Novak Djokovic once suffered a shock defeat to this ATP player at the US Open.
Djokovic won his last Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023, where he lifted a record 24th major singles title.
However, the Serbian has been unable to lift another Grand Slam title since then, with Djokovic losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open last year.
Alcaraz would go on to win the title in New York, while another of the last two players to beat Djokovic at the US Open is now on a nine-match losing streak.
Alexei Popyrin loses ninth match in a row despite playing lower-level tournament
Alexei Popyrin beat Djokovic at the US Open in 2024, causing him to have his earliest exit from the New York major in 18 years.
This is not the only success the Australian has had in his career, with Popyrin also winning a Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in 2024.
However, it has not been as enjoyable a time for the former world number 19 recently, with Popyrin calling 2025 the least enjoyable year of his career after falling outside the top 50.
This has continued into the 2026 season, with Popyrin losing in the first round of tournaments in Adelaide, Brisbane and the Australian Open.
As a result, this meant that Popyrin was on an eight-match losing streak, and he subsequently decided to take a drop down to ATP Challenger level to play a tournament in Manama, Bahrain.
This was just Popyrin’s second match at this level in the past three years, but it still ended in defeat for the 26-year-old.
Popyrin’s straight sets defeat to world number 142 Ugo Blanchet means that he has now lost nine matches in a row, with his last win coming at the US Open in August last year.
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Despite his recent struggle, Popyrin still remains well inside the top 100 as the world number 50.
However, if this is to stay that way then Popyrin will need to start winning matches soon, and he has a busy schedule ahead.
Popyrin has chosen not to represent Australia in the Davis Cup this year, and he also does not have any more upcoming Challenger events on his schedule.
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Instead, the former Masters champion has entered three ATP 500 tournaments in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai.
These could be challenging tournaments for Popyrin to end his losing streak, particularly at the Qatar Open where Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Djokovic are all also entered.
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