Against all odds, Australian Alexei Popyrin won the National Bank Open. He beat fifth seed Andrey Rublev in two sets of 6-2, 6-4.
Popyrin, 62e world number one at the start of the tournament, becomes the lowest-ranked player to lift the trophy since 1993. Sweden’s Mikael Pernfors, ranked 95ehad then won.
To win this edition, Alexei Popyrin defeated five members of the top 20. This is his first title above the 250 level on the circuit.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Alexei Popyrin
On Monday, the ATP rankings were updated, allowing Popyrin to climb to 30.e rank. This ranking did not include his triumph in Montreal.
In doubles, the favorites were crowned. The duo of Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, ranked first, overcame Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in two sets of 6-2 and 7-6. The winners will be able to split the $322,000 purse, in addition to inheriting 1,000 points in the ranking.