Alexei Popyrin carries Australian flag into fourth round of French Open
Alexei Popyrin has ensured there was no hangover from Alex de Minaur's early exit as he got hot on a baking Paris day to reach the last-16 of the French Open with a touch of swagger and a sprinkling of good old-fashioned Aussie grit.
The country's No 2 player isn't now just the last man standing in the draw but the last man positively thriving as he downed quality Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-4 7-6 (13-11) 7-6 (7-5) in the Court 14 furnace at Roland Garros to reach the last-16 on Friday.
Ultimately, he may have perhaps made harder work of it than he should but after a tough three-hour duel, 25th seed Popyrin still hasn't dropped a set yet in the championships.
The second time in the fourth round at a grand slam, Popyrin joins an illustrious list of his compatriots to have made it this far on the Paris clay since the turn of the Millennium alongside Mark Philippoussis (2000), Wayne Arthurs (2001), Lleyton Hewitt (2000-02, 2004, 2006-07) and Alex de Minaur (2024).
The courts hardening and speeding up in the sunshine certainly suited the big serving Popyrin as he produced a strikingly impressive opening behind his powerful delivery, dropping just three points behind it in the opening set -- but from then on it got more complicated.
The Sydneysider seemed in complete control when he broke Borges again in the middle of the second set, his serve still ticking along nicely, but from that point, he found it tough to seal the set.
He had a set point on Borges' serve at 3-5 which was repelled, then twice served for the stanza only to produce his first two really error-prone games. It came down to who could hold their nerve best in a dog-fight of a tiebreak.
Alexei Popyrin is through to the last 16 for the first time in Paris!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/JgfPLfu2aO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2025
Borges earned a couple of set points and Popyrin four more, before finally on the sixth attempt to wrap it up after 72 minutes, he profited from the Portuguese finally crashing a backhand long.
Popyrin's relief was palpable and the pressure cranked up on Borges, who found himself having to save two match points at 4-5 before dragging the match into another tiebreak.
Popyrin powered into a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak only for Borges to doggedly save three more until the No.25 seed finally delivered one more irretrievable serve to prevail in just a minute over three hours.
It sets up an even more difficult date in the fourth round for the 25-year-old against Russian 24th seed Karen Khachanov or American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who were locked in a five-set battle on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
One of Ange Postecoglou's former clubs is hit with winding up application by the Australian Tax Office over 'unpaid debt'
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has made an application to the Federal Courts to have the Brisbane Roar wound up due to the club's 'historical debt'. The winding-up application was made on Wednesday, but the club, who are owned by Indonesian-based Bakrie Group, are confident that the matter can be settled quickly. The matter is will be heard in the Federal Court on July 4 and relates to unpaid debts. Roar cheif executive officer Kaz Patafta, who is currently in Indonesia for meetings with the club's owners, said: 'The club has been working collaboratively with the ATO over this matter for some time and has a plan in place to resolve imminently.' It is understood that the club's owners' the Bakrie Group are looking to pay the debt by as early as next week. The Bakrie Group are owned by billionaire Nirwan Bakrie and have interests across a range of industries, from mining to property. They took a majority stake in the club back in 2011, purchasing 70 per cent of the club's shares. It was announced a year later that they had taken full control of the club, with 100 per cent ownership. Their purchase of a 100 per cent stake came the same year Ange Postecoglou left the Roar after guiding the club to consecutive A-League titles in 2011 and 2012. A spokesperson from the Professional Footballers Australia said they had been in contact with the club and added: 'We are confident the matter will be resolved promptly.' Australian Professional Leagues are also confident the matter will be dealt with swiftly, with the Roar ending the 2024-25 season 12th in the ladder. Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander expressed the importance of having a top-tier football side in the state. 'We want them to be healthy,' he said. 'I know they've had a bit of a struggle in recent years. I went to one of their games just about a month ago and it's a great experience.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Elina Svitolina saves three match points before knocking out Jasmine Paolini
The 30-year-old from Ukraine saved three match points before winning 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals. 'I would've never believed this match would swing my way,' she said. 'It was a really difficult match, Jasmine was playing really, really well. It was really tough. I had to fight until the last point and I'm very happy to be in the next round. Elina Svitolina saves 3 match points and upsets last year's finalist Paolini 🤯#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2025 'Of course it's one or two points which decided the second set. I was really pleased to win the second set and played really well to close the match. 'We are at a grand slam so everyone is playing very well and everyone is fighting. It's all about trying to stay focused and finding the opportunities.' Svitolina's husband, Gael Monfils, was knocked out by Jack Draper in a thrilling four-setter on Thursday night. 'It's important to recover because today was a very difficult match,' she added. 'An ice bath, some food, speak with my brother and Gael as well, enjoy the moment with them and then practice tomorrow to prepare for my next round.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Paul becomes first American man to reach French Open quarters in 22 years
PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - World number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 on Sunday to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men in round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Paul also became the only active American player to reach the last eight on all three surfaces after his 2023 Australian Open semi-final and 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final runs. "I am very happy to get a straight sets win. I have been playing some very long matches so that felt really good," Paul, who spent almost 11 hours on court in his previous three rounds, which included two five-setters, said in a post-match interview. "Shorter matches like this help a lot." The 28-year-old found himself a break down after the first game, before immediately resetting the match's trajectory, breaking straight back to correct his early setback. Popyrin, a former junior champion in Paris like Paul, had not lost a set in his run to the fourth round but found himself a set down when he was broken again, with Paul's superior movement and clinical shot-making handing him the first set. The Australian, constantly turning to his box to express his frustration, was clearly rattled with Paul attacking at every chance and with Popyrin's second serve proving a weakness. He was broken again at the start of the second set with Paul now firing on all cylinders and hitting winners at will. The American added another break to land the set before going 3-0 up in the third and finishing off his 25th-seeded opponent in less than two hours. He will now face either second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow American Ben Shelton.
