Birthday boy Popyrin wins in Montreal
Alexei Popyrin has won for the 12th time in 13 matches at the Canadian Masters, giving himself a 27th birthday present by reached the last 32 for the third year in a row.
Alexei Popyrin emerged victorious in the Montreal Masters, claiming a 6-4, 6-3 win against Raphaël Collignon in the second round. The young player, who recently turned 27, celebrated his birthday by securing his place in the round of 32 for the third consecutive year. Popyrin, the surprise 2024 champion, accomplished this feat in just 76 minutes, outplaying the 32nd-seeded Belgian Raphaël Collignon 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday.
Prior to his win against Collignon, Popyrin had to defeat fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis to secure his spot in the main draw. He also claimed his first ATP-level victory since May by defeating Román Andrés Burruchaga. With another chance to compete at the US Open in New York, Popyrin can attribute his success to his powerful serve, which included 10 aces, 84 per cent of first-serve points, and three successful break-point conversions.
In the women's draw of the WTA event in Toronto, Australian world number 61, Daria Kasatkina, faced a tough challenge against second seed Elena Rybakina. The match lasted for two hours and 22 minutes, with Kasatkina ultimately losing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Despite the loss, Kasatkina managed to progress and now prepares for a clash with 28th seed Anna Li of the United States.
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