Australian tennis up-and-comer Alexei Popyrin has secured his first ATP 1000 title with a win over World No.6 Andrey Rublev at the Montreal Masters.

Popyrin took the match in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) and didn't shy away from the big stage, despite it being his first appearance in an ATP 1000 final.

From the opening point, the 25-year-old proved to be too much to handle for Rublev, whose frustrations continued to get the better of him in the fiery contest.

The Sydney product stormed out to a 4-1 lead after multiple early breaks before claiming the first set with relative fuss.

Popyrin's form continued into the second set but was levelled at 3-3 after a rampant Rublev fought back to raise a few eyebrows.

However, the big-serving Aussie put the game beyond doubt when having four chances to claim the championship, something the Russian failed to withstand.

Having battled injuries early in 2024, the Sydneysider said his confidence was growing with every match leading to his triumph ahead of the year's final grand slam.

โ€œYou know, I think all year I've been playing well on the hard courts,โ€ Popyrin said, according toย News.com.au.

โ€œHad a few injuries at the start of the year. Missed three important tournaments for me... one in Australia, one in Dubai, one at Indian Wells. So those are three really big tournaments that I missed, but the level of tennis that I was playing at the start of the year was high.

โ€œI played Novak (Djokovic) in the Aussie Open, made semis of Doha before I got my injury, and played a good tournament in Miami.

โ€œThen I think all of that feeling from the hard court early on in the year has just progressed onto the hard court towards the end, and it's a really good feeling.

โ€œIt means a lot. I've put a lot of work in this year and last year, but especially this year, and it hasn't really paid off for me.

โ€œYou know, it finally has paid off a little bit, and hopefully it just keeps going because I'm putting in the work. This is a testament to all the work that I've put in.โ€

Popyrin is the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 event since Lleyton Hewitt repeated as Indian Wells champion in 2003.

The right-hander will rise to a career-high ranking inside the Top 25, all but ensuring himself a seeding at the upcoming US Open when it begins on August 26.