Alexei Popyrin sets new milestones with historic Canadian Open 2024 title win over Andrey Rublev

Popyrin becomes the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.

Alexei Popyrin overcame Andrey Rublev with a brilliant performance in Montreal to complete a successful Canadian Open 2024 title run in his first main draw appearance. Popyrin stunned World No. 6 Rublev for his third Top 10 win of the week. World No. 62 Popyrin broke Rublev’s serve in the opening game of the match en route to his 6-2, 6-4 win.  

The Australian’s win in a wet week at Montreal made him the first player in the ATP Tour to bag the Canadian Open Masters in a maiden main draw appearance since Novak Djokovic in 2007. Popyrin’s latest milestone made him the first Australian to win a Masters event since Lleyton Hewitt won at Indian Wells in 2003.

Popyrin is also the second lowest-ranked winner of the Canadian Open behind Sweden’s Mikael Pernfors – ranked 95 when he won in 1993 and ahead of American Chris Woodruff, who claimed the title in 1997, ranked No. 57.

Also read: Cincinnati Open 2024 schedule, results.

The 25-year-old Australian halted the eight-match winning streak of Washington champion Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals and overcame World No. 14 Ben Shelton in the second round, both wins coming in straight sets. Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz were Popyrin’s other Top 10 players felled by the Australian in his dream run at the Omnium Banque National.

Popyrin will now rise to a career-high No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings after securing a second straight win over Rublev this season. The Australian scripted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Rublev in the second round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Popyrin served ten aces and hit 31 winners to improve to 2-1 in his head-to-head with Rublev. 

Rublev was playing in his first final since the 2024 Mutua Madrid Masters in April this season, which he won. The 26-year-old Russian got the better of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner en route to the final. The World No. 6 moves to seventh place in the Race to Turin, just behind Novak Djokovic. Another win at Cincinnati, where he is in the round of 32, will see him nudge the Serbian down to seventh place.

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