Aussie Popyrin Beats World No 6 To Win Biggest Career Title

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Australian tennis player Alexei Popyrin has won his maiden ATP Tour title, taking out the Montreal Masters.
Popyrin dominated the entire match against a volatile world No.6 Andrey Rublev, who gave up multiple breaks to the 30th ranked Australian on Tuesday morning.
Popyrin took it in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4 in 90 minutes and ended a 20-year drought for Australian men in Masters 1000 events in the process.
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Lleyton Hewitt was the last Australian to win at Indian Wells in 2003.
The win over Rublev was the fifth straight against a top-20 opponent and the third against a top-10 rival for Popyrin in Montreal.
Alexei Popyrin Beinsports
He’ll now be seeded for the upcoming US Open and guaranteed a spot inside the top 30.
Popyrin, who lost in the men’s singles round-of-16 at the Paris Olympics, had 10 aces and only three double faults.
Rublev had four aces, five double faults and 15 unforced errors.
The Aussie raced to a 4-1 lead with a seemingly distracted Russian capitulating to lose the first set 6-2.
Popyrin broke early in the second set, before Rublev levelled the match at 3-3, when the Aussie right-hander broke again and set sail to claim the biggest title of his career.
Popyrin took to the camera lens following the momentous victory. Beinsports
Rublev held off two championship points but could not hold off a third.
An emotional Popyrin fell to the court when the result was sealed before jumping the stands to celebrate with his team.
Mark Philippoussis and Pat Rafter are the only Australians to win a Masters 1000 title apart from Popyrin and Hewitt.
He’ll take home a cheque of $1.6 million for winning the event.
“It means so much, it means the world,” he said.
Alexei Popryin wins the Montreal Masters. Nine
“All the hard work that I’ve put in over the last few years, [and] all the sacrifices I’ve made – not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me.
“They’ve just sacrificed their whole lives for me, and for me to win this for them is just amazing.”
Popyrin wrote “what just happened?” on the camera lense.

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