TORONTO — Alexei Popyrin looped an unexpected backhand before raising his arms in stoic victory.
The emotions of the moment were in stark contrast to what he felt just seconds earlier — and throughout a frustrating first set.
Despite a roller-coaster Saturday night on Centre Court, the defending National Bank Open champion remains in the hunt for a second straight Canadian men's tennis championship.
Popyrin battled back to defeat No. 5 seed Holger Rune 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Seeded 18th in Toronto, and sitting 26th on the ATP Tour's overall rankings, the towering Australian won the 2024 tournament in Montreal for his third career victory.
"I think it's just good vibes, good feelings from last year," he said with a smirk on the heels of a ninth straight NBO match win. "Leading up to Canada I felt a lot of pressure."
Rune — the world No. 9 — lamented his performance in a showdown where Popyrin fired 14 aces.
"I was trying to hold on everything," said the Dane. "You cannot play a full match like that. You're eventually going to be broken … just very disappointed."
"He pressures really well," Rune added. "He was going for it and I wasn't."
Popyrin dropped that opening set at Sobeys Stadium thanks in large part to an 0-for-11 run on break points.
"I was pissed," he said. "I felt like I shouldn't have been down one set — 11 break points is a lot of break points to not convert.
"I was really, really angry. I was looking at my team, and I was pissed."
Poised to turn 26 on Tuesday, the six-foot-five Popyrin pushed back in the second set, twice breaking his 22-year-old opponent, who won the Barcelona Open on clay back in April.
"I let myself be angry for the change of ends," he said. "I just told myself that if I keep getting into these opportunities, it's just pressure on him."
Popyrin, who picked up his 13th career victory over a top-10 player and said afterwards it "feels like home" in Canada, then broke Rune to go up 3-1 in the third set before securing his comeback with that beautiful match-winning effort.
"I didn't make my first five first serves … I don't know what happened there," he said of the clinching game. "I had to save a break point there in the clutch. Then a backhand lob, which typically I don't really hit well, it went in.
"That was a nice feeling."
Germany's Alexander Zverev, the tournament's No. 1 seed, also advanced to the quarters after No. 14 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina retired due to an abdominal injury down 6-4, 1-0 in the late match on the York University campus in northwest Toronto.
Popyrin will now face Zverev, who won the 2017 Canadian title, for a spot in the semifinals.
Alex Michelsen of the United States moved on in Saturday's early session at the ATP Masters 1000 event with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over countryman Learner Tien. The No. 26 seed continued to roll after also ousting the third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy earlier this week.
Karen Khachanov — the No. 11 seed from Russia — picked up a fourth-round victory of his own Saturday, topping No. 8 Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 7-5.
Canadian wild cards Cleeve Harper of Calgary and Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont. — the last Canadians standing in Toronto after a disappointing singles showing — were ousted 7-5, 7-6 (3) by Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Sander Arends of the Netherlands in second-round doubles play.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 5 Jack Draper of Britain and No. 6 Novak Djokovic of Serbia all skipped the US$9.19-million hardcourt event expanded to a 96-player field for 2025.
The tournament runs through Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
