Zverev sinks Rune in Montreal

Alexander Zverev earned a statement win on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he defeated Holger Rune 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.

The German was consistent in the baseline rallies and was front-footed on return, winning 52 per cent (15/29) of points on Rune’s second serve to take a 2-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

The second seed has earned a Tour-leading 49 wins this year, highlighted by his ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zverev is also into his 29th Masters 1000 quarter-final, the 10th highest since the series started in 1990.

Zverev will next play Sebastian Korda after the American received a walkover from Norway’s Casper Ruud. The 27-year-old has fond memories in Montreal, having lifted the trophy in 2017 aged 20.

Alexei Popyrin also advanced to the last eight. The Australian upset Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

His next opponent will be Hubert Hurkacz, who closed out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against Arthur Rinderknech on Saturday evening after multiple rain delays. Hurkacz completed double duty with a pair of comebacks on the day after beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the afternoon.

The Polish star is competing in his first event since retiring in the Wimbledon second round with a knee injury.