Alexei Popyrin pulled off one of the most improbable ATP Masters 1000 title runs in recent history on Monday night, stunning World No. 6 Andrey Rublev in the Montreal final to claim a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
While Popyrin has been riding the crest of a wave this week, I made Rublev an 80/20 favourite heading into the final. Based on what I’d seen, the Russian hit the ball crisply in all his matches, and his win over Sinner was very impressive as it made him the only player to beat Alcaraz and Sinner this season.
Yet, I had overlooked the fact that the Australian had a 5-1 record in finals at all levels. He flipped the script, dominating with his heavy game as he landed 18 forehand winners en route to victory in 1 hour and 31 minutes.
With the victory, Popyrin moved up 39 spots in the rankings to crack the top 25 for the first time. He’s also the first Aussie to win a Masters 1000 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
He heads over to Cincinnati via private jet for the first time, where he’ll face Carlos Alcaraz in the second round if he defeats Gael Monfils in his opening match.
Quick Final Recap
Popyrin came into the final with quite a lot of court time in his legs, having saved three match points to upset Dimitrov, come within two points of defeat to Hurkacz and then ending Seb Korda’s eight-match winning streak in the semi-finals.
As a result, I thought he might be a step slower in the final and would be the target of a Rublev groundstroke barrage from both wings.
However, he executed a game plan of aggressive, high-risk tennis from the word go. He leveraged his booming serve and powerful forehand to break Rublev in the opening game and never looked back.
Even if he felt tired, he never allowed Rublev to assert his game. Instead, he opted to redline his game, winning 18/21 behind his first serve in the first set and saving all four break points he faced.
In the second, it was more of the same as Popryin danced around Rublev’s second serve to hit booming forehand returns, and even after he relinquished a break of serve in the second set at 3-3, he responded instantly to break again, this time maintaining it to capture the title.
The standout stats were 31 winners to Rublev’s 16, 10 aces, and 50% of return points.
He now leads the H2H against Rublev 2-1, following his win earlier this year in Monte Carlo, and he’s shown that if you get on top of Rublev early, you can rattle him mentally and be almost sure he’ll waste energy with emotional outbursts.Â
Still, the Russian had only won one match in five previous visits to Canada, so to make the final after a poor run of form is an achievement. If he can somehow find a way not to blow up after losing trivial points, he can have a decent second half of the season.
It means the world for all the hard work I’ve put in over the years and all the sacrifices I have made. Not just me but my family, my girlfriend, my team, and everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me, and for me to win this for them is just amazing. Popyrin on his Masters 1000 win.
It’s a very positive and really good week, Really big step forward I think, and I feel proud of myself that I was able to be good all the week mentally. Even today, if we took me back a couple of months ago or even one month ago or even compare my match against him at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I behaved 10 times more, and it was the first round. Here, it was a final. Much more pressure. Yes, I still showed some emotion today, but compared to the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did a much better job. That’s why I had a little chance in the second set, but it was not my time. Rublev on his run in Montreal.
Match Stats
| Â | Andrey Rublev | Alexei Popyrin |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 10 |
| Double Faults | 5 | 3 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 44% | 59% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 63% (17/27) | 84% (32/38) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (14/35) | 35% (9/26) |
| Break Points Saved | 56% (5/9) | 83% (5/6) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 16% (6/38) | 37% (10/27) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 65% (17/26) | 60% (21/35) |
| Break Points Converted | 17% (1/6) | 44% (4/9) |
| Winners | 16 | 31 |
| Unforced Errors | 15 | 10 |
| Net Points Won | 63% (5/8) | 73% (8/11) |
| Max Points In Row | 4 | 7 |
| Service Points Won | 50% (31/62) | 64% (41/64) |
| Return Points Won | 36% (23/64) | 50% (31/62) |
| Total Points Won | 43% (54/126) | 57% (72/126) |
| Max Games In Row | 2 | 3 |
| Service Games Won | 56% (5/9) | 89% (8/9) |
| Return Games Won | 11% (1/9) | 44% (4/9) |
| Total Games Won | 33% (6/18) | 67% (12/18) |
Highlights
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Did the result of the final surprise you?Â