Reilly Opelka

[arti]

Earlier in the day, Goffin, runner-up at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals (l. to Dimitrov) and 11th in the Race (2,325 points), could not find a way to break the serve of American Reilly Opelka and paid the price.

Opelka hit 29 aces in a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over the 2014 Vienna finalist in two hours and 25 minutes for a quarter-final clash on Friday against Bautista Agut.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bautist ... 9-thursday

[arti]

[arti]

[Kamileki]

ATP Basel SF:

30 Nick Kyrgios 1395
31 Reilly Opelka 1363
32 Milos Raonic 1350

[Damian]

Opelka's Ace Barrage Dents Bautista Agut's Race Chances In Basel

Spoiler:

American cracks 31 aces, including one stretch of five in a single game
Reilly Opelka dealt a blow to Roberto Bautista Agut’s Nitto ATP Finals hopes on Friday, serving his way past the Spaniard 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 after one hour and 33 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Entering the match, Opelka had lost three consecutive matches against Top 10 opposition. But the American crushed 31 aces to upset Bautista Agut, winning 91 per cent of his first-serve points (49/54) in the match and saving three of the five break points he faced.

Bautista Agut, the ninth-placed player in the ATP Race To London, was trying to keep pace with eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini, with both men hoping to earn a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals from 10-17 November. But since Berrettini reached the semi-finals in Vienna on Friday and Bautista Agut crashed out in Basel, the Italian’s lead for the final spot grows to 130 points, and that lead can increase depending on Berrettini's performance the rest of the week at the Erste Bank Open.

Bautista Agut defeated Opelka 6-4, 7-5 in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting just two weeks ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. But in that match, the American won just 70 per cent of his first-serve points.

"I definitely served a lot better today. That court against Roberto, I played him in China, is not an easy one to play him on," Opelka said. "That day the court was really fast and it was a little chilly out, so it felt pretty much impossible for me to beat him there. Similar today, honestly. If I didn’t make my first serve, didn’t win the point. So he’s a nightmare."

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It seemed the steady Spaniard was biding his time for his opportunities with consistent play despite his opponent's massive serving at this ATP 500 event. But Opelka, who was broken in his second service game of the match, consistently fell back on his booming first delivery when in trouble.

Entering the week, Opelka overcame a 0/40 deficit just once form 21 tries this season. But the 22-year-old flipped the script in a major way at 5-3 in the opener, when he served for a one-set lead. Opelka hit five consecutive aces from 0/40 to gain the advantage.

And although Bautista Agut dominated on second-serve return — winning 78 per cent of those points, including all seven in the second set — it was not enough. Opelka, who used every opportunity to attack with his forehand during rallies, blasted a forehand down the line to clinch the critical break at 4-3 in the third before serving out his victory. The reigning New York Open champion will face #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who battled past German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(4), in the last four.

"[Bautista Agut] and De Minaur are two of the guys I always say I don’t want to be anywhere near in the draw," Opelka said.

Each of the three previous times De Minaur won a quarter-final this season (3-3), he went on to win the title. The Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier takes a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead into his semi-final against Opelka, with all three of those matches coming this year.

Like Opelka, Struff based his game off of his serve and powerful baseline game, striking 12 aces and winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points against the Aussie. But De Minaur played splendid defence throughout, putting up a wall that the German was unable to crack often enough. The 20-year-old broke twice in his one-hour, 43-minute victory.

"Whenever you play Reilly, you don’t know what’s going to happen either way. He’s an incredibly tough opponent. He’s one of the toughest opponents out there,” De Minaur said. “It’s going to be another fun match. We’re really good friends, so I’m really looking forward to just being alive [in the draw] another day and coming back tomorrow and being able to play again."

Did You Know?
By reaching the semi-finals, Opelka could potentially receive a special exempt entry into the Rolex Paris Masters, and on Monday he will become the No. 2 American, passing good friend Taylor Fritz.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bautist ... 019-friday

[Lucas]

Opelka Lands 1,000 Aces In 2019

Spoiler:

American achieves the feat on Saturday in Basel
Reilly Opelka added another milestone to his breakout year on Saturday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, reaching 1,000 aces in a season for the first time during his semi-final against Alex de Minaur.

The 22-year-old had 988 aces going into the match and hit an additional 26 on the day, becoming the eighth player (since stats began being recorded in 1991) to hit the 1,000 ace mark. Opelka has averaged 21 aces per match this season.

Players With 1,000+ Ace Seasons Number Of Seasons
John Isner 8 (2010, 2012, 2014-2019)
Ivo Karlovic 4 (2007, 2014-2016)
Goran Ivanisevic 4 (1994, 1996-1998)
Kevin Anderson 2 (2015, 2018)
Milos Raonic 2 (2012, 2014)
Reilly Opelka 1 (2019)
Andy Roddick 1 (2004)
Pete Sampras 1 (1993)
His strong week in Basel also pushed him past John Isner in this season’s ace tally (1,014 to 1,007). But with Opelka not competing in next week’s Rolex Paris Masters, a strong serving day from Isner in Paris will likely see him finish on top for the fourth year in a row.


More than 15 per cent of Opelka’s aces this year came during his maiden ATP Tour title run at the New York Open. The American finished that week with 156 aces, including 43 in the championship match against Brayden Schnur. He landed 72 per cent of his first-serves (312 of 436), won 88 per cent of his first-serve points (276 of 312) and closed out the week with 68 consecutive service holds.

Opelka started this year at No. 99 in the ATP Rankings, but is projected to crack the Top 35 for the first time when the newest standings are released on Monday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/opelka-1000-aces-2019

[Damian]

28.10.2019

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 31

[Kamileki]

2019 w liczbach:

Ranking: 36
Bilans meczów: 27-23
Tytuły: 1 (Nowy Jork)
Finały: 0
Zarobki: $1,042,624

[Barty]

Reilly Opelka skrytykował ATP Cup. "To beznadziejny turniej. Bardzo niesprawiedliwy"

Spoiler:

Reilly Opelka skrytykował nowe drużynowe zawody, ATP Cup, których pierwsza edycja odbędzie się w styczniu w Australii. - To beznadziejny turniej. Bardzo niesprawiedliwy - powiedział Amerykanin.
Łukasz Iwanek
Łukasz Iwanek
26 Listopada 2019, 20:09

Reilly Opelka
Getty Images / Mark Kolbe / Na zdjęciu: Reilly Opelka


Gwiazdy tenisa zagrają w Abu Zabi. Stefanos Tsitsipas dołączył do Rafaela Nadala i Novaka Djokovicia
W ubiegłym tygodniu w Madrycie Reilly Opelka brał udział w turnieju finałowym Pucharu Davisa, w którym reprezentacja USA nie awansowała do ćwierćfinału. Uczestniczył w grupowych meczach z Kanadą i Włochami. Spotkanie z ekipą z Półwyspu Apenińskiego zakończyło się kilka minut po godz. 4 rano. Amerykanin przegrał dwa singlowe pojedynki, z Vaskiem Pospisilem i Fabio Fogninim. Na początku stycznia w Australii odbędzie się ATP Cup, pierwsza edycja nowych drużynowych rozgrywek. Opelka wypowiedział się bardzo ostro na temat tej imprezy.
- ATP Cup to beznadziejny turniej. Myślę, że to szokujące, że pozwolono, aby coś takiego odbywało się w imieniu ATP. To bardzo złe dla sportu - powiedział Opelka, cytowany przez theguardian.com. Amerykanin jest w kadrze USA, ale według zasad w singlu będą mogli zagrać tylko dwaj najwyżej notowani tenisiści w danej drużynie.


Zobacz także - Andy Murray wspomina masakrę w Dunblane. "Tenis był dla mnie ucieczką"

Opelka jest trzecią rakietą USA. W rankingu ATP wyprzedzają go John Isner (ATP 19) i Taylor Fritz (ATP 32). - Jestem na 36. miejscu na świecie. Nie będę mógł zagrać, bo jestem trzecim Amerykaninem w rankingu, a wystąpić mogą tylko dwaj najlepsi - stwierdził. Oburza go fakt, że za turniej oparty na takich zasadach będą przyznawane punkty do rankingu. - To niesprawiedliwe, nie ma równych szans dla wszystkich - ocenił.

ZOBACZ WIDEO: Mateusz Borek: Lewandowski nie będzie najlepszy na świecie, bo jest z Polski

ZAMKNIJ
- Jako przykład można podać Mołdawię, która się zakwalifikowała. Chodzi mi o to, że najlepszy w tej drużynie znajduje się za mną, a drugi zawodnik, nie sądzę, aby był notowany w rankingu. Więc takie mecze mogą trwać po 30 minut. To nie jest dobre dla sportu - mówił Opelka. Alexander Cozbinov, rakieta numer dwa Mołdawii, klasyfikowany jest na 821. pozycji. Radu Albot, najlepszy tenisista z tego kraju, znajduje się na 46. miejscu.


Puchar ATP odbywać się będzie na podobnych zasadach co nowy Pucharu Davisa, który przez reformę stracił swoją unikalność. Również zastosowano podział na grupy. Mecze złożone będą z dwóch singli i debla. Różnica to formuła gry podwójnej. W Pucharze Davisa obowiązywała gra na przewagi i tradycyjny trzeci set. W ATP Cup będzie decydujący punkt przy 40-40 i super tie break (do 10 punktów) przy stanie 1-1 w partiach.

Czytaj także - Kolejna tenisowa mama wraca do rywalizacji. Sania Mirza zagra w styczniu w Australii

Pierwsza edycja Pucharu ATP rozegrana zostanie w dniach 3-12 stycznia 2020 roku w Perth, Sydney i Brisbane. Zastąpi dotychczasowe turnieje, które odbywały się w tych miastach w Australii (Puchar Hopmana, Brisbane International, Sydney International). Imprezę stworzono na wzór Drużynowego Pucharu Świata, który odbywał się w latach 1978-2012 w Düsseldorfie. Za udział w niej tenisiści mogą zdobyć punkty do rankingu (maksymalnie 750 singliści, 250 debliści za wygranie wszystkich pojedynków).

W Australii rywalizować będą 24 reprezentacje, w tym Polska w składzie: Hubert Hurkacz, Kamil Majchrzak, Kacper Żuk, Wojciech Marek, Łukasz Kubot. Nie zabraknie Hiszpana Rafaela Nadala, Serba Novaka Djokovicia, Rosjanina Daniła Miedwiediewa, Austriaka Dominika Thiema, Greka Stefanosa Tsitsipasa i Włocha Matteo Berrettiniego. Nie zagra Szwajcaria, bo Roger Federer wycofał się z powodów rodzinnych.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/85641 ... rawiedliwy

[Kamileki]

Reilly Opelka - New York [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Reilly Opelka began the New York Open as World No. 89. He came from a set down in three of his first four matches to reach his first tour-level final, and clinched his maiden ATP Tour title with a 6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(7) win against Brayden Schnur, also a first-time finalist.

Then 21, Opelka saved six match points in the second-set tie-break of his semi-final against John Isner, with the Americans setting a new ATP Tour record for most combined aces in a three-set match with 81. Opelka struck 43 and Isner hit 38.

But Opelka didn’t stop there, overcoming a second-set hiccup in the final against Schnur to convert his sixth championship point.

“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."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/first-t ... art-1-2019

[Barty]

Reilly Opelka: Fashion & A New York State Of Mind

Spoiler:

Opelka is defending champion at the New York Open
Reilly Opelka made ATP Tour history with fellow American John Isner in the semi-finals of last year’s New York Open. Opelka not only rose to the occasion in his first tour-level semi-final, but he soared to it, crushing 43 aces. With Isner’s 38, they set the record for most combined aces in a three-set match (81).

But you’d never expect what happened after the match.

“It was Fashion Week [in New York City] that week, [so] I was going to fashion shows every night,” Opelka told ATPTour.com. “I finished my match with Isner exhausted, tired. My coach was so mad at me because I finished, didn’t stretch much, and just got in an Uber, headed into the city and made a fashion show. I went to a few [that week].”

For some players, rushing to a fashion show after a semi-final might be problematic, especially with a championship battle the next day. But for Opelka, it was exactly what he needed to maintain a relaxed mindset with the trophy on the line just hours later.

“I was in a great state of mind,” Opelka said. “I’d played enough tennis and I hit enough balls and I had enough practice and enough repetitions that I could have gotten away with it. It’s also about knowing when is the right time to do it.”

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Those who watch the 6’11” right-hander play see him blasting aces on the court. But once he puts his racquets in his bag, fashion is one of Opelka’s biggest hobbies. “Some of my close friends are working in fashion and it’s just something I’ve always liked. I’ve had an interest in it,” he said.

Eight months later, at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Opelka advanced to the semi-finals at the ATP 500 with straight-set wins over good friend Taylor Fritz, former Top 10 player Gilles Simon and home favourite Yasutaka Uchiyama. That result was no coincidence.

According to the American, Tokyo is the “menswear fashion capital of the world”. While he enjoyed it, Opelka approached the scene differently upon arriving in Japan.

“I got injured at the US Open… I stayed for two weeks, recovered, got home, started off slow and I wanted to get [to Tokyo] early, get acclimated to these conditions. I knew I needed practice, I needed reps, I needed time. So I was hitting an hour and a half in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, doing fitness, so I didn’t have much time [to explore],” Opelka said. “From that standpoint, when you’re pushing your body that much, it’s important to recover. That’s a time where I knew I needed reps, I needed to hit balls. As tempted as I was to head into the city and check out the stores here, because I hadn’t really done it yet, I was pretty disciplined.

“Once I got my practice week finished and everything, the last three or four days I had some good times in the city. It’s just about knowing when. At the end of the day, it is my job. I like to be professional. I don’t like to waste a week, especially coming all that way.”

ATP Heritage: Milestones. Records. Legends.

Opelka was not returning to the tournament hotel with countless bags of clothing. He simply loved checking out what the city’s fashion stores had to offer.

“I’m not kidding, they only have like men’s small here [in Tokyo]. From that standpoint, I’m not shopping, looking to buy anything for myself. I’m just looking,” Opelka said. “This is literally the mecca for menswear.”

Opelka is not the only player on the ATP Tour who is into fashion. Federer was named GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Decade. One of the Swiss’ friends, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, frequents tennis tournaments.

“I’d love to [meet her]. For sure [it’s on the bucket list],” Opelka said. I follow Harper’s Bazaar, I read a lot. I read all different types of outlets from that [fashion] standpoint.”

Opelka isn’t sure if he’ll ever get into designing. But the American wants to stay close to the industry even after his still-young tennis career is over.

“I don’t know if I would start my own [brand] for example, but I’m into it. I also like learning. I like the business side of things. Once my tennis career is over, that’s for sure the direction I’ll head in,” Opelka said. “I love New York and I go to the city a lot. New York is one of the main hubs for it in the States, especially the Soho area, Tribeca, more downtown in the city. That’s where I like spending a lot of my time. When the season’s over, even though it’s freezing cold, as soon as I get back from Paris or wherever, I go to New York. I spend a week in New York.”

Opelka’s hobbies aren’t one-dimensional, though. He is also a self-proclaimed “foodie”.

“In New York, I was eating good. I love this restaurant called Moreia. I love Italian. I was ordering an Italian dish there as well, Gnocchetti. Carbone is really good there. I was going to Per Se. I was eating ton of good foody spots pretty much every night. Le Coucou is another one,” Opelka said.

Will you catch the big man cooking, though?

“Absolutely not,” Opelka said. “Zero chance. Never.”

For now, Opelka will stick to cooking up aces. He enters this year’s New York Open as the World No. 40, 49 spots higher than last year when he lifted the trophy.

And if a routine works, don’t change it. On Sunday evening, Opelka took to Instagram to show the world where he was: a fashion show.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/reilly- ... -york-2020

[Damian]

Raonic Tops Isner, Opelka, Karlovic In This Key Serving Stat

Spoiler:

Infosys ATP Insights shows how the Canadian overpowers opponents with his biggest weapon
Milos Raonic’s serve may be even better than we thought.

An Infosys ATP Insights deep dive into first- and second-serve performance only when players win their matches over the past two seasons identifies Raonic at the top of the tree in both categories. The data set is comprised of all players who had a minimum of 20 wins on Tour in the past two seasons combined.

Raonic has won 51 tour-level matches the past two seasons and accumulated win percentages behind first and second serves that simply have no peer.

2018/19: First-Serve Win Percentage When Winning The Match

Rank

Player

Win Percentage

Total

1

Milos Raonic

86.15%

1903/2209

2

Ivo Karlovic

85.13%

1053/1237

3

Sam Querrey

84.81%

1736/2047

4

Reilly Opelka

83.45%

1331/1595

5

John Isner

83.42%

3008/3606

6

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

83.32%

1409/1691

7

Marin Cilic

81.82%

2461/3008

8

Jan-Lennard Struff

81.50%

2004/2459

9

Kevin Anderson

81.34%

2703/3323

10

Feliciano Lopez

81.30%

1330/1636

The average first-serve win percentage when players won their match was 76.39 per cent (172,615/225,974). That metric is eight percentage points higher than the average when they lose their match.

You May Also Like: How Federer Uses New Balls To His Advantage On Hard Courts
Average First-Serve Points Won/Lost
Winning the match = 76.9%
Losing the match = 68.9%
Gap = 8 percentage points

Raonic’s tour-leading numbers also extend to second-serve points when winning the match, where he sits at 61.78 per cent (826/1337).

2018/19: Second-Serve Win Percentage When Winning The Match

Rank

Player

Win Percentage

Total

1

Milos Raonic

61.78%

826/1337

2

Rafael Nadal

61.42%

1492/2429

3

Roger Federer

61.35%

1578/2587

4

John Isner

60.51%

904/1494

5

Philipp Kohlschreiber

60.12%

680/1131

6

Yoshihito Nishioka

59.25%

410/692

7

Miomir Kecmanovic

58.82%

370/629

8

Alex de Minaur

58.47%

1142/1953

9

Novak Djokovic

58.41%

1559/2669

10

Juan Ignacio Londero

58.27%

398/683

The average second-serve win percentage when players won their match was 55.61 per cent (75,097/135,032). That metric is 8.7 percentage points higher than the average when they lose their match.

Average Second-Serve Points Won/Lost
Winning the match = 55.6%
Losing the match = 46.9%
Gap = 8.7 percentage points

Raonic had a strong run to the quarter-finals of the 2020 Australian Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Marin Cilic along the way. He is currently No. 32 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and most importantly, is healthy once again.

Where will he end 2020? With a serve like his, anything is possible.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/raonic- ... rving-2020

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Opelka Kicks Off New York Title Defence With Serving Clinic

Spoiler:

Thompson upsets top seed Isner on Thursday
Reilly Opelka put on a serving masterclass in last year’s New York Open, firing 156 aces throughout the week to secure his maiden ATP Tour title. The third-seeded American appears primed for another big serving display this year, landing 20 aces on Thursday to defeat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-4.

The 22-year-old grabbed the lone break in each set to reach the quarter-finals after 76 minutes. Opelka picked up his first win of the season after suffering tight first-round defeats in Adelaide and the Australian Open.

Read More: Opelka Talks Fashion & New York State Of Mind

Next up for the defending champion is qualifier Jason Jung, who continued his inspired tennis at this event to upset seventh-seeded Brit Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4. Both of Jung’s ATP Tour quarter-finals, and four of his six ATP Tour main draw wins, have come in New York.

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The 30-year-old from Chinese Taipei also showed the benefits of his grueling off-season. Jung effortlessly tracked down heavy shots from Norrie throughout the match that would be winners against many players.

“I felt like my legs let me down a few times in big matches last year that could have had a greater impact on my year-end [FedEx ATP] Ranking,” Jung said. “I could still run and fight, but though the head was willing, the body often was often not. Sometimes, I could feel my legs getting heavy and it probably affected my shot selection, and not for the better.”

You May Also Like: Jason Jung: From Breakdowns To Breakthroughs
Aussie Jordan Thompson exacted revenge on top seed John Isner for the upset of the week in New York. Twelve months after decisively falling to the American at this event, Thompson turned the tables with a 7-6(2), 6-7(3), 6-3 win to reach the quarter-finals.

”I’m pretty stoked about that. That was a tough match,” Thompson said. “I didn’t get too many looks at Isner’s serve, but managed to get the one break and held onto it.”

Isner and Thompson exchanged service holds in the first set to bring up a tie-break, where the Aussie raced through the first five points to take the early advantage. There were also no breaks in the second set, but it was Isner who stepped up in the tie-break this time. A forehand error with Thompson serving at 0/1 gave Isner a mini-break and the American eventually brought the match to a deciding set.

After more than two hours of play, a backhand volley error from Isner handed Thompson the lone break of the night and a 2-0 lead in the decider. The Aussie battler maintained his lead and closed out play after two hours and 32 minutes.

Read More: Thompson's Tough Task: Tackling Tennis' Towers

Thompson picked up his first win against Isner and improved to 1-3 in their ATP Head2Head series. He’ll look for another breakthrough victory when he meets Italian Andreas Seppi in the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old lost both of his previous meetings with Seppi, which took place last year at the Australian Open and Delray Beach.

Eighth seed Kyle Edmund avoided having the Brits go 0-2 in the day session by battling past German Dominik Koepfer 6-2, 6-4. Edmund converted four of seven break points and dictated the tempo in most of their baseline rallies.

Awaiting him in the last eight is South Korean Soonwoo Kwon, who upset second-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic on Wednesday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/opelka- ... 0-thursday

[Kamileki]

Fourth-seeded American Reilly Opelka overcame a stern test to outlast Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(4). Opelka hammered 20 aces and won 88 per cent (57/65) of his first-serve points to prevail after two hours and 40 minutes. He scored his first Top 10 win at this event two years ago, beating Jack Sock en route to a quarter-final finish.

"Ernests is a tough competitor. He’s playing well and he’s had a good start to the year. I just mentally competed really hard and was able to get the win,” Opelka said. “I think I play more tie-breakers than the average tennis player, so having a plan for each one is important to me."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/raonic- ... 20-tuesday

[Kamileki]

Raonic will next play Reilly Opelka, the 2019 New York Open champion, who did not face break point in a 6-3, 6-4 win against South Korea's Soonwoo Kwon.

"It's going to be tough. He gets a lot of free points on his serve and you've got to make him play," Raonic said. "You can't just make him play though because he goes for it from the centre of the court. You've got to move in, you've got to find a way to be aggressive."

Opelka crushed 16 aces against Kwon, who defeated Raonic last week indoors in New York. The American won 79 per cent of his first-serve points despite the wind.

"It was ugly, but that's part of it," Opelka said. "Given the circumstances I served unbelievably. It was one of the windiest matches I've played in a while, so I'll take it."

Opelka has not been broken in 37 service games this week. He lost against Raonic in straight sets at Wimbledon last year in the pair's only previous ATP Head2Head meeting.

"I think it's common to see servers do well here," Opelka said. "The court is so live and the balls are so live."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/raonic- ... 020-friday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Barty]

Double Duty In Delray: Opelka Wins Twice Sunday To Earn Second Title

Spoiler:

merican defeats Raonic and then Nishioka to triumph on home soil
Reilly Opelka had to overcome plenty of hurdles on Sunday, playing two matches against opponents — one 6’5” and the other 5’7” — with completely different game styles. But the 6’11” American literally and figuratively stood tall to win the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com title.

Opelka claimed his second ATP Tour trophy behind 27 aces with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Earlier in the day, the 22-year-old rallied past former World No. 3 Milos Raonic, saving a match point in the semi-finals to triumph 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.

"I'm just really proud of the way I fought in the third set," Opelka said of his win against Nishioka. "I got an early break and I broke again. Physically I was feeling pretty good. If he broke me and we had to play more tennis, I was fine."


That match was postponed due to rain Saturday evening. However, Nishioka was able to finish his semi-final on Saturday, so he only needed to play one match on Sunday. Nothing could stop the big-hitting Opelka, though, as he defeated the 2018 Shenzhen champion after two hours and 10 minutes at his home tournament. Opelka resides in Delray Beach.

"I love playing at home. I have a house not far from here, 10 minutes. So I base here, I've been here the past 10 years, so I'm very comfortable," Opelka said. "It's going to be an event I play a lot the rest of my career just because I plan on staying in South Florida. I love playing in Delray."

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The fourth seed is the fourth American champion in Delray Beach in the past five years, with Moldovan Radu Albot being the exception last year. Opelka lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy just more than one year ago at the New York Open.

Opelka played Nishioka for the first time in their ATP Head2Head series last week in New York, winning that match 6-4, 6-4. In those indoor conditions, Opelka saved all four break points he faced. He was broken in Delray Beach, but he saved three of the four break points he faced, playing courageous tennis under pressure.

"The conditions were much different last week, indoors, but much slower. This court is where I want to play him," Opelka said. "These are much better conditions for me to play him. I played well."

Opelka showed no fear of engaging in rallies with Nishioka, displaying great footwork for his height by playing dogged defence when needed. But he also went for his shots when balls sat up, and that paid dividends in key moments.

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Opelka crushed a forehand at 6-5 in the opener to earn his third set point. And after playing plenty of defence on the forehand side, he hit a cross-court backhand passing shot that Nishioka couldn’t handle, sprinting to his chair and smacking his chest in celebration.

Nishioka was under pressure in the second set, needing to save three set points — Opelka faced none — but he hung around to force a tie-break, where his solid play helped him force a decider. The 24-year-old continued to make Opelka move, putting the American in awkward positions, which led to mistakes.

But a lapse of concentration in the first game of the third set proved deadly for Nishioka. He double faulted to give Opelka the break, and that was all the champion needed. Nishioka later missed a backhand down the line wide to give the home favourite a second break in the set, and Opelka finished off his win with his 27th ace.

"It's very tough to break his service games," Nishioka said. "In the third set a little bit I lost my mind and maybe he saw it, he came out and tried to be a little bit aggressive. It worked. That was key in this game. But much better than last week when I played against him."

Opelka adds 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points to his total and earns $97,585, while Nishioka leaves Florida with 150 points and $53,615.

Did You Know?
Opelka hit a total of 46 aces on Sunday, striking 27 against Nishioka and 19 against Raonic.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/opelka- ... 020-final-

[Kamileki]