Alexei Popyr north of the American border? This is a good thing for 25-year-old Aussie, who gathered Holger Rune on Saturday night in Toronto to extend his winning line to Canada to nine wins, 4-6 6-2 6-3.
After the match he signed the camera “I Love Canada X 2”.
Last year’s champion in Montreal reached his second quarter-finals of 2025, and his fourth in general while issuing 22-year world no.9 with an inspired effort.
“I just feel comfortable in these courts, I think the surface is a little faster,” Popyrin said. “I don’t know if it makes sense, but it allows me to have a little more time in court because I hit my first aggressive blow and can dictate from there.”
Popyrin hit 30 winners against the 24 forced mistakes; Rune hit 24 winners and 39 without force.
Sorted in 26 and planted 18 in Toronto, Popyr has now won successive matches against former Top-5 players.
Aussie went 0 for 11 in the opportunity to rest in the opening set, but converted three resting points into the last two groups to level his head -to -head life in one piece.
“After the first set I was bored,” Popyr said. “But when I came back to return again, I felt like I was in control of the match. I told myself to be aggressive at the next point of rest I received, and from then on I felt very comfortable.”
Popyr, who overthrew the former world of Daniil Medvedev in the third round, is in his first quarter -final court after he claimed the title in Montreal last year, beating Andrey Rublev in the final.
He will face either high Alexander Zverev or Francisco Cerundolo in the last eight.
Popyr escaped a pair of resting points while serving at 3-1 in the third, after split in the previous match. He did not retire from there, winning 12 of the last 15 points and breaking Rune again for good measure in the last match.
