Purcell Stuns Wawrinka To Reach Cincinnati QFs; Popyrin Also Advances

  • Posted: Aug 17, 2023

Purcell Stuns Wawrinka To Reach Cincinnati QFs; Popyrin Also Advances

Aug172023

Lucky loser Popyrin beats Ruusuvuori

Two Australians are through to their first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals after Thursday wins at the Western & Southern Open.

Max Purcell, who qualified into his first ATP Masters 1000 singles main draw last week in Toronto, cut through the blistering form of Stan Wawrinka in a 6-4, 6-2 result. Earlier in the day, lucky loser Alexei Popyrin scored a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory against Emil Ruusuvuori.

The 25-year-old Purcell backed up the biggest win of his career — an upset of World No. 7 Casper Ruud on Wednesday — with another stunning result against three-time major champion Wawrinka. The Swiss played what he called the best match of his season to beat 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in the previous round, but he could not solve the chip-and-charge game of Purcell.


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The Aussie qualifier saved both break points he faced and broke three times in a straightforward win to continue his charge up the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. This week he is up 23 places to No. 47, setting himself up to break into the Top 50 for the first time in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Purcell began the season at No. 220 and has won three ATP Challenger Tour titles on the year.

He will face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or home favourite Tommy Paul in Friday’s quarters. 

Wawrinka was bidding to become the oldest player in ATP Masters 1000 history (since 1990) to reach the quarter-finals. He was also seeking his fifth Cincinnati quarter-final showing and his first since 2018.

Popyrin, with his three-set win against Ruusuvuori, became the first lucky loser to reach the Cincinnati quarter-finals since Jeremy Chardy in 2012. The Aussie was a perfect three-for-three on break points in his Thursday victory.

Up 18 places this week to No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Popyrin will next meet Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. He began the 2023 season at No. 120 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and won his second ATP Tour title last month in Umag, beating Wawrinka in the final.

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