‘THAT’S THE WAY TO BEAT ME’: POPYRIN’S ROLAND GARROS ENDS; CRUZ HEWITT MAKES PARIS DEBUT

Alexei Popyrin’s career-best Roland Garros run has come to an end with a 3-6 3-6 3-6 defeat to American Tommy Paul.

All week in Paris, the 26-year-old Aussie has spoken about wanting to be a consistent player.

We know he can beat just about anyone in the world on his day, but it’s the base level that is preventing him from being a top-20 or top-10 player.

And again today, Popyrin admitted that his own performance underwhelmed him.

“This match was far from consistent on my end…I didn't bring my best level,” he told the media post-match.

However, the Australian was also full of praise for Paul, who he felt played masterfully to combat his own game.

“I think he just played a tactically spot-on match. I think if you want to beat me, that's the way to play. He made me feel really uncomfortable on the court. So that’s credit to him,” Popyrin shared.

The Aussie insightfully discussed how Tommy strikes the ball, suggesting it comes on differently and less naturally than other opponents.

“The type of ball that he hits is a bit of a struggle for me, for some reason. So, we’re going to have to go find out what that is and how to neutralize that,” he revealed

Popyrin felt his backhand was especially unable to navigate the ball striking, a component of his game that has been much improved over the clay season.

“My backhand let me down big time. He managed to break [it] down somehow…we’re going to have to go back, watch that, and figure out why,” he shared

Smiling through his answer, Popyrin was unwilling to further elaborate on why Paul’s groundstrokes are such a challenge, but will be working to ensure it’s not the case should they meet again.

By entering the code TFS2025, you will receive 15% off the RRP on all non-sale items when you shop online at www.racquetworld.com.au

Despite the defeat, it remains a positive week for the maturing Aussie, having reached the second week of a major without dropping a set.

“[The biggest] takeaway is I won matches that I was supposed to win. I played solid tennis, good tennis, against players lower ranked than me, which is something that I’ve been struggling with in my career," he said.

His focus will now turn to the grass, a shift which Popyrin suggests is quite dramatic, requiring a change in his game style.

“They're two completely different surfaces (clay and grass)," he declared.

"The game that I’ve been trying to play over the clay court season kind of works on clay and on hard, but on grass, it’s a little bit different. It’s quicker points, the first serve, first two shots, are very important, which is all in my benefit.”

Popyrin will begin his grass swing in a week in s-Hertogenbosch, an ATP 250, which he believes will give him a first sense of his grass form.

“We'll use that week as a gauge as to where my level is at on the grass, and then we'll go from there,” he revealed.

The Australian will then play the ATP 500 in Queens as final preparation for Wimbledon, where he has won three matches in five main draw appearances.

OTHER AUSSIE RESULTS ON SUNDAY

Cruz Hewitt made his Roland Garros junior main draw debut after coming through the qualifying event.

Playing in front of a full-house crowd on Court 4, the 16-year-old was beaten 7-6 5-7 6-3 by Italian Pierluigi Basile.

Also on Sunday, John-Patrick Smith and Brazilian partner Fernando Romboli's men's doubles campaign came to a disappointing end in the third round.

Having both enjoyed career-best Roland Garros runs, the pair served for the match in the second set, but ultimately went down 6-4 6-7 4-6.

As we look ahead to Monday's action in Paris, Daria Kasatkina will headline the night session (Australian time), kicking off her fourth round clash with Mirra Andreeva from 7pm AEST on Stan Sport.

Sports turf that meets the moment, every match. Trust GreenLife Group for surfaces that let you play at your best. Elevate your game with expert sports ground management at GLGCorp.com.