Alexei Popyrin

[Barty]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Ma Alex Thiema na rozkładzie, więc przesadą jest określać jego poranny wyczyn jako największe zwycięstwo w karierze. Kredą w kominie zapisać jednak można.

AO21 - I runda:

[WC] Alexei Popyrin d. [13] David Goffin 3-6 6-4 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 6-3

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Barty]

Popyrin Saves 4 M.P., Downs Goffin To Lead Aussie Surge

Spoiler:

De Minaur charges past two-time quarter-finalist Sandgren

Alexei Popyrin produced one of the biggest upsets of the day on Court 3, where he saved four match points to eliminate 2017 quarter-finalist David Goffin 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3 on Tuesday at the Australian Open.

The Aussie wild card faced back-to-back match points at 4-5, 15/40 in the fourth set and 4/6 in the fourth-set tie-break, but he held his nerve to advance to the second round for the third straight year after three hours and 43 minutes. Popyrin struck 50 winners to become the first wild card to defeat Goffin at a Grand Slam (1-5).

Last year, Popyrin claimed his only two tour-level victories of the season en route to the Australian Open third round. The Aussie has already surpassed that mark in 2021, after picking up back-to-back wins against Borna Gojo and Tommy Paul at last week’s Murray River Open.

Popyrin has claimed three victories against players who have reached the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings at this event. This time, he was able to fully celebrate his victory. Popyrin led Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-4, 2-0 in 2019 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 last year, before both players were forced to retire with injuries.

Popyrin will meet Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round. The 23-year-old rallied from a set down to beat Danish lucky loser Mikael Torpegaard 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Popyrin was not the only Aussie to make it through to the second round on Day 2. After missing last year’s Australian Open due to an abdominal injury, Alex de Minaur charged past two-time quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 on his return to Melbourne Park.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alex ... view'>Alex de Minaur</a> strikes 27 winners to defeat <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/tenn ... ew'>Tennys Sandgren</a> in straight sets at the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... Australian Open</a>.

De Minaur won 86 per cent of first-serve points (37/43) and did not face a break point en route to a one-hour, 48-minute victory. Sandgren, who held seven match points against Roger Federer in last year’s quarter-finals, was aiming to improve his 4-1 record against Top 30 players at the opening major championship of the year.

“I truly believe what we're doing in Australia… We've got so many [players] knocking on the door and so many in the Top 100, so I think we're in a great spot,” said De Minaur. “It definitely does motivate me because I know that we've got all these teammates pushing top players. It's amazing to see.

”We've got Christopher O'Connell beating his first Top 40 opponent in Jan-Lennard Struff, [who] played an unbelievable ATP Cup. We've got Popyrin, who just beat Goffin. I think it's truly exciting. It's exciting times, and it's amazing. Us Aussies, we always seem to play really well here in Australia. Now it's time to hopefully take this momentum with us and go conquer the world.”

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De Minaur will face Pablo Cuevas for a spot in the third round. The Uruguayan converted all six break points he created to defeat Andreas Seppi 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Court 6.

“[Pablo is] a very tough opponent, very solid. He's going to make me play a lot of balls,” said De Minaur. “It's another tough match, similar in ways [to this match]. I'm going to have to try and focus on my side of the court and do what I have planned and try to execute.”

O’Connell’s upset 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-1 win against Struff was his maiden victory at the Australian Open. The Sydney native will meet Radu Albot in the second round. The Moldovan eliminated 12th seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7(1), 6-0, 6-4, 7-6(5) in three hours and 15 minutes.

Thanasi Kokkinakis joined his countrymen in the second round with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 victory against Sonnwoo Kwon. The 24-year-old landed 19 aces and converted six of seven break points to defeat the South Korean in one hour and 33 minutes. Kokkinakis will face 2019 semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the third round. The World No. 6 broke serve on seven occasions to charge past Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 32 minutes.

Unranked Aussie Li Tu fell short in his bid to join Popyrin, De Minaur, O’Connell and Kokkinakis in the second round, but the wild card produced an impressive performance in his 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4 loss to Feliciano Lopez. The 24-year-old, who played his first tour-level match since 2014 at last week’s Murray River Open, struck 44 winners to 33 unforced errors in his Grand Slam debut match.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/popyrin ... 2021-day-2

[Damian]

[Damian]

In the final match of the day, Alexei Popyrin overcame #NextGenATP Bulgarian Adrian Andreev 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 to reach his second ATP Tour quarter-final. The Aussie will meet the winner of Millman and Ebden’s second-round encounter in the quarter-finals.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/cilic-d ... -wednesday

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Jest pierwszy półfinał ATP. Powinien wrócić niebawem do Top-100 Australijczyk.

[Damian]

Bublik Books Popyrin Singapore Final Clash

Spoiler:

World No. 46 reaches second final of 2021

Alexander Bublik continued his impressive start to 2021 on Saturday, as he defeated Radu Albot 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Bublik claimed 87 per cent of his service points in the decider (20/23) and struck 12 aces to reach his second final of the year. The Kazakhstani, who retired from last month’s Antalya Open final with a right ankle injury, now owns a 9-3 record in 2021.

How To Watch

After dropping the first set in under 30 minutes, Bublik claimed early breaks in the second and third sets by taking time away from his opponent with powerful returns and regular net approaches. The fourth seed grew in confidence throughout the match on serve and reached his fourth ATP Tour final (0-3) after 90 minutes.

Bublik’s victory guarantees a first-time ATP Tour titlist in Singapore. Earlier in the day, Australia’s Alexei Popyrin upset 18-time tour-level titlist Marin Cilic 7-6(5), 7-6(2) to reach his maiden ATP Tour championship match.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alex ... ew'>Alexei Popyrin</a> will face <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alex ... >Alexander Bublik</a> for the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... >Singapore Tennis Open</a> title on Sunday.

Competing in his maiden tour-level semi-final, the 21-year-old rallied from 1-4 down in the first set and held his nerve in two tie-breaks to eliminate the former World No. 3 in just under two hours. Popyrin landed 15 aces en route to his seventh win in nine matches this season.

Cilic was attempting to move one win away from his 19th tour-level trophy. The 2014 US Open champion owns eight ATP Tour crowns on indoor hard courts.

Bublik and Popyrin will meet for the first time at tour-level in Sunday’s final. In their only previous meeting on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, Popyrin rallied from a set down to defeat Bublik 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in Astana.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bublik- ... 1-saturday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Moment.

[Damian]

Popyrin Serves Up Maiden Title In Singapore

Spoiler:

Aussie becomes second first-time winner of the year


Alexei Popyrin completed a dream week at the Singapore Tennis Open on Sunday, as he rallied from a set down to defeat Alexander Bublik 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 and claim his maiden ATP Tour title.

The unseeded Aussie produced a dominant serving performance to overcome the fourth seed in 84 minutes. Popyrin dropped just six points behind his serve (46/52) and won seven consecutive service games to love from 3-5 in the first set.

Prior to this week, Popyrin had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals at an ATP Tour event. When the latest FedEx ATP Rankings are released on Monday, the 21-year-old will rise to a new career-high.

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Popyrin’s victory against Bublik was his second win against seeded opposition this week. In the semi-finals, the Aussie claimed a 7-6(5), 7-6(2) victory against third seed Marin Cilic. Throughout the week, Popyrin played well in pressure moments and won all five tie-break sets he contested.

Bublik was also attempting to lift his first ATP Tour trophy. The Kazakhstani was competing in his second final of the year after retiring from last month’s Antalya Open championship match with a right ankle injury. Bublik also reached finals in Newport and Chengdu in 2019.

Popyrin received 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points and $24,770 in prize money. Bublik collected 150 points and $18,310.

Did You Know?
Popyrin is the second first-time ATP Tour titlist of 2021. Earlier this month, Daniel Evans claimed his maiden tour-level trophy at the Murray River Open.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/popyrin ... 2021-final

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

First-Time Winner Spotlight: Alexei Popyrin

Spoiler:

The Aussie is the second first-time winner on the ATP Tour in 2021
At the start of the Singapore Tennis Open, Alexei Popyrin had never made it past the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event. The Aussie had only made the last eight at tour-level once, in Atlanta in 2019.

But the 21-year-old had a dream week at this ATP 250, where he rallied past fourth seed Alexander Bublik 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 on Sunday for his first ATP Tour title.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 114 after his victory to talk about his week in Singapore and the path he has taken to reach this milestone.

You May Also Like: Popyrin Serves Up Maiden Title In Singapore
What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It means the world to me. So many people in my life have sacrificed a lot. My family especially has sacrificed so, so much for me to get where I am right now. To have won this tournament, it’s for them and for all the hard work that I’ve done during my whole life, honestly, and especially during this pre-season with my team. We grinded during this pre-season and it’s paying off.

Prior to your run here, you had never made it past the quarter-finals at an ATP Tour event. What do you think was the key to your breakthrough this week?
I think I just took it one match at a time. I didn’t think of getting past the quarter-finals or that it was a big deal of playing the semi-finals. I was focussed on every single match that I had to play. I really didn’t try getting ahead of myself, thinking that I was in the semis, in the finals. Now that I won, I can get a little ahead of myself. But in a couple of days, it’s back to work and playing tournaments again.

You now own an 8-2 record in 2021. How happy are you with your start to the season and what do you think has been the key to your success?
That’s definitely a good record for me, especially with how I ended last year and played last year. To have a start like I’m having this year is definitely showing how much work I put in the pre-season. I keep saying it and I’m going to keep saying it throughout the whole year: I think the work I put in during the pre-season this year was unbelievable. As a team we all worked so, so hard and I’m really happy with the way the season has started.

En route to the final, you won all five tie-breaks you played. What was the key to you finding your best tennis in the most crucial moments throughout this week?
I think the level-headedness that I had, I was always trying to stay positive, stay calm as much as I could because I knew that I would have opportunities and to take those opportunities, you have to be calm. Especially in a tie-break, there are very few opportunities that you get, so when you get that one opportunity, you have to take it, especially when you’re a mini-break down. Even if you’re winning, you have to take those opportunities that you have. I think my level-headedness definitely during those tie-breaks was the best.


Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
The key figures in my life definitely have to be my parents. My whole family, honestly. They’ve sacrificed so, so, so much for me. They’ve travelled the world with me. I remember when I was 12 years old with my family, my brother, we were playing Tennis Europe Under 12s, Under 14s. The whole family, we rented a seven-seater and we would go for three, four months just playing tournament after tournament.

My grandma, my little sister, my mom, my dad, my brother, me, we would all be in that car and we would just travel from Italy to Slovakia to Slovenia to Spain to France to all these places, all together in that one car. That’s the sacrifice that everybody has made for me. My parents and my whole family have been the most influential people in my life.

Tell us a little about your passions for basketball and football. When did you start following both sports and how did you end up becoming a fan of the Portland Trail Blazers and Everton?
I’ve been a football fan since I was very, very young, since I was four or five. Tennis and football were the two sports that I played growing up. I remember watching Australia in the 2006 World Cup when Tim Cahill scored all those goals and we got to the Round of 16 and unfortunately against Italy we had a little dive in the penalty box. I still remember that and I’ve been following football my whole life.

I’m an Everton fan because Tim Cahill was playing for Everton at the time. I wanted to find a team to support and he was my favourite player. I told him that myself and it’s great that we’re in touch because he was one of my idols growing up.

Basketball, I got into it when I was around 13. I was watching NBA 2K on YouTube and I liked it and I wanted to play the game, so I started understanding the game a little bit. It’s grown into my third favourite sport to watch. The Portland TrailBlazers, I’m not one of those glory-seekers to find a team that has been winning trophies so easily and have had the best team in the league. I was just trying to find my team and Damian Lillard popped up. He’s become my favourite player and they’ve become my favourite team. I think even if he leaves I’ll still support Portland.

Do you play either sport and, if so, have you played with any players on the ATP Tour?
I do play both sports. I love to play both, but I haven’t played with anybody on the ATP in any of the sports. But I must say, I’ve seen Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils and Thanasi Kokkinakis play basketball and they’re probably the best on Tour.

This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
I’ll celebrate by hopping on a flight in three hours and flying back home to see my family. Maybe I’ll upgrade my ticket to business class, but that’s it.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/popyrin ... apore-2021

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]