Alexei Popyrin vs. Alexander Zverev odds, prediction: Pick, best bet at ATP Toronto
Something about Canada suits Alexei Popyrin.
The Australian has never lost a match at the Canadian Masters, winning the title on debut in Montreal last year and going 3-0 in Toronto in 2025.
Even more peculiar is the fact that Popyrin had never been to a final at any event above a 250-level in his career, making his breakthrough win as an unseeded player in 2024 all the more stunning.
Popyrin won't have snuck up on anybody in Canada this year, but it is still a bit of a surprise to see the World No. 26 with a chance to make his second consecutive trip to the semifinals in this event.
He's a decided underdog against Alexander Zverev, but Popyrin will be brimming with confidence considering his record above the 49th parallel.
A deep run in Canada would be just what the doctor ordered for Zverev, who is the No. 1 seed in this field with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz not partaking, as he looks to stabilize himself after getting upset by World No. 72 Arthur Rinderknech in Round 1 at Wimbledon.
Alexander Zverev in action against Francisco Cerundolo at ATP Canada.
AP
And even though the odds suggest that Zverev should win this match three times out of four, this is hardly a straightforward task.
Not only is Popyrin undefeated in this event, but he's left some serious players in his wake. The 25-year-old has already defeated Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev in this tournament, and he owns an impressive 13-16 record against top-10 opponents in his career.
He's good value to add to that total on Monday.
The Play: Alexei Popyrin +250 (bet365)
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Popyrin pushes German all the way in three-set thriller
Defending champion Alexei Popyrin's nine-match winning streak at the Canadian Open has come to an end in a three-set loss to top seed Alexander Zverev. 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. Cruel way to end a thrilling set 🤯Alexei Popyrin claims this opener 7-6 ✅#NBO25 — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 5, 2025 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.
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an hour ago
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Zverev ignores fan distraction to advance to ATP Toronto semis
Alexander Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semi-final on Monday by ending the Canadian title defence of Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (8/10), 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Toronto Masters. The final game, with Zverev serving at 5-3, was interrupted by shouts from an unruly fan who was tossed out by security. The distraction ended a run of 14 consecutive points on serve, with the seed double-faulting once he was able to continue serving. He finished off the evening with a sharp volley winner at the net on his first match point. Zverev completed his 40th win of the year in just over two and a half hours. The world number three won the tournament in 2017 but had not been past the quarter-finals in Canada since. He will bid for the oddly scheduled Thursday final against the later winner from Karen Khachanov and Alex Michelsen. "After losing the first set, I had to tell myself we were both playing well," the holder of seven Masters trophies said. "I had one or two mistakes at the end of the first, but it was a high-level match. "I felt that if I kept playing well, I would get my chances -- and I did. I can't complain about the second and third sets." Popyrin and Zverev duelled throughout the evenly matched 71-minute opening set as it went into a tiebreaker. Zverev was unable to convert on two winning chances, but Popyrin came good on his own second opportunity with a net cord winner that caught his opponent stranded at the baseline. The German began to turn the tables in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead only to see the Aussie level at 4-all. Zverev pulled away to level the match at a set apiece, breaking for 6-4 as Popyrin sent a volley wide. The top seed began the final set with a 3-0 lead on his way into the tournament final four at the pre-US Open event. Popyrin remains winless against Zverev after losing all four of their matches. str/js
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an hour ago
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Top-seeded Zverev beats defending champ Popyrin to reach semifinals in Toronto
TORONTO (AP) — Top-seeded Alexander Zverev rallied to defeat No. 18 Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3 on Monday to reach the semifinals of the National Bank Open. Zverev, the 2017 tournament champion, will face either No. 11 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia or No. 26 Alex Michelsen of the U.S. Zverev, a German who is ranked No. 3, advanced to his 75th ATP Tour semifinal. He is looking for his 25th tournament title and eighth in an ATP 1000 Masters tournament. The other quarterfinals are Tuesday. Second-seeded Taylor Fritz will take on No. 6 Andrey Rublev of Russia, while No. 4 Ben Shelton is slated to meet No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia. Both semifinals go Wednesday ahead of Thursday's title match. Popyrin took the first set when his gentle backhand volley after a long rally grazed the top of the net and dropped for the winning point — much to the delight of his fans, including one with an inflatable yellow kangaroo. Zverev responded by immediately firing a ball completely out of Sobeys Stadium in frustration, but quickly regrouped to go up 2-0 in the second set. Popyrin grabbed a break of his own before holding serve at 4-4. Zverev, who won the Canadian title in Montreal eight years ago when he defeated childhood idol Roger Federer, took a 5-4 lead and then again broke his opponent to even the match. Ousted at the quarterfinal stage of last year's tournament, Zverev got another break to go up 2-0 in the third set before serving out the match. The 28-year-old, who lost to top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the final at this year's Australian Open and made the French Open quarters, improved to 4-0 all-time against Popyrin, including a third-round victory at the Paris Olympics. Zverev has two tournament wins on clay this year, and is the highest-ranked player competing in a Toronto field lacking some significant star power after Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic all skipped the hard-court event. The 25-year-old Popyrin, ranked No. 26, had his nine-match winning streak in Canada snapped. ___ AP tennis:
