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Popyrin Falls to Rublev in Cincinnati Thriller, Ending Top-16 Seeding Bid

Rublev’s late-serve surge in sweltering, humid conditions denied Popyrin a breakthrough, setting up a third-round clash with Francisco Comensana.

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Overview

  • Popyrin dropped a tense third-round match to ninth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(7-5) 6-7(5-7) 5-7 at the Cincinnati Open.
  • The three-and-a-half-hour encounter featured 32°C heat, rising humidity, a lengthy rain delay and a late-set interruption from a ringing phone.
  • Popyrin appeared visibly exhausted after the final point, and the defeat likely extinguished his chance of cracking the ATP top-16 before the US Open.
  • Rublev capitalized on the disruption to close out the match and will meet Argentina’s Francisco Comensana in the round of 16.
  • Three-time Grand Slam semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov has withdrawn from the US Open with a torn chest muscle, and Alejandro Tabilo has been moved into the main draw.