(Reuters) -Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8) 6-4 6-3 in Toronto and move into the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Monday.
Top seed Zverev was unable to convert two set points in a tight first set, but built up 3-0 leads in both the second and third sets to clinch the win in two hours and 42 minutes.
The victory took the German’s head-to-head record against Australian Popyrin to 4-0 and sent him to his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, joining Novak Djokovic as the only active men’s tennis player to have reached the mark.
“I had to tell myself, even though I lost the first set, I thought we were both playing actually quite well,” said Zverev, who won the Canadian Open in 2017.
“I had to find a return position in the beginning because he’s a very big server, and when he gets into a rhythm, it’s very difficult against him.
“I did that in the second and third set. Honestly, I can’t complain about much. I played one loose game on my serve in the second set, but apart from that, it was pretty good.”
Zverev next faces Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4 7-6(3).
MBOKO’S RUN CONTINUES
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko stormed into the semi-finals of the women’s tournament in Montreal with a 6-4 6-2 win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to continue her fairytale run.
The 18-year-old, ranked 85th in the world, found herself a break down early in the second set, but won six straight games to become the first Canadian to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open since 2019.
“I’m so excited to be in the semi-final here. I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal,” said Mboko, who beat No. 1 seed Coco Gauff on Saturday and is set to enter the top 50.
Mboko next takes on Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who was leading 6-1 2-1 when her opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, was forced to retire from their quarter-final match due to a wrist injury.
Rybakina will meet Mboko for the second time in as many weeks, with the ninth-seeded Kazakh winning 6-3 7-5 when the pair faced off in the Washington Open last month.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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