"I'd be lying if I said I don't feel the pressure," Popyrin discusses defending his title in Toronto

Last year's champion, Popyrin, has started his Toronto tournament in strong fashion by defeating Arseneault (7-6, 6-3) and, more notably, Medvedev (5-7, 6-4, 6-4) in the previous round. Speaking to ATP Tour, the Australian shared his thoughts on the expectations surrounding him.

"I'd be lying if I said I don't feel the pressure. I’m aware that I could lose a significant portion of my points if I don’t deliver a great result here, but no matter what happens, I’ll have a weight off my shoulders by the end of this weekend. It was memorable, but what meant more to me was stringing together six matches while beating top-20 players. That’s what I’ve always wanted—consistency against the best.

Now, I don’t want to dial back my explosive game one bit. Sometimes I think I need to hang in there a little longer before going for a winner, but my essence as a player is to be aggressive. A lot of people think I move poorly on court, but I feel that, for my height, I can move with a lot of agility."

For a spot in the quarterfinals, he will face world No. 9 Rune. The two have only met once on tour, in Rome 2023 (Rune won 6-4, 5-7, 6-4).