Holger Rune vs. Alexei Popyrin: Where to Watch, Toronto Preview

How will Rune fare against the defending champion on Friday?

Published Aug 02, 2025

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Estimated start time: 7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, August 2

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Holger Rune vs. Alexei Popyrin: Match Preview

If you like your matches feisty and points fast-paced, Rune v. Popyrin is probably the place to be on Saturday. The 25-year-old Australian and the 22-year-old Dane both come to the court with a combative edge, and come at their opponents with a bouncy, heavy ground-stroke attack.

Neither guy has been on fire this season, but both of them have reason to be optimistic this week.

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Rune is 24-14 in 2025, with a ranking hovering at the bottom of the Top 10. Frustrated with his lack of progress over the past two seasons, as well as with a first-round loss at Wimbledon, he recently reached out to Andre Agassi for advice. So far in Toronto, Rune has seemed a bit more upbeat and aggressive. Getting past ace machine Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opener was likely a confidence-booster.

Popyrin is just 14-16 on the year, and, after a career season in 2024, has seen his ranking slide back downward in 2025. But Canada is a special place for him. He shocked everyone when he won his only Masters 1000 title in Montreal last summer, and on Thursday night he edged former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev to keep his title defense alive.

Rune and Popyrin have faced each other once, two years ago on clay in Rome, and Rune won 6-4 in the third set. The hard courts here may suit both guys better, and turn this into a contest of first strikes. If so, Popyrin’s whippy topspin forehand may be the difference-maker. While Rune doesn’t have a weapon like that, he may have the edge when it comes down to closing the match in crunch time. He’s a higher-ranked played for a reason, right? Winner: Rune