Even if he doesn’t like it, Reilly Opelka is happy to joke about being labeled a servebot.
Right now, the joke is on everyone who labels him as such.
Serving as big as ever but also showcasing impressive all-court tennis, Opelka produced his best-ever result by reaching the final of the National Bank Open on Saturday afternoon. The 32nd-ranked American did it by upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes.
Opelka struck 17 aces, served at 72 percent, and saved the only break point he faced. A crucial break at 4-4 in the third set allowed him to serve for the match one game later, which he did at love.
The 23-year-old earned his first win over a top 5 opponent and is through to a Masters 1000 final for the first time. He had previously played in one such semi, losing to Rafael Nadal in Rome this spring.
“This was my second (Masters 1000) semifinal, which helps a lot,” Opelka noted. “I played Rafa in Rome; I didn’t play my best tennis, but I’m really thankful that I had that moment because it allowed be to be more relaxed today.
“I played great. These courts suit my game.”
The hot, quick conditions in Toronto are perfect for Opelka’s serve and also for his punishing groundstrokes. He has broken serve at least once in all but one match this week and he generated a total of 14 break points in the first two rounds.
Servebot? Opelka is happy to joke about it, at least.
It won’t be an all-servebot final on Sunday because John Isner fell to No. 1 seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-2 in the nightcap. Isner was clearly struggling with some sort of physical issue and therefore had little chance against the second-ranked Russian.
Medvedev is 3-1 lifetime against Opelka, including 2-0 on outdoor hard courts.
nice one, Opelka