Defending champion Alexei Popyrin rallied from a set down to beat fifth seed Holger Rune 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals.
The Australian started strongly but was unable to make the most of his early advantage as he failed to close out 11 break points while the Dane took out the first set.
Popyrin recovered to convert two breaks with only two unforced errors from the baseline during a powerful second set before easing through the third on Saturday night.
“I started this week not high on confidence, needing to get a grasp of the mental side,” Popyrin said. “But this week I kind of just let go of all the pressure.”
“After the first set I was pissed. But when I came back out to return again, it felt like I was in control of the match. I told myself to be aggressive on the next break point that I got, and from then on I felt quite comfortable.”
The 25-year-old beat former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev in the third round and has now extended his winning streak at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 to nine matches after a stunning run to the title last year.
Popyrin, seeded 18th, will face the winner of the late match between top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany and No 14 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Zverev, ranked third in the world, is the top seed in Toronto with top-ranked Jannik Sinner – the 2023 winner – and No 2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event.
“I feel comfortable on these courts, where I hit my first aggressive shot and then can dictate from there” Popyrin said. “My forehand was the standout today.”
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Alex Michelsen is through to the quarter-finals after defeating fellow American Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3. Michelsen will face 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway.
Alex de Minaur will take on seventh seed Frances Tiafoe with a quarter-final spot up for grabs, after Christopher O’Connell pulled out of their all-Australian third round clash due to an abdominal injury.
