We are down to the final eight for the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal. Among the eight players left on the men’s side in Toronto, Ontario, are two Australians. They are the ninth seed Alex de Minaur of Sydney, and the 18th seed, Alexei Popyrin of Sydney.
In the fourth round over the weekend, de Minaur the ninth seed, upset the seventh seed and two-time United States Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Also, Popyrin, the 18th seed and defending National Bank Open champion, upset Holger Rune of Denmark, the fifth seed, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
This was the second straight upset win for Popyrin. On Thursday in the third round, Popyrin upset Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the 10th seed, and 2021 United States Open champion, 6-2, 6-4.
In de Minaur’s win over Tiafoe, de Minaur had the statistical advantage when it came to the serve. De Minaur had 10 aces compared to four double faults, and Tiafoe had six aces compared to five double faults. De Minaur also broke Tiafoe five times. Popyrin also had the service advantage. Popyrin had 14 aces and four double faults, and Rune had seven aces and five double faults.
In the quarterfinals, de Minaur will face the fourth seed, 2023 United States Open semifinalist and 2025 Australian Open semifinalist Ben Shelton of the United States. This will be their first ever meeting head-to-head. Meanwhile, Popyrin will face the first seed, 2020 United States Open finalist, 2024 French Open finalist, and 2025 Australian Open finalist, Alexander Zverev of Germany. Zverev has won their three prior meetings.
