Australia positioned itself strongly in the Davis Cup final after Alexei Popyrin secured a 1-0 lead by defeating Finland’s Otto Virtanen in the first singles rubber on Friday.
Popyrin, ranked 40th in the world, triumphed over the 171st-ranked Virtanen with a score of 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, giving last year’s runners-up a commanding position in the tie.
Despite Virtanen’s strong performance in the quarterfinal against reigning champions Canada, he faced a tough challenge against Popyrin after a closely contested first set.
Finnish fans took over the Martin Carpena Arena as their team participated in a Davis Cup semifinal for the first time.
While Virtanen applied pressure on Popyrin’s serve, the Australian held his ground, winning the tiebreak in the first set. In the second set, Popyrin’s superior quality became evident as he secured a break for a 4-2 lead, ultimately sealing the victory.
Popyrin expressed his joy after achieving his first victory at a Davis Cup final, calling it “an amazing feeling” and “one of the highlights of my career.”
The spotlight now turns to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, ranked 69th in the world, who will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second singles rubber. Ruusuvuori aims to secure a win to keep Finland’s remarkable Davis Cup run alive.
On Saturday, Novak Djokovic’s Serbia will face Jannik Sinner and Italy in the second semifinal.
