Zverev Advances to Semifinals in Toronto with Dramatic Win

Toronto, Aug 5 (AP) - Top-seeded Alexander Zverev mounted an impressive comeback to secure a win over No. 18 seed Alexei Popyrin from Australia, triumphing 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3 on Monday, advancing to the semifinals of the National Bank Open.

Zverev, who claimed the tournament title in 2017, is set to face either No. 11 seed Karen Khachanov from Russia or No. 26 seed Alex Michelsen from the United States.

The German athlete, currently ranked No. 3, has progressed to his 75th ATP Tour semifinal, eyeing his 25th tournament victory and seeking his eighth title in an ATP 1000 Masters event.

The remaining quarterfinal matches are scheduled for Tuesday, featuring the second-seeded Taylor Fritz against No. 6 seed Andrey Rublev from Russia, and No. 4 seed Ben Shelton facing off against No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur from Australia. Both semifinals will be held on Wednesday, leading up to the final match on Thursday.

Popyrin clinched the first set, delighting his supporters, one of whom waved an inflatable yellow kangaroo, with a gentle backhand volley that narrowly cleared the net for the winning point.

In response, Zverev unleashed a ball out of Sobeys Stadium in frustration but quickly refocused, taking a 2-0 lead in the second set.

Popyrin leveled with a break of his own and held serve at 4-4. However, Zverev, who secured the Canadian title in Montreal eight years ago by defeating his childhood idol, Roger Federer, took a 5-4 lead before breaking his opponent once more to draw even in matches.

Having been eliminated in the quarterfinals last year, Zverev achieved another break to lead 2-0 in the third set, ultimately serving out the match.

The 28-year-old, who lost to the top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final earlier this year and reached the French Open quarterfinals, extended his unbeaten record against Popyrin to 4-0, including a victory in the third round of the Paris Olympics.

Zverev has claimed two titles on clay this year and enters Toronto as the highest-ranked player in a field missing several stars, as Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper, and No. 6 Novak Djokovic all opted out of the hard-court competition.

Popyrin, the 25-year-old who reached a ranking of No. 26, saw his nine-match winning streak in Canada come to an end.

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