The news of Reilly Opelka returning to play an ATP-level tournament after two years had tennis enthusiasts excited. While the entire community was eager to see how the American would perform, there were some concerns about his fitness. However, Opelka put these doubts to rest as he looked a lot like his prime self when defeating Constant Lestienne in Round 1 of the Hall of Fame Open 2024. Yesterday, “the Bot” pleasantly surprised the remaining critics by upsetting #1 Adrian Mannarino in Newport.
Despite not being in great form and winless since June 11th, Adrian Mannarino was the favorite entering the battle. However, Reilly Opelka had other plans, as he impressed fans with high-quality tennis. After showing no signs of being slowed down by the injuries that kept him out of the Tour since August 2022, the 26-year-old took almost 2 hours to overcome the Frenchman 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Opelka became the talk among tennis users on social media. Fans couldn’t stop raving about the impressive feat that the 6ft 11” player had just achieved.
Opelka served 19 aces, which significantly helped him today. It’s great to see him back. pic.twitter.com/sb8no9McVY
— Alex (@CrossAssetChart) July 17, 2024
So thrilled for Reilly Opelka not played for almost 2 years and has just taken out the Top seed and Top 25 player Adrian Mannarino and moves into the Quarterfinals.
Opelka is a great player and a great guy, very awake and good to have him back on tour! pic.twitter.com/qUe5CpNXZM
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) July 17, 2024
Reilly Opelka is all over social media for his comeback into tennis after 2 years as he advances in Newport! pic.twitter.com/CpeSxGJelC
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) July 18, 2024
For obvious reasons, Opelka did look a little bit rusty. However, his serving still remains his most dangerous tool. The 26-year-old followed his 16-ace performance from the previous contest with an even better serving display. He recorded a total of 19 aces across 14 games, reduced his double-fault count to 1, and had an 88% 1st serve win percentage.
As Opelka improves match after match, he has slowly emerged as one of the title contenders at Rhode Island.
Opelka will have a psychological advantage over his next opponent
Reilly Opelka will next face Mackenzie McDonald as his opponent for the All-American quarterfinal, where he will be playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude. An increase in morale will also allow him to believe that he could go on to clinch a spot in the semifinals.
Apart from watching Opelka’s dream comeback to the ATP Tour, McDonald will also feel slightly underconfident considering that he lost the one match that the duo played previously. During the Round of 16 stage at the Delray Beach Open 2020, Reilly won 6-3, 6-4.
