"I completely forgot about defending my points," says Popyrin after his win against Rune

Alexei Popyrin arrived at the Toronto Masters 1000 under pressure, with the Australian needing to defend the 1000 points from his victory last year.

However, as his wins have piled up, the Australian has been playing more relaxed, as he stated in his press conference: "I feel at home here in Canada. At the start of the tournament, I was quite nervous and felt the pressure of being the defending champion, but now I’m playing very freely.

I feel like I’ve found my best level again, which gives me serenity and confidence. I’ve completely forgotten about defending my points; I just go on court to play and enjoy myself.

The conditions are favorable because the court is very fast, and with the heat, even more so. It’s tough to control the ball during the day, but in the evening, I feel more comfortable."

In the quarterfinals, Popyrin will have to get past Alexander Zverev to continue his title defense.