Reilly Opelka

[Kamileki]

#2) Delray Beach 2020


times of india

R1 [Q] Ernests Gulbis 67(5) 64 76(4)
R2 [PR] Mackenzie McDonald 63 64
QF Soonwoo Kwon 63 64
SF [2] Milos Raonic 46 76(6) 63
W Yoshihito Nishioka 75 67(4) 62

[Del Fed]

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

Spoiler:

American 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.

ATP Heritage: Milestones. Records. Legends.

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- ... 2020-final

[DUN I LOVE]

41-41 jest Opelka na poziomie ATP.

2. tytułem ogarnął remis.

[arti]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Fashion, Food & More: Five Things To Know About Reilly Opelka

Spoiler:

Learn about the American's on-court success and off-court hobbies
Reilly Opelka has quickly become one of the toughest players to face on the ATP Tour, backed with one of the world's biggest serves and underrated movement that allows him to compete well from the baseline.

The 22-year-old doesn't allow just his tennis to define him, though, as he enjoys various hobbies off the court to stay busy when he's not working hard towards his on-court goals.

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

1) The American Loves Fashion
Throughout the world at various ATP Tour events, there’s one thing you can count on: Opelka will spend some of his free time on fashion. Whether in Tokyo, which he calls the “menswear fashion capital of the world”, or New York, where he enjoys fashion shows, the 22-year-old always has his eyes on the fashion scene.

In some cases, like in Tokyo, Opelka isn’t necessarily looking to buy anything. He simply enjoys checking out what local designers come up. Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, frequents tennis tournaments, and Opelka would enjoy the chance to meet her one day.

“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.”

You May Also Like: Reilly Opelka: Fashion & A New York State Of Mind
<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/reil ... ew'>Reilly Opelka</a>
Photo Credit: Reilly Opelka
2) Opelka Is A ‘Foodie’
Opelka doesn’t solely focus on fashion. He enjoys high-quality food, too.

“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 [at a] ton of good foodie 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.”

Tennis At Home | How ATP Players Make The Most Of Stay At Home

3) He Has Lifted Trophies In Two Straight Seasons
The American won his two ATP Tour trophies only 53 weeks apart.

Opelka clinched his maiden tour-level title last 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.

He also triumphed at this year’s Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, doing double duty on the tournament’s final day. Opelka 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, before crushing 27 aces en route to a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka for the title.


4) He Has Been Quarantining With Tommy Paul
Opelka is good friends with his fellow rising Americans, including Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul, and he has been quarantining with Paul during the COVID-19 pandemic. One day, he posted on Instagram that they were watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee on ESPN.


Reilly Opelka
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@ReillyOpelka
You know times are tough when I am excited about watching @Taylor_Fritz97 stream his Fortnite tournament on Monday..

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5) Opelka Graduated From Challengers
Opelka set up his breakthrough 2019 season with a dominant run in 2018 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.

"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,” Opelka said. “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 ... pelka-2020

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Del Fed]

[Damian]

Tenis. Reilly Opelka zwycięzcą UTR Pro Match Series. "Jestem obolały, ale to dobre uczucie"

Spoiler:

- Dawno nie czułem się tak zmęczony. Moje mięśnie są obolałe, ale nie narzekam na to. To dobre uczucie - powiedział Reilly Opelka po zwycięstwie w turnieju UTR Pro Match Series w West Palm Beach.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
11 Maja 2020, 07:11
Reilly Opelka
Getty Images / Mark Kolbe / Na zdjęciu: Reilly Opelka


Tenis. UTR Pro Match Series: Hubert Hurkacz na trzecim miejscu. Polak pokonał Tommy'ego Paula
W dniach 8-9 maja odbył się UTR Pro Match Series - pierwszy międzynarodowy turniej tenisowy od czasu wybuchu pandemii koronawirusa. W West Palm Beach wystąpiło czterech tenisistów. Zwycięzcą został Reilly Opelka, a kolejne miejsca zajęli Miomir Kecmanović, Hubert Hurkacz i Tommy Paul.
- Wcześniej trenowałem maksymalnie 1,5 godziny dziennie, więc teraz jestem zmęczony - mówił w wywiadzie dla Tennis Channel Opelka po wygranym 4:3(2), 2:4, 4:2 finale z Kecmanoviciem.



- Dawno nie czułem się tak zmęczony. Moje mięśnie są obolałe, ale nie narzekam na to. To dobre uczucie - podkreślił Amerykanin, który w ciągu dwóch dni wygrał trzy z czterech rozegranych meczów.

ZOBACZ WIDEO: Polska medalistka olimpijska pomaga seniorom w czasie epidemii. "Jeździliśmy i pytaliśmy, kto jakiej pomocy potrzebuje"

00:00 / 07:16
ZAMKNIJ

Opelka pozytywnie odniósł się też do idei turnieju. - To coś nowego i dobrego dla kibiców. Poziom był dość wysoki - stwierdził.
Za niespełna dwa tygodnie (22-24 maja) odbędzie się drugi turniej UTR Pro Match Series, tym razem dla tenisistek. Na korcie w West Palm Beach zaprezentują się Amanda Anisimova, Ajla Tomljanović, Alison Riske i Danielle Collins.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/88170 ... to-dobre-u

[arti]

[Damian]

Why Opelka 'Has The Potential To Move The Needle'

Spoiler:

Learn about the American's off-court hobbies
Reilly Opelka gets asked similar questions throughout his travels on the ATP Tour. Many times, they revolve around his height: Are you 6’11” or 7’? How did you serve today? Did you ever play basketball?

Opelka doesn’t allow his height — or tennis, for that matter — to define him. While fans might know the American for his booming serve and imposing game, his interests expand far beyond the court.

“The young guys, there are not too many into art,” Opelka told his friend Matthew Chevallard in ‘The Art of Collecting’. “So I’ve been dragging some of my boys to galleries around the world.”

When Opelka was young, he enjoyed collecting basketball cards, saying, “I had pretty much every hooper you could find. Tracy McGrady collection. This is when I was like eight, nine. [Then I collected] bobbleheads. Then it was obviously Vans [shoes].”

About a year ago, Opelka made his first significant art purchase, a piece by Thrush Holmes that includes neon streaming in front of a painting.

“Thrush was my first purchase of anything significant. The neon pops like crazy for a first piece. It changes the whole mood of the room,” Opelka said. “That’s one of the first pieces people comment on when they come in the house. They’re like, ‘Wow, that is really, really sick.’ Thrush really got me started. One thing led to another and a year later we got seven, eight cool pieces in here.”

<a href='/en/players/reilly-opelka/o522/overview'>Reilly Opelka</a>
Opelka examines a piece by artist Friedrich Kunath. Photo courtesy of Reilly Opelka.
In the video Opelka filmed with Chevallard, he took fans through his Florida home to look at the various pieces of art he has by artists including Holmes, Jason Seife, Matt McCormick, Adam Rabinowitz and Friedrich Kunath.

“Every piece is different. Just for example, the Freddie, the, ‘I am easy to find’ message in it, the colours for that one. That one was simple. It popped,” Opelka said, explaining why he picked some of the pieces. “The McCormick, I was like, ‘Yo, there are Red bull cans in there?’ That was sick to me, hit home. Even the Adam, lavender and blue are my two favorite coluors, so it can be something as simple as the color.”

Former World No. 1 John McEnroe is remembered for his incredible talent and memorable on-court behaviour. However, Vitas Gerulaitis introduced him to art, and he later opened a gallery in New York.

“When [Vitas] took me down to Soho to have a look around some art galleries, I assumed that was a normal thing for tennis players to do,” McEnroe wrote in his book, But Seriously. “What’s the first thing you do when you earn some money? You get yourself a place to live, you buy a nice car and a stereo (at least in those days you did), then you get some art to put on the walls.”

Opelka might start converting some of his ATP Tour friends like Gerulaitis did McEnroe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent a majority of his time with countryman Tommy Paul.

“Tommy’s been around [art] because he’s been staying here with me through the quarantine,” Opelka said. “He loves the Kunath. He stares at it. He goes by and says, ‘Bro that thing is crazy.’”

<a href='/en/players/reilly-opelka/o522/overview'>Reilly Opelka</a>
Photo courtesy of Reilly Opelka.
Opelka isn’t solely focussed on art, though. At various tournaments throughout the world, you can find him in the local fashion district or trying notable restaurants in the area. He is more than just a tennis player, which intrigues McEnroe’s brother, Patrick McEnroe.

“I think it certainly makes you more interesting. Whether or not it’s great for your tennis, I’m not ready to take that leap. But I think it makes Reilly a more interesting guy and I’ve always been impressed by him just as an individual,” Patrick said. “He always seemed to have a pretty good head on his shoulders and a pretty good outlook, not being super, super intense about tennis.”

You May Also Like: Reilly Opelka: Fashion & A New York State Of Mind
Opelka is taking care of business on the court, too. Last year, he hit 1,000 aces in a season for the first time, ranking second on Tour (behind John Isner) with 1,014. He climbed as high as No. 31 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last October. The American has won two tour-level trophies, triumphing at the 2019 New York Open and the 2020 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

“Arguably he has the most upside of any American at the moment. I think you can make that argument,” Patrick McEnroe said. “I don’t think his serve is quite as good yet as Isner’s. It’s obviously pretty damn good. I think Isner has a little more variety on his serve and I think the other thing is Reilly is sometimes too smart.

“I’ve heard him say a lot of times as he was coming up, ‘Oh, I can’t believe I’m playing tennis, I should have been a basketball player’, stuff like that. It’s almost like he overthinks it a little bit. But I think again that’s who he is. He’s a thinking-type guy. He has other interests. It took him a little longer to reach his potential than some of the other young guys and a lot of that has to do with his body, growing into his frame. But I think he has the potential to move the needle as far as obviously winning big tournaments, but also with his brains and his personality.”

Opelka will try to paint the lines on the court at this week’s Western & Southern Open.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/opelka- ... ugust-2020

[Damian]

[Damian]

Not all players are walking around the venue to watch their friends or potential opponents play, though. American Reilly Opelka got his Tour resumption off to a good start with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph against qualifier Cameron Norrie. His close friend, Taylor Fritz, was still on court during his own first-round win against Lloyd Harris. But Opelka wasn’t in a rush to get out there.

“I’ve seen Fritz play enough,” Opelka said cracking a laugh. “I’ll watch from the air conditioning and that’s about it. I’ll watch in the air conditioning from the locker room on my phone and that’s only if there’s not a tight [NBA] game on. The [NBA] playoffs get all my attention.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/wso-202 ... re-feature

[Kamileki]

[arti]

Cincy20: pierwszy ćwierćfinał M-1000.

Reilly Opelka d. [6] Mateo Berrettini 6-3 7-6(4)

[Damian]

Opelka Tops Berrettini To Reach First Masters 1000 Quarter-final

Spoiler:

American strikes 50 aces in three matches this week

Reilly Opelka continued his sweep into the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals — his first at ATP Masters 1000 level — with a brisk 75-minute victory Tuesday.

Opelka recorded just the fifth Top 10 win of his career with a 6-3, 7-6(4) triumph over sixth seed Matteo Berrettini. He now challenges fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 2013 finalist John Isner.

"I’m pretty pleased. It’s difficult. There have been so many unknowns for everyone over the past couple months, so it’s always hard to say [how you'll perform]," Opelka said. "But I’ve put in a lot of work [and] I used this time to train. I didn’t take much time off, I really didn’t. I’m not surprised, but at the same time you don’t know what to expect."

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Opelka struck 29 winners, including 19 aces, and forced Berrettini into a forehand error for the only break of the match in the eighth game. The American won 33 of his 35 first-service points, committed 12 unforced errors and clinched 51 points under three shots to Berrettini’s 38.

Overall this week in New York, Opelka has struck 50 aces, including 18 against Cameron Norrie in the first round and 13 against Diego Schwartzman in the second round.

"It’s just nice to be back, that’s all I could say. I think it’s been a positive. Finding the positives in tough times is not something that’s always easy to do, maybe not something I’ve been great at in the past," Opelka said. "But I think I did a good job this break with COVID and everything. I think I maximised my downtime."

The 22-year-old is now 10-3 on the season, suspended for five months due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He lifted his second ATP Tour title in February at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

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

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Players Dial Up Uber Eats & Ice Cream Treats At W&S Open

Spoiler:

Players Dial Up Uber Eats & Ice Cream Treats At W&S Open
Aug
26
2020
Eichenholz
Andrew Eichenholz
Learn how players have adapted to eating during the Western & Southern Open
Reilly Opelka has enjoyed the best ATP Masters 1000 run of his career at the Western & Southern Open, advancing to the quarter-finals with a win against 2019 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Matteo Berrettini. Plenty of people would dream of achieving that result, but even more would be jealous of the treat he’s been having at his hotel each night.

“I’ve been ordering Cold Stone Creamery on Postmates every single night,” Opelka said. “It gets to my hotel in 15 minutes so it’s not melted. It gets up to my room and I go to town.”

The American has been eating sweet cream-flavoured ice cream with Oreo, marshmallow and whipped cream. That’s about as sweet as his serve, with which he’s won 30 of his 32 service games this week. The Cold Stone Creamery “play” has been an improvisation for the 22-year-old.

In normal times, most players would be staying in Manhattan while in New York. Opelka is a self-proclaimed ‘foodie’, who loves trying nice restaurants in the city, including spots like Marea, Per Se and Le Coucou. But because of the pandemic, that’s off the table.

“It’s been tough. Honestly I’ve been eating a lot at the courts. The food here is great,” Opelka said. “The service has been really well done. We order with a QR code. Wherever you take a picture of a QR code, you order, wherever you’re hanging out, you specify and it’s there in 10 minutes. You don’t have to wait in line.

“The dining area upstairs is always a zoo [during normal times] with everyone and their families and their friends. From that standpoint it’s nice.”

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During this stretch, players are either at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center — home to this year’s Western & Southern Open as well as the US Open — or their hotel. Many of them have either brought food back from the tennis venue to the hotel, ordered room service or had food delivered to the hotel, which is permitted. American John Isner has taken advantage of that option.

“I was able to get Capital Grille picked up for us [on Saturday], which was very good. We are trying to mix things up and not try the same restaurant too many times so it doesn't get stale,” Isner said. “It hasn't been at all bad. Can't complain at all. The USTA and ATP have done an incredible job of putting on this event and keeping us players comfortable in the bubble. It's definitely not what we're used to. I would certainly prefer to walk the streets of Manhattan and go find a nice restaurant to eat at, but all in all, it's not bad at all.”

Rajeev Ram, who won this year’s Australian Open doubles title alongside Joe Salisbury, likes the food truck option, which the USTA has commissioned to one of the player hotels each night.

“I’ve really enjoyed that they’ve had these food trucks for us,” Ram said. “One night it was tacos, one night it was pizza, one night it was barbecue. That’s pretty cool that since we can’t leave the hotel, they brought some different food options to us. You sit outside, hang out, eat your meal and just kind of get away from the bubble. I thought that was a pretty good initiative.”

ATP Heritage: Milestones. Records. Legends.

For some players, food is a major part of their culture. Andreas Seppi said that he and his fellow Italians are trying to make the most of the situation.

“It’s pretty difficult for a lot of guys, especially us Italians, to find something good to eat,” Seppi said. “Most of the days it’s the same. Sometimes we just bring something from the club like sushi or make a Shake Shack order. At least their burgers are good. It’s really difficult, but most of the time it’s just steak or some meat just down at the restaurant.”

Moldovan Radu Albot added that while he normally enjoys a Brazilian restaurant, Fogo de Chao, and the popular Nobu in Manhattan, he rarely strays far from the hotel anyway. He is not a picky eater, either.

“I’m fine to eat anything. I like very much to eat Asian cuisine. I like Japanese food,” said Albot, who got something delivered to his hotel for the first time Tuesday evening through Uber Eats. “I ordered from an Asian restaurant, Thai food… Normally I was eating downstairs in the hotel.”

According to German Jan-Lennard Struff, there hasn’t been much talk between players about how they’ve adapted to the food situation in the controlled environment.

“I’m not talking that much to other guys about what to order. Us guys are experienced enough to find what is good,” Struff said. “But if one guy would say, ‘That restaurant is amazing’, I would probably try to order there. We’re ordering a lot of food like anywhere else, sometimes when we don’t want to walk out. But obviously we would love to go to Manhattan for sure and I heard that the restaurants are doing a good job because every street has tables on the street. I would love to see that, but it’s not the time for that. That’s okay, I’m [just] happy to be here.”

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

[Kamileki]