Alexei Popyrin has become the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 event in over two decades after toppling Andrey Rublev in the final of the Canadian Open.
Popyrin, the world number 30, ousted the Russian 6-2, 6-4 in a commanding performance in Montreal to become the first Australian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt won the Indian Wells Open in March 2003.
Rublev, the current world number six, is the fifth top-20 ranked player Popyrin beat en-route to the title after he ousted the seventh-ranked Hubert Hurkacz, the ninth-ranked Grigor Dimitrov, the 14th-ranked Ben Shelton and the 15th-ranked Sebastian Korda earlier in the tournament.
Popyrin’s win means he will move up to No.23 on the ATP singles rankings and will be seeded in the main draw of the upcoming US Open, which commences on August 26 in New York. The 25-year-old pocketed a monster cheque for $US1.05 million ($A1.6 million) for his win in Montreal.
“It means so much. It means the world,” Popyrin said after his title win.
“All the hard work that I’ve put in over the last few years. All the sacrifices that I’ve made, not just me but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me.
“They’ve just like sacrificed their lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing.”
Popryin is the first Australian to win the Canadian Masters since Pat Rafter did it in 1998. Three weeks later, Rafter added to his trophy cabinet by winning the US Open.
The Canadian Open title is the third of Popyrin’s career and undoubtedly his biggest. (AP Photo: Graham Hughes)
After being ousted by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles draw at the Paris Olympics, Popyrin made an excellent transition from clay to hard courts, becoming the lowest-ranked Montreal finalist since Harel Levy in 2000.
Rublev had ousted top-seeded Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals and was chasing a 17th career title of his own.
But it was Popyrin the underdog who set the tone with a blazing start.
He opened the match with a scorching forehand return winner and broke Rublev to love.
The Russian’s volcanic temper was immediately evident when he furiously cursed himself after coughing up successive double-faults to gift Popyrin the break.
Popyrin consolidated then conjured three aces to recover from double break-point down in the fourth game to hold before forging to a 4-1 lead with a second service break.
He brought up set point with an outlandish 167kph off-forehand winner and promptly wrapped it up after just 35 minutes.
The Sydneysider was motoring to the finish line after nabbing a third service break in the second game of the second set, then having a point for a double break.
Popyrin could have blinked, or even folded, after dropping serve for the first time to allow Rublev back into the contest at 3-3.
Instead he broke straight back with another massive forehand winner.
Even after losing a lung-busting 25-shot rally, Popyrin rebounded immediately with his 10th ace to earn match point.
Rublev saved two but not a third as Popyrin improved to a perfect three from three in finals to add the Montreal title to his 2021 breakthrough in Singapore and 2023 title in Umag, Croatia.
With AAP