Australia’s Alexei Popyrin remains on track for back-to-back Canadian Open titles after fighting his way to a three-set win over fifth seed Holger Rune.<\/p>\n
For the second match in a row in Toronto, 18th-seeded Popyrin had to claw his way back after losing the first set, beating the talented Dane 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.<\/p>\n
It was just the second career meeting between the pair and squared the ledger at one apiece, Rune having won their only previous encounter in a tough three-setter on clay at the 2023 Rome Masters.<\/p>\n
Popyrin, the defending champion in Canada, is looking to continue his impressive run at this tournament, his victory over Rune his ninth consecutive win at the event.<\/p>\n
The Australian also recovered from the loss of the first set of his third-round match to score a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over former world number one and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champ Daniil Medvedev of Russia.<\/p>\n
Popyrin has his sights set on back-to-back Canadian Open titles after thrashing Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 in last year’s final.<\/p>\n
In the quarter-finals, Popyrin faces top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who advanced after the number 14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, of Argentina, was forced to retire with an abdominal injury, with the German leading 6-4, 1-0.<\/p>\n
Zverev, the 2017 Canadian Open champion who is ranked third in the world, ended up the top seed in Toronto after the world’s top-ranked players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz skipped the event.<\/p>\n
Another Australian, ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur, plays his round-of-16 clash against American Frances Tiafoe on Monday (AEST).<\/p>\n
De Minaur came to Canada in impeccable form, having won last week’s Washington Open, his 10th career title.<\/p>\n
The fleet-footed Aussie will be hoping to continue his dazzling recent form at the year’s final major, the US Open, which starts in New York on August 24.<\/p>\n
De Minaur has twice reached the quarter-finals at the hard-court event at Flushing Meadows, firstly in 2021, then repeating that effort last year.<\/p>\n
In other results, Alex Michelsen reached the quarter-finals after toppling fellow American Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3.<\/p>\n
Michelsen next faces 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over eighth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud.<\/p>\n
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