Toronto - Saba:
German world number three Alexander Zverev advanced to the semifinals of the Toronto Masters after defeating defending champion Alexei Popyrin of Australia in a hard-fought three-set match, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Zverev, 28, achieved his 40th win of the season and reached the semifinals of a Masters tournament for the 21st time in his career, boosting his hopes of winning the Canadian title for the second time, following his victory in 2017.
The match against Popyrin, who had never beaten Zverev in four head-to-head meetings, was closely contested. The German lost the first set after a 71-minute tiebreak, but came back strongly in the second and third sets, wrapping up the match in two and a half hours.
Zverev will face Russian Karen Khachanov in the semifinals, who defeated American Alex Mikkelsen in straight sets. Zverev has a head-to-head advantage over Khachanov, having won five of their seven meetings.
The Toronto tournament is a key preparatory stage for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season.
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