Western Bulldogs veteran timing his run to AFL finals
The Western Bulldogs remain hopeful injury-plagued veteran Adam Treloar can return if the club qualifies for finals. Coming off a career-best season in 2024 when he was named All-Australian for the first time, the star midfielder has been struck down by persistent calf issues this year. The 32-year-old has managed a career-low of just four games this year, the last against Richmond in round 15. The Bulldogs sit ninth with three home-and-away games left, but should make finals if they go 3-0 in this period. Treloar trained strongly on Thursday but the Bulldogs will be extra careful with him considering the setbacks he has endured. "He is going through his rehab ... we're building again," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said of Treloar. "Hopefully see him play a game within the next three weeks." Helping Treloar's cause is the Footscray VFL team is contending for the premiership, sitting second on the ladder, and should go deep into finals. The former Collingwood and GWS star will almost certainly need to find touch and confidence in the VFL before being risked in a cut-throat final. As he often does, Beveridge told a story about his VAFA days coaching St Bede's Mentone, referencing how an injury-prone veteran managed to play a crucial role in finals. "I said to him (Michael Hazell) just persevere, hang in there, and it might come good," Beveridge said. "I use 'Haze' as an example to Adam to say just hang in there. "You never know what might be at the end of it, just persevere through your rehab." After starting the season hit hard by key injuries only Treloar and dynamic forward Cody Weightman are sidelined from the Bulldogs' best 23. Versatile midfielder James Harmes struggled with illness for three weeks, returned for two VFL appearances, but is back away from the club again. Harmes won't play at any level this weekend as the Bulldogs prepare to play at the MCG on Sunday against Melbourne, who this week sacked coach Simon Goodwin. "In these circumstances, let me publicly congratulate Simon on what he's achieved at the Demons," Beveridge said. "Obviously they got us in '21 (grand final) and after a long period of time to break their (premiership) drought. "I was able to spend some time with Simon in the off-season and get to know him a little bit so we're all feeling for him."
Perth Now
3 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Toronto Masters top seed falls at penultimate hurdle
Eleventh-seeded Karen Khachanov has outlasted top seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) to reach the National Bank Open final in Toronto. The 29-year-old Khachanov, a seven-time winner on the ATP Tour, is playing his first tournament since falling to Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals and will face the winner of the all-American second semi-final between second-seeded Fritz and fourth-seeded Ben Shelton. Russian Khachanov staved off two match points in the third-set tiebreaker to triumph in two hours 53 minutes and book his spot in a first Masters 1000 final since 2018, when he lost to Novak Djokovic in Paris. "I had to dig deep and lift my level. It was a very demanding, very mental, very physical match. So I'm very happy to get the win after losing some easy ones to him in recent years," said Khachanov, referring to three consecutive losses to Zverev in which he won a total of 14 games. "Today was a real close one. I was match point down, if the ball touches the net and drops over we wouldn't be talking now." Zverev, the 2017 champion with 24 tour titles, is ranked third in the world. The German ended up the top seed with top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the 2023 winner — and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court tournament.
Perth Now
33 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Cox weighs in on All-Australian blazer for Swans star
Ruck Brodie Grundy (l) has done enough to warrant All-Australian selection, says coach Dean Cox. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS) Ruck Brodie Grundy (l) has done enough to warrant All-Australian selection, says coach Dean Cox. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP Sydney coach Dean Cox reckons ruck Brodie Grundy would be a no-brainer for All-Australian selection. Grundy pushed his case for a third All-Australian blazer even further with a rucking masterclass in their 14-point win over Essendon last time out. The Swans star mastered slippery conditions best against Bombers counterpart Todd Goldstein to win 32 hitouts, 13 clearances and 39 disposals. Grundy's wet-weather clinic earned him nine votes in the coaches' poll. So impressive has the 31-year-old been in recent months that he was the only Swan to poll coaches' votes in their round-20 loss to GWS, netting three. In their round-19 thrashing of North Melbourne, Grundy gathered a monster 62 hitouts, 11 clearances and 22 disposals. He has a season average of 36.5 hitouts, 20.1 disposals and 6.2 clearances. Former West Coast great Cox, a six-time All-Australian ruck, can see Grundy in a blazer already. "I'd be surprised if he doesn't get one," Cox said on Thursday. But Grundy will have to beat out former Melbourne teammate Max Gawn for a spot in the 22-man squad. The Demons skipper also polled nine votes for his role in their 83-point drubbing of West Coast, finishing with 29 hitouts and 14 contested possessions. Should Gawn earn his eighth blazer, the Demons ruck will equal the most All-Australian selections of all-time. Fremantle star and 2021 Melbourne premiership player Luke Jackson is also in the mix as a second ruckman. Cox wouldn't be drawn on the off-field ruck battle despite his expertise. "I don't look too deeply into where they start," Cox said. "I just think the season he (Grundy) has had he has had a massive impact on certainly our turnaround in the back half of the year. "He was playing extremely well when we weren't." The Swans will be joined by another Western Australian boasting six All-Australian nods with former Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich taking over from Tom Harley as chief executive. Cox and Pavlich will reunite on the east coast after a strong on-field rivalry in WA. "Yeah, that's ... he's my boss," Cox joked. While Pavlich will officially take over at the end of this season, Cox said he expects his involvement to begin "virtually from today" as the Swans cast their eye over their playing list. Veteran defender Dane Rampe, 35, and Jake Lloyd, 31, are both out of contract at season's end. Rampe is keen to play a 14th season but Cox wasn't concrete when asked about the defender's future ahead of last week's clash against Essendon. Asked about Lloyd's future at the club on Monday, Cox said: "We see him as part of our future. "That'll be just a constant discussion. Same as Dane. "We're in constant dialogue with all our senior players and players that are out of contract about what the situation looks like. "The ability to still be able to play footy and to a level that's required - he's (Lloyd) doing that, which is good."
