Popyrin Beats Sinner To Earn Nadal Clash In Madrid

  • Posted: May 05, 2021

Alexei Popyrin passed a tough test on Wednesday, defeating Miami finalist Jannik Sinner 7-6(5), 6-2 to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Now an even tougher challenge awaits: five-time champion Rafael Nadal.

The Aussie advanced to the Round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time to earn his first shot at the legendary Spaniard. This will be just his second match against a member of the Big Three — Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — after losing against Djokovic in Tokyo two years ago. 

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For the first 45 minutes of his clash against Sinner, it appeared the 22-year-old would not get that chance. Sinner, who is at a career-high No. 18 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, served for the first set and seemed comfortable in rallies. 

But the Italian made an unforced error to allow Popyrin back on serve, and from there the tone of the match shifted. Although Sinner took the early lead in the first-set tie-break, Popyrin often found himself on the front foot in key moments, using his powerful game to keep the 19-year-old from taking control.

Popyrin, a qualifier in Madrid, will have to do the same against Nadal with a quarter-final spot on the line. The 21-year-old, who lifted his first ATP Tour trophy earlier this year in Singapore, is 1-6 against Top 10 opponents. He advanced past Dominic Thiem in the second round at the 2019 Australian Open.

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