Reilly Opelka

[Damian]

American Reilly Opelka set up a tall second-round meeting against top seed and five-time champion John Isner on Tuesday at the BB&T Atlanta Open. Opelka beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who fell to Isner in the Hall of Fame Open final on Sunday, 6-3, 7-6(1), behind 17 aces.

"I thought I played really clean," Opelka said. "I played a really good tie-break, I made all my first serves."

The 6'11” Opelka and the 6'10” Isner have faced off three times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including three years ago in the Atlanta semi-finals, when Isner won in three sets.

But the 21-year-old Opelka beat Isner twice this year, including in the first round of the Australian Open and in February en route to his maiden ATP Tour title at the New York Open. Eight of their 10 sets have been decided by tie-breaks.

"Coin flip" was how both Isner and Opelka have described their second-round match. "This one probably a little more favoured for John, just because he's won it so many times," Opelka said. "Obviously I'm the underdog again playing him, and there's a good chance there are going to be a lot of tie-breaks."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/opelka- ... 19-tuesday

[Kamileki]

ATP Atlanta R2:

48 Márton Fucsovics 965
49 Reilly Opelka 957
50 Nick Kyrgios 955

[Razing]

[Kamileki]

ATP Atlanta QF:

45 Ugo Humbert 989
46 Reilly Opelka 982
47 Daniel Evans 980

[Damian]

There were 64 aces, five break points saved and one upset of a five-time BB&T Atlanta Open champion.

American Reilly Opelka beat countryman John Isner for the third time this season on Wednesday, giving the top seed his earliest Atlanta exit in 10 appearances 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(5).

Opelka saved three break points while serving at 4-5 in the third set, including two consecutively from 15/40 as he served his way out of trouble. The 21-year-old American also beat Isner at the Australian Open and en route to his maiden ATP Tour title at the New York Open in February.

“I was clutch on big moments in the match. First-set tie-break I played unbelievable, pretty much flawless, hit some great shots,” Opelka said. “John is just so consistent with his serve. It's so hard to play three tie-breaks with him because there's just so much pressure, there's so much stress for three hours straight. It's tough. I'm thrilled to get through.”

Isner was the two-time defending champion and had reached the Atlanta final in nine of his 10 appearances. He also made the 2012 semi-final. The World No. 14 won his fourth Hall of Fame Open title on the Newport grass on Sunday.

“It's his tournament. It always will be. Definitely a tough guy to beat in Atlanta,” Opelka said. “I'm really happy that I was able to find a way to win.”

Their New York Open semi-final featured a record number of aces (81) for an ATP Tour three-set match, and while they fell short of a new mark, to the surprise of no one, the mammoth serves of the 6'10” Isner and the 6'11” Opelka dominated play.

Opelka didn't lose a first-serve point in the opener (17/17), but Isner rallied in the tie-break to force a decider. The top seed saved two match points on his serve from 3/6 in the third-set tie-break. But Opelka had to do more than serve to finish off the crowd favourite.

Isner returned a second serve well and came in strong behind a forehand approach. But Opelka let loose on a backhand pass and followed it up with a forehand winner for his third win in four tries against Isner in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Eleven of their 13 sets have been decided by tie-breaks, including all 10 this year, seven of which have been won by Opelka.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/isner-o ... -wednesday

[Damian]

Five Things To Know About Reilly Opelka

Spoiler:

American enjoys Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon
Editor's Note: This story was originally published on 3 July 2019.

Reilly Opelka defeated Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday at Wimbledon to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The victory was also his first five-set win. The 21-year-old is enjoying a breakout season that sees him projected to surpass his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 53 when the newest standings are released.

Read Opelka Hangs Tough To Edge Wawrinka

ATPTour.com takes a look at five things to know about the American.

1. He Already Has A Wimbledon Crown
Opelka is making his Wimbledon debut as a pro, but he’s no stranger to The All England Club. He beat Mikael Ymer to win his only junior Grand Slam title in 2015.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/reil ... ew'>Reilly Opelka</a> won the 2015 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... mbledon</a> boys' singles title

2. His 2019 Season Includes An ATP Tour Title
The American clinched his maiden trophy this February at the New York Open by defeating Brayden Schnur in a third-set tie-break. He also saved six match points against John Isner in a thrilling semi-final clash. Opelka finished the week with 156 aces, including 43 in the championship match, and closed out the tournament with 68 consecutive service holds.

You May Also Like: First-Time Winner Spotlight: Reilly Opelka
“This [title] is definitely what I’m most proud of,” said Opelka. “I was tough mentally, especially losing a lot of first sets this week, and my first serve really helped me out. I was able to play clutch in those big moments.“

Opelka Wins 2019 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... rview'>New York Open</a>

3. Opelka Is Part Of The “Triple Towers”
At 6’11”, Opelka joins Ivo Karlovic (6’11”) and Isner (6’10”) as the three tallest players on the ATP Tour. The trio also posed for a photo two years ago that could have passed for an NBA roster.

Isner Karlovic Opelka

4. He Gets Mistaken For Isner
Not all tall people look alike, but Opelka finds himself frequently mistaken for the other American giant in tennis. He told ESPN that fans came up to him in France and asked for autographs thinking he was Isner.

“That one I had to play along with,” joked Opelka. He admitted to intentionally spelling Isner’s name wrong at times and signing for fans as “Jon”.

More On The Championships
* Andy & Serena Join Forces In Mixed Doubles
* Fognini Honored For Cracking Top 10
* Kyrgios Looks Ahead To Nadal Clash

5. Opelka Graduated From Challengers
Opelka set up his solid 2019 season with a dominant run last year on the ATP Challenger Tour. He finished the year with back-to-back Challenger titles in the United States and reached the championship match in four of his last six Challenger events.

"Last year was huge for me," reflected Opelka. "It was the first time I consistently put together a lot of matches in a row. I reached a lot of semi-finals and I think the year before there wasn't one week where I had won three matches in a row. Being able to play on the Challenger Tour and not as many ATP Tour events, helped me string all those matches together. It gave me a lot of confidence and I learned a lot about myself and my tennis. It allowed me to work on some things that I knew needed to be addressed."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/five-th ... lly-opelka

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Będzie debiut w Top-50.

[Kamileki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDjOBKEEokc

[Razing]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

ATP Atlanta SF:

42 João Sousa 1035
43 Reilly Opelka 1027
44 Hubert Hurkacz 1023

[Kamileki]

[DUN I LOVE]

O Top-40 zagra dzisiaj Opelka.

[Damian]

29.07.2019

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 43

[Damian]

Exclusive: No Mistaking The Rapid Rise of Reilly Opelka

Spoiler:

American 21-year-old is fast becoming the man no player wants to face on the ATP Tour
Reilly Opelka is at the ATP 250 tournament in Lyon, France, in the week before Roland Garros. A fan approaches with a photo to sign.

The only problem? It's a photo of fellow American giant John Isner.

"The guy asks me how my foot was," says Opelka with a smile. "I was like, 'He's a big enough Isner fan to know that he has a broken foot, he's got a picture of him, but he's not a big enough Isner fan to know that we look nothing alike.'

"I thought it was really funny. So I had to follow through and sign the picture. I mixed it up, though, signing it ‘Jon’."

Such cases of mistaken identity may soon be a thing of the past. Opelka comes into this week's Citi Open, the ATP 500 tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career... and with no points to defend through the US Open, where last year he fell in the first round of qualifying.

His new mark is 43 and he’s already one of the most-feared servers in the game. Leveraging his 6’ 11” frame, Opelka has fired a tour-best 653 aces this season at an average of 21 a match. He is fourth on the list of most service games won (90.3%) and also fourth for most first-serve points won (81%).

But Opelka is far from one dimensional. His court coverage for a man his size is excellent, his forehand return from the deuce court is capable of producing searing winners at big moments and he can dig in for a fight on the baseline when circumstances require.

“He’s probably a little ahead of schedule,” Opelka’s coach of 19 months, Jay Berger, says of his progress. "Getting stronger in the body is going to be a big part of the next stage of his development.

“He’s got great hands. He’s a really good ball striker and people underestimate his athleticism and speed. His forward movement is incredible for someone of his size."

That’s not by accident. Although Opelka says that his height has never diminished his athleticism, he doesn’t take it for granted. He does a lot of footwork drills involving ladders and beach workouts and recently began working with a device using flashing lights to improve explosive movement and reaction times.


With a 17-14 record in 2019, which includes his first title at the New York Open, it’s noteworthy that Opelka played just four tour-level matches last season for a modest 2-2 record. Despite a mid-season battle with mono, his 12-month rise up the rankings from 229 to 99 at the end of 2018 was built at the ATP Challenger Tour, where he won three titles from five finals, including back-to-back crowns in Knoxville and Champaign to end his year.

"It was part of the plan,” the Michigan native says. “Last year I wanted to play on the Challenger Tour and try to play and win as many matches as I could and learn a lot.

"I've always been confident and believed in myself that I could get to where I wanted to be. I've put in a lot of hard work and I’ve been patient."

A side benefit of playing most of 2018 at the Challenger level is that competitors who haven’t seen much of him on the ATP Tour are still figuring out what game plan to deploy when they meet Opelka.

"The first time I play guys I think they almost underestimate my speed and ability from the baseline,” he says. “I play aggressively and make plenty of unforced errors, but when I need to stay in the point by scrapping and running balls down, I have no trouble doing that.

"I think a lot of guys are surprised by that and it's won me a lot of matches this year because guys haven't played me the right way. They've made balls thinking I would beat myself. I have a good record against those type of players."

One player who knows Opelka better than most is the 6' 10" Isner, who has gone 0-3 against his young rival in 2019 meetings despite winning more points in two of those three matches. In total this year they have played 10 sets, all of which have gone to tie-breaks.

Last week in Atlanta, in a match featuring a combined 64 aces, Opelka edged Isner 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(5) after saving three break points deep in the decider. Earlier in the match he dug himself out of trouble on serve with some hyper-aggressive groundstroke winners in big moments.

"Sometimes I'll step off the gas pedal if there is a time I need to make some balls, but my go-to instinct is to be aggressive," Opelka says. "At big moments in a match it's not too hard for me to do that, because it's part of my game.

"When you look at the great players, at the big moments in matches, they play their brand of tennis."

You May Also Like: Five Things To Know About Reilly Opelka
Despite the similarities with Isner and the respect he has for his countryman, Opelka did not fashion his game on the 2018 Miami Open champion, or anyone for that matter.

"When I was young I looked up to Roddick and Blake and I loved Ferrer, but I didn't model my game on anyone. I have a ton of respect for Isner and I still look up to John. He's an unbelievable guy and a great competitor.”

Opelka attributes much of his success to the roles played by Berger, the former Top 10 American player, and his day-to-day travelling coach Jean-Yves Aubone. “JY is terrific to have on the road with me and Jay has been an unbelievable coach and mentor. I was 225 in the world when we started and he's always believed in me. When we started I was kind of in a slump and lacking belief in myself.”

Berger is similarly complimentary about his charge. “He comes from a great family, he’s been raised the right way. Combine that with great mentoring from Tom Gullikson, Brian Gottfried, Michael Sell and Diego Moyano and you can see why he’s a really, really good kid.

“He’s extremely coachable. He brings different topics to the table, he’s very interested in developing into the best player he can be.”

For a man who serves from the heavens, the sky is the limit.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/reilly- ... ngton-2019

[Damian]

American Reilly Opelka, who made the BB&T Atlanta Open semi-finals last week (l. to De Minaur), set up an intriguing matchup with #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Opelka, 21, saved all three break points faced to dismiss countryman Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 7-6(3). The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime, 18, received a bye.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/tsonga- ... 19-tuesday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

ATP Waszyngton R2:

40 Frances Tiafoe 1060
41 Reilly Opelka 1047
42 Radu Albot 1046