Paris Masters 2024: Alexei Popyrin Stuns Fourth-Seeded Daniil Medvedev In Second Round

Alexei Popyrin upset fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Masters to continue his fine year on the ATP Tour, securing his third career win over a top five opponent. (More Tennis News)

Popyrin, who improved to 26-21 for 2024 with his latest win, emerged a 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-4) victor in just under two-and-a-half hours in the French capital. 

The Australian, however, started poorly in the first set, with Medvedev earning an early break in the third game, only for Popyrin to claim the next three in a row. 

Popyrin then missed four chances to close out the eighth game, but held his nerve to take the opener despite some late pressure from his Russian opponent. 

But Medvedev responded emphatically in the second, managing back-to-back break points before taking the enthralling encounter to a decider. 

The pair continued to trade blows in the third set and could not be separated, with a tie-break deciding who would face either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Karen Khachanov in the last 16. 

Popyrin let slip a 4-1 lead in the deciding set, but held his nerve to deal Medvedev his third consecutive opening round loss in Paris. 

Data Debrief: Popping in Paris

Popyrin finally got the better of Medvedev, having lost his previous three matches against him at Wimbledon in 2019, the Australian Open in 2020 and the Miami Open in 2021. 

In defeating Medvedev, Popyrin is the second Australian after Mark Philippoussis to register multiple wins against a top-five player at the Paris Masters. 

The Australian had previously beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021, who was ranked as the world number three.