By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 4, 2025
Photo credit: Peter Power/Tennis Canada/National Bank Open Facebook
Popping with physicality, Alexander Zverev unleashed a series of kangaroo hops behind the baseline more than two hours into tonight’s match.
Showing spring in his steps and sting on his shots, Zverev dethroned defending National Bank Open champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3 to bounce into a historic semifinal.
The top-seeded Zverev snapped Popyrin’s nine-match winning streak at the Canadian Open creating history for the second time in the tournament.
Zverev, who rallied to his 500th career victory on Thursday, advanced to his 75th career Tour-level semifinal, including his 21st ATP Masters 1000 final four, tonight.
The former Olympic gold-medal champion joins reigning gold-medal champion Novak Djokovic (196) as just the second active man to reach 75 career semifinals.
First man in the Final Four 🙌@AlexZverev comes back from a set down to take out defending champ Popyrin 6-7 6-4 6-4 🔥#NBO25 pic.twitter.com/brO0XsZecH
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 5, 2025
The 27-year-old German, who won the 2017 Montreal title, will play either 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov or 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen for a spot in the Toronto final.
A tense opening set saw each man save a break point before drama spiked in the tiebreaker.
In a topsy-turvy tiebreaker, Popyrin seized a 5-3 lead only to see Zverev reel off three points in a row for a set point at 6-5.
A diagonal forehand from the Aussie drew a backhand error for 6-all. Popyrin held a set point at 7-6, but Zverev slid a serve down the T to save it.
The top seed held a second set point at 8-7 but netted a forehand return off a second serve, erupting in a primal scream of anguish.
Popyrin crashed a 139 mph ace down the T—his eighth ace—for a second set point at 9-8. Popyrin showed his guts attacking behind a forehand down the line then tapped a half volley that kissed the top of the tape and dribbled over to end a tight first set.
Cruel way to end a thrilling set 🤯
Alexei Popyrin claims this opener 7-6 ✅#NBO25 pic.twitter.com/IDgiH1XRyc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 5, 2025
Popyrin raised both hands in apology, taking a one set lead after 1 hour, 11 minutes of play.
Resetting, Zverev held to start the second set then gained the first break of the night on a series of miscues from the Aussie. Popyrin sailed a forehand and double faulted deep ceding the break and a 2-0 second-set lead.
Zverev stamped his second love hold of the match extending his advantage to 3-0.
Seemingly in control of the set at 4-2, Zverev’s forehand failed him in the seventh game. The German decelerated slapping a forehand into the net—his third forehand error of the game—gifting the champion the love break as Popyrin crept closer at 3-4.
Stepping into the court and putting his body weight behind the ball, Zverev lashed a forehand down the line for triple set point in the 10th game. Though Popyrin saved the first set point, he tried the serve-and-volley and pushed a makeable forehand volley wide as Zverev snatched the second set with his second break after one hour, 58 minutes.
An increasingly weary-looking Popyrin opened the court with a wide serve but pushed his favored forehand wide to face a break point. Popyrin sailed a backhand wide ending a sloppy game to gift Zverev the break and a 2-0 lead in the final set.
A pumped-up Zverev pulled off the shot of the match—a superb full-stretch flying forehand volley winner to help him hold at 15 for a 3-0 lead.
Serving with command in the final set, Zverev served 70 percent and won 15 of 15 first-serve points. Impressive, especially considering one idiot in the crowd was screaming in distraction as the German’s ball toss went up in the final game. The disruptor elicited a double-fault, but credit Toronto security for finding the unruly fan and escorting him out of the stadium.
Zverev closed in two hours, 42 minutes pausing to turn and wave bye bye to the second of the stadium where the disruptor was sitting.
