ATP Montreal: Andrey Rublev vs Alexei Popyrin; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

“It means the world to reach this final, it’s amazing” – Alexei Poyrin’s reaction after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 Final. However, for his opponent, Andrey Rublev, this is his sixth career Masters 1000 final and the second in the 2024 season. Rublev chose to skip this year’s Olympics to keep himself prepared for the North American hard court swing. He wants to gain winning momentum before taking his flight to NY to participate in the US Open. The Russian tennis star is happy with his run in the Canadian Open, but can he win the title?

Andrey Rublev vs Alexei Popyrin: Preview

Rublev has been in red-hot form this year! He has already grabbed two titles in this season and now he’s just one step behind to land his third. Apart from winning titles, the 26-year-old has also reached two SFs and four QFs in his previous tournaments. Even in this tournament, he has looked extremely impressive. He has faced quite a few tough challenges in Montreal this year, but beating the world no.1 Jannik Sinner by 6-3,1-6,6-2 in the QF and Matteo Arnaldi in the SF by 6-4,6-2 stands tall among the rest. There was a 1-hour and 40-minute suspension in the SF match due to bad weather, but Rublev still managed to five out of his six games on his return.

Popyrin on the other hand, has struggled a bit this season. His best record has been reaching the SF of the Qatar Open. Apart from that, there haven’t been any significant results in his campaign so far. However, his incredible run in Montreal has been quite surprising to some tennis fans. He overcame the mighty challenge of the number 7, Hubert Hurkacz in the QF in a three-set thriller. Then in the semis, he beat the American tennis star, Sebastian Korda by 7-6(0),6-3. Does he really have a chance against Rublev in the finals? Let’s take a look at the results from their previous meetings.

Rublev vs Popyrin: Head-to-Head

Both of these players have played against each other twice in their careers so far. Currently, the head-to-head scoreline between Andrey Rublev and Alexei Popyrin is leveled at 1-1. So, the stage is well set for an epic Grand Finale in Montreal!

• 2023 Vienna Open R32: Rublev 7-6(5),6-4.
• 2024 Monte Carlo Masters R32: Popyrin 6-4,6-4.

Prediction: Rublev to win in straight sets

Looking at the current form and the way they have played their matches this season, the Russian clearly has an upper hand against the Australian in this intriguing faceoff. Rublev is currently ranked number 6th in the world and he has a win-loss record of 32-16. On the other hand, Popyrin (30) has a win-loss record of just 17-15. So, clearly, if we consider their results from their previous matches this season and the current rankings, there shouldn’t be any doubt about who’s the favorite in this match.

However, in the racquet spot, we have witnessed quite a few surprises in the past to completely rule out the Aussie from this match. However, that result would be really a surprising one! Popyrin has a dynamic style of play and it’s often accompanied by powerful serve with incredible speed and agility. He has this unique ability to swiftly make a transition from defense to offense. Popyrin loves to play first-strike tennis by troubling his opponents with his deep and penetrating groundstrokes. His powerful serves, along with his ability to hit stunning volleys and overhead shots are something that Rublev needs to keep an eye on right from the start of the match.

Now, since we’ve talked about the most lethal weapons of the Australian tennis star, let’s have a look at Rublev’s game now. The Russian is basically an offensive baseliner with a big forehand in his armory. His two-handed backhand is one of his lethal weapons. However, his opponents are often caught wrong-footed by his incredible ability to his running forehands with extreme precision.

At times his hyper-aggressive approach leads to a high count of unforced errors though. His second serve is a bit underwhelming due to his high number of double fault counts. Rublev has hit 114 double faults this season and he needs to keep a check on this to bring more results in his favor. Will the result in the final of the Canadian Open be in his favor? Well, there are such big reasons to disagree with Rublev’s chances in this match!