Doha, Qatar, 22 February 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Doha, Qatar
Alexei Popyrin has charged into his third career ATP singles semifinal – and his first on hard courts since February 2021.
The 24-year-old Australian scored an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory against world No.21 Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals at an ATP 250 tournament in Doha.
“I’m really happy with how I dug deep in this match,” Popyrin said. “It was not easy with the wind and he’s not an easy player to play against.”
This is Popyrin’s 11th career win against a top-30 player.
The world No.46 now turns his attention to a semifinal showdown with world No.17 Karen Khachanov, who is the last remaining seeded player in the draw.
Khachanov has won two of their three previous career meetings, however Popyrin triumphed when they last met in October 2023.
In doubles, Australia’s John-Patrick Smith is through to the semifinals alongside his German partner Andreas Mies.
Smith and Mies edged …