MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian Alexei Popyrin has grown quietly under the shadow of partners Nick Kyrgios and Alex De Minaur a few years ago but on Sunday the 21-year-old rangy caught his attention with his ATP title in Singapore.
Never above the semi-finals of an ATP event, Popyrin revisited Kazakh Alexander Bublik 4-6 6-0 6-2 in the Singapore Open decision to continue with the his exciting season.
Popyrin is now on record for an 8-2 win in 2021, after beating David Goffin in the first Open Open in Australia and Marin Cilic who was a US Open winner in the west. Singapore finals.
“Starting as I get this year definitely shows how much of the work I was doing before the season,” he told the ATP website.
“I will keep saying it and I will keep saying it all year round: I think the work I submitted before the season this year was incredible. ”
Amid COVID-19 pandemic disease, Australian tennis is in poor health.
Popyrin, who now has a shooting status to 82 high, is one of five Australians in the top 100 men, with De Minaur (23) leading the way.
Ash Barty remains at number one in the women’s side, with Ajla Tomljanovic (74) second among Australians.
Big things are expected from Popyrin since he won the French youth singles title in 2017.
Influencing the French-based academy run by Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Popyrin has reached several promising milestones, winning a game at all four Grand Slams and making the third round at the Australian and US Openings.
Standing 6ft-5in in height, controlled by Russian parents and equipped with ground beats, Popyrin is consistent with the model of beanpole youths who are remodeling the game of men like Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
So far this season, Popyrin has also shown promising mental endurance and relentless climbing to turn his chances on the court.
In Singapore, he won the five tiebreaks he played on the way to the finals.
“I think my goal was (important), I was always trying to be positive, to stay as calm as I could because I knew it would be I have opportunities and to take those opportunities, you have to be calm, ”he said.
Winning opens doors to competitions with better prize money but Popyrin said celebrations would be low.
“I celebrate by hopping on a three-hour flight and flying back home to see my family,” he said.
“I might increase my ticket to business class, but that’s it.”
Reporting by Ian Ransom; Edited by Shri Navaratnam