TOP-SEEDED Alexander Zverev rallied to defeat No. 18 Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday (Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, PH time) to advance to the semifinals of the National Bank Open in Toronto.
The 2017 champion dropped the first set in a tense tiebreak, sealed when Popyrin feathered a backhand volley that clipped the tape and rolled over.
Zverev, frustrated, fired a ball out of Sobeys Stadium but quickly regrouped, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the second set. Popyrin broke back and held for 4-4, but Zverev responded with a decisive break to take the set.
The German, ranked No. 3 in the world, earned an early break in the decider and maintained control to close out the match.
The 28-year-old improved to 4-0 against Popyrin and reached his 75th career ATP semifinal, seeking his 25th tour title and eighth Masters 1000 trophy. He will face either No. 11 Karen Khachanov of Russia or No. 26 Alex Michelsen of the United States.
Popyrin, 25, saw his nine-match Canadian winning streak snapped. Ranked No. 26, he had carried strong momentum into the quarterfinals after recent successes on the hard-court swing.
The tournament’s other men’s quarterfinals are Tuesday (Wednesday in PH), with second-seeded Taylor Fritz meeting No. 6 Andrey Rublev of Russia and No. 4 Ben Shelton facing No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia. Both semifinals are Wednesday, followed by Thursday’s final.
On the women’s side in Montreal, Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko continued her breakthrough run, defeating Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal.
Two days after upsetting No. 1 seed Coco Gauff in 62 minutes, the 18-year-old from Toronto recovered from an early second-set break to win four straight games and seal the victory.
Mboko is the first Canadian to reach the tournament’s semifinals since Bianca Andreescu’s 2019 title run and the youngest to do so since Belinda Bencic in 2015.
She will meet No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina, who advanced when Marta Kostyuk retired with an apparent arm injury while trailing 6-1, 2-1.
Mboko, projected to climb from No. 85 to at least No. 55 in the rankings, has surged after injury-plagued seasons. She began the year with a 22-match win streak and five ITF titles, reached the French Open third round and scored a Wimbledon upset.
Her latest victory improved her record to 51-9, including 25-8 against higher-ranked opponents.
Other women’s quarterfinals Tuesday feature No. 6 Madison Keys vs. No. 16 Clara Tauson and former No. 1 Naomi Osaka vs. No. 10 Elina Svitolina. The women’s semifinals are Wednesday; the championship match is Thursday. / From the wires