Cincinnati Masters: Popyrin two points away from the match, but Rublev moves into last 16

Russian Andrey Rublev, the No. 9 seed, edged out Australian Alexei Popyrin, the No. 21 seed, 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 after 3 hours and 28 minutes of hard battle to move into the last 16 of the Cincinnati Masters at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Tuesday.

Rublev, currently ranked No. 11 in the world, will next face Argentinian Francisco Comesana, who defeated Reilly Opelka after saving three match points.

Popyrin did not hold a match point, but came within two points of victory at 5-5 in the second-set tie-break. Rublev held firm in the pressure moments, taking the tie-break 7-5, and then securing the only break of the deciding set at 6-5 to convert his first match point.

This will be Rublev’s fifth appearance in the Cincinnati round of 16 in eight tournament showings.

Cincinnati Masters 1000, other third-round results (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):

• Ben Shelton vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
• Brandon Nakashima vs. Alexander Zverev
• Jiri Lehecka vs. Adam Walton
• Karen Khachanov vs. Jenson Brooksby
• Jakub Mensik vs. Luca Nardi
• Hamad Medjedovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz: tuesday
• Francisco Comesana beat Reilly Opelka: 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5
• Adrian Mannarino (Q) beat Tommy Paul (13): 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
• Terence Atmane (Q) beat Joao Fonseca: 6-3, 6-4
• Jannik Sinner (1) beat Gabriel Diallo (30): 6-2, 7-6 (6)
• Taylor Fritz (4) beat Lorenzo Sonego (31): 7-6 (4), 7-5
• Benjamin Bonzi beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (25): 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4
• Frances Tiafoe (10) beat Ugo Humbert (20): 6-4, 6-4
• Holger Rune (7) beat Alex Michelsen (28): 7-6 (4), 6-3
• Felix Auger-Aliassime (23) beat Arthur Rinderknech: 7-6 (4), 4-2 ret.