Popyrin saves two match points, beats Ruud for last-eight spot
The Australian won the last four games of the match to set up a meeting with Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round
Chryslene Caillaud/Panoramic
Australian Alexei Popyrin saved two match points and came from 5-3 down in the third set as he upended Norwegian Casper Ruud, the No 4 seed, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to move into the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Thursday afternoon.
Ruud had two match points at 5-3 on the Australian’s serve but couldn’t take them and was then broken as he served for the match, with Popyrin winning the last four games to set up a quarter-final against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Earlier in the tournament, the Australian edged out Frenchman Ugo Humbert (3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4) and beat American Frances Tiafoe, the No 14 seed (3-6, 6-3, 6-3).
Ruud, ranked No 7, won against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (6-2, 6-1) in the previous round of the Monte-Carlo tournament.
Monte-Carlo Masters 1000, other last 16 results (Monte-Carlo Country Club, clay, EUR 6.128.940, most recent results first):
- Alejandro Tabilo vs. Grigor Dimitrov
- Nuno Borges vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Daniil Medvedev vs. Alex De Minaur
- Matteo Berrettini vs. Lorenzo Musetti
- Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Daniel Altmaier (Q): 6-3, 6-1
- Arthur Fils (12) beat Andrey Rublev (7): 6-2, 6-3
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Jack Draper (5): 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4
