Reilly Opelka final performed a tour-level match almost two years in the past, in August 2022, in Washington. The American picked up the place he left off on Monday in Newport.
Wild card Opelka defeated Frenchman Fixed Lestienne 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(2) in two hours and 5 minutes to succeed in the second spherical of the Infosys Corridor of Fame Open.
“It was tremendous good. It took me some time to seek out sure issues. My return was there at first, which was bizarre, and my serve wasn’t. Then the return went away and the serve got here again and it form of ended proper the place I left off,” stated Opelka, whose solely match in the course of the previous 23 months got here at an ATP Challenger Tour occasion final October. “It was good to be again. It felt like longer than two years. So yeah, it was simply good to seek out my degree once more. I am nonetheless simply getting my sea legs and attempting to determine the whole lot out. However yeah, it is nice to be again.”
First match of the yr ✅ ⁰First win of the yr ✅⁰⁰Reilly Opelka takes the win over Lestienne 6-1 2-6 7-6(2)⁰⁰@TennisHalloFame | #InfosysHallOfFameOpen pic.twitter.com/rCjMKuWqtK
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 15, 2024
Opelka underwent surgical procedure on his hip and later his wrist, which saved him out for this extended interval. In 2022 he had reached his career-high PIF ATP Rating of No. 17.
“It’s what it’s. It is a part of sports activities. Fortunately, I really feel like I am simply form of selecting proper again up from the place I left in D.C.,” Opelka stated. “From the place I used to be a pair months in the past, this can be a nice step for me. I wasn’t positive if I might be enjoying this yr or not. However I really feel actually good for now about my physique, knock on wooden. It appears to vary each week, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly on the right track.”
In accordance with Infosys ATP Stats the 26-year-old gained 89 per cent of his first-serve factors and hit 16 aces in opposition to Lestienne. He’ll subsequent play defending champion and high seed Adrian Mannarino, in opposition to whom he owns a 3-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence lead.
“Clearly there are going to be some setbacks, I assume, with my physique. We’ll see how I really feel tomorrow. I have not performed this a lot tennis in two years,” Opelka stated. “However Adrian is hard, defending champion, actually good on grass, difficult opponent. I have not seen a man like him at his degree shortly. I have not performed a lefty in a very long time, so it’s going to be enjoyable. It’s going to be fascinating. An awesome check for me and a very good alternative to get one other take a look at a high man.”
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Maxime Cressy, the 2022 Newport champion, survived a stern check from Radu Albot 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) regardless of hitting 23 double faults.
“It’s extremely particular being again right here. [I won] my first ATP title right here,” stated Cressy, who will subsequent play 2023 finalist and third seed Alex Michelsen. “It is the perfect reminiscence of my profession by far and looking out ahead to the subsequent rounds.”
In different motion, sixth seed Aleksandar Vukic eased previous Coleman Wong 6-1, 6-2 and Aleksandar Kovacevic ousted Harold Mayot 7-6(1), 6-4.
The ultimate match of the night between Benoit Paire and Zachary Svajda was suspended attributable to darkness with the match degree at one set all.
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