Popyrin Clinches Canadian Open Title in Stunning Upset
In a thrilling upset, world No. 62 Alexei Popyrin shocked the tennis world by defeating sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 to win his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
Popyrin’s triumph in Canada is one of the most remarkable stories of the tournament, as he entered ranked outside the top 60. Before defeating Rublev, the Australian overcame four other top-20 opponents: Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, and Sebastian Korda. Notably, Rublev, Hurkacz, and Dimitrov are all top-10 players, while Korda had just won the title in Washington the previous week.
In the final, Popyrin was considered a heavy underdog against Rublev, who had earlier eliminated top seed Jannik Sinner. However, Popyrin’s powerful forehands to both corners led him to an impressive 18 winners, completely dominating the Russian. This extraordinary run propels Popyrin to a career-high ranking of No. 23 in the world when the new rankings are released this week. Prior to this Canadian Open victory, Popyrin had only claimed two smaller ATP 250 titles, in 2021 and 2023. He is the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003. “This means so much to me, especially after all the efforts and sacrifices my family and I have made in recent years,” Popyrin shared.
Standing at 1.96 meters, Popyrin capitalized on his powerful serve throughout the tournament. In the final, he saved all four break points in the first set against Rublev with timely and effective serves. In the second set, after initially losing his lead at 3-3, Popyrin quickly regained control by aggressively attacking Rublev’s second serve.
Earlier in the tournament, Popyrin saved two match points against Dimitrov in the third round and went toe-to-toe with another serving powerhouse, Hubert Hurkacz, in the quarterfinals. Defeating four of the top seven seeds en route to his title was something even Popyrin himself hadn’t anticipated going into the tournament. “I’m quite surprised by my own performance. Perhaps this is the reward for a serious and focused summer,” he remarked.
Popyrin now holds the distinction of being the second-lowest-ranked champion in Canadian Open history, following Mikael Pernfors, who was ranked No. 95 when he won the title in 1993. The Australian won’t have much time to rest, as he is set to face Gael Monfils in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters this week. If he prevails, he will face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the next round.
