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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday February 29, 2021

 
Alexei Popyrin

Alexei Popyrin rallied from a set down to take down Alexander Bublik for his first ATP title at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Photo Source: Getty

Australia’s Alexei Popyrin had never been past the quarterfinals at an ATP event before this week. But that all changed over the last three days as the 21-year-old reached his first ATP final then powered to his first title at the Singapore Tennis Open with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 triumph over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.

Tennis Express


Unseeded Popyrin, who defeated Matthew Ebden in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Marin Cilic in the semis, lost the first set by a sliver in Sunday's final but rebounded in style to win 12 of the final 14 games as he rode to victory in 84 minutes.

The Aussie was dominant on serve all day as he won 33/35 first offerings and 13/17 second-serve points and only faced one break point.

Popyrin fired 11 aces, taking his tournament-best total to 60 in five matches.


After sweeping through seven consecutive games, Popyrin faced pressure from Bublik in set three, but the World No.114 quickly overcame the challenges. He broke on his fourth break point of the sixth game on an ill-timed Bublik double-fault and, after a final service hold, broke again to close out the victory.

Popyrin is projected to jump a career-high ranking of 82 in the world as a result of this title.

Bublik drops to 0-4 lifetime in finals. He was forced to retire from this year’s Antalya final after just two games against Alex de Minaur.

 

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