Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin carve out big wins at Paris Masters

Two more big wins in Paris for Aussie men continued a resurgence that has created a stunning rankings feat.

The re-emergence of Australian men as a tennis force has continued with Paris Masters wins to Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin and Aussies now in the top 100 in the world and three in the top 30.

Popyrin defeated grand slam winner Daniil Medvedev to continue his stellar 2024, while de Minaur powered into the third round with a three-set win over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.

The duo, along with Jordan Thompson, are both in the top 30, while Adam Walton’s run at the Taipei Challenger pushed him into the top 100 in the world, rounding out the 10 Aussies with double-figure rankings.

Big W and big celebration 🎉#RolexParisMasterspic.twitter.com/INezsT3aWL

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 30, 2024

While de Minaur moved a step closer to making the season-ending ATP finals, Popyrin’s win continued his rise, having already become the first Aussie to win a Masters 1000 in more than two decades when he won the Canadian Open in August.

He took down Medvedev in three gripping sets, which included an emotional outburst in the ninth game of the deciding set when a ball was judged out despite hitting the line.

Popyrin, the world No.24, chastised the line judge in an argument with the chair umpire before settling himself and going on to claim a huge win over the US and Australian Open champion.

“The animation from me came out after that call,” Popyrin said.

Money when it mattered most 💪@AlexeiPopyrin99 upsets former champ Medvedev 6-4 2-6 7-6 at #RolexParisMasterspic.twitter.com/53cl98b6UV

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 30, 2024

“That was tough call to take, but stuff like that, I try and let it fire me up rather than put me down and demotivate me. It definitely fired me up, probably woke me up a little bit, and made me play a little bit more free.”

It was Popyrin’s first win in four attempts to take down Medvedev.

“To get the job done here, at the last Masters of the year where I really wanted to go deep, this is a great step,” he said.

He’ll next face the in-form Karen Khachanov.