Alexei Popyrin matches rare Novak Djokovic feat with Montreal win; becomes 4th Australian to win Masters 1000 title

Ewan West 13 Aug 2024 9:49 AM

Alexei Popyrin is the first Australian Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt

Alexei Popyrin became the fourth Australian player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title after stunning Andrey Rublev in the 2024 Canadian Open final.

The 25-year-old earned a convincing 6-2, 6-4 victory against the world No 6 in the championship match in Montreal on Monday to claim the biggest title of his career.

“It means the world, for all the hard work I’ve put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made,” said Popyrin.

“Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing.”

Popyrin was ranked 62nd in the world at the start of the tournament and his triumph takes him to a new career-high of 23rd in the ATP Rankings.

The Australian has become the first man to win the Canadian Open on his main draw debut at the event since Novak Djokovic prevailed in Montreal in 2007. Popyrin lost in qualifying at the tournament in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

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Here, we look at every Australian player who has won an ATP Masters 1000 title after Popyrin became the first in 21 years.

Pat Rafter – 1998 Canadian Open, 1998 Cincinnati Masters

Pat Rafter is a two-time Masters 1000 champion and became the first Australian to secure a title at this level when he won the 1998 Canadian Open.

The No 3 seed defeated Neville Godwin, Mark Philippoussis, Joan Bjorkman, Tim Henman and Richard Krajicek to triumph in Toronto without losing a set.

Rafter then won the Cincinnati Masters in his next event as the fifth seed, beating Guillaume Raoux, Todd Martin, Petr Korda, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Pete Sampras. The Aussie added titles in New Haven and at the US Open to complete a stunning sweep of the 1998 North American hard-court summer.

The former world No 1 and two-time US Open winner was a runner-up in four Masters finals following his two wins.

Mark Philippoussis – 1999 Indian Wells Masters

Philippoussis claimed his only Masters Series crown in Indian Wells in 1999, where he was unseeded. He downed Bohdan Ulihrach, Alex Corretja, Marat Safin, Todd Martin and Chris Woodruff en route to the final, where he overcame Carlos Moya in five sets.

The two-time major finalist and former world No 8 lost his second and last Masters 1000 final at the 2000 Paris Masters to Safin.

Lleyton Hewitt – 2002 and 2003 Indian Wells Masters

Lleyton Hewitt won his maiden Masters Series tournament at the 2003 Indian Wells Masters, where he was the top seed. The Aussie defeated Carlos Moya, Andrei Pavel, Jan-Michael Gambill, Thomas Enqvist, Pete Sampras and Henman during his title run.

Hewitt defended his Indian Wells title in 2003, when he was the No 1 seed again, claiming victories over Younes El Aynaoui, Kafelnikov, Guillermo Coria, Robby Ginepri, Vince Spadea and Gustavo Kuerten.

The former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion was also a five-time runner-up at Masters 1000 level.

Alexei Popyrin – 2024 Canadian Open

Popyrin is the fourth Australian man to win the Canadian Open in the Open Era after Rod Laver, John Newcombe and Rafter, and he is the first to claim the title in Montreal.

Following his opening round win over world No 40 Tomas Machac, he beat five top 20 players: Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, Sebastian Korda and Rublev.