Numbers donot always give the correctinformation! We saw that on Friday at the Brisbane International when world no. 293 Reilly Opelka stunned the 24-time Major winner, Novak Djokovic. Reilly ousted his idol 7-6, 6-3 in an hour and 40 minutes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thus, Djokovic experienced his worst defeat in terms of the opponent's ranking since the retirement against Filip Krajinovic in Belgrade 14 years ago! It was Novak's 26th ATP match againstrivalsoutside the top-250 and his second failure.
To tell the truth, Reilly is not a regular world no. 293! The American is a winner of four ATP titles and the former world no. 17 who had to stop his career due to injuries and setbacks. Opelka played one match in almost two years, enjoying things off the court.
He returned to action last year and entered Brisbane with the protected ranking. The giant server played a flawless match against Djokovic, delivering his career-best win and making a perfect start to the season. Reilly played in full throttle!
ADVERTISEMENT
He landed 35 winners and 30 unforced errors, taming his strokes nicely and following Novak's baseline pace. Djokovic played his first official match since October and could not find a proper rhythm against such a strong rival.
Opelka fired 34 service winners and kept everything under control, including his backhand. Reilly also stayed focused in the pivotal moments, maintaining a high level from start to finish and moving into the semi-final.
Djokovic could not do much against the rival's serve and forehand. He also failed to crack Opelka's backhand, which left him without options. The greatest returner of all time took only two points on the opponent's second serve!
Reilly denied the only break point he faced and mounted the pressure on the other side. The veteran experienced two challenging service games. He survived the first in the opener after denying three break points. Djokovic missed his chance early in the second set.
ADVERTISEMENT
He faced two more break points in the next game and got broken, sending Opelka a set and a break in front. The American served well by the end of the duel and sealed the deal for a place in the last four.
The servers felt no issues in the opening eight games, with world no. 293 landing a service winner at 3-4 to remain on the positive side. Reilly stepped in on the return at 4-4 and generated three break chances. Novak saved them and held after the rival's backhand error.
The set went into a tie break after three comfortable holds. The lower-ranked player attacked at 2-2 and fired a forehand winner for a mini-break. He missed a forehand in the seventh point, bringing Djokovic back into contention. Novak won two points on serve for 5-4.
ADVERTISEMENT
Opelka landed two winners for 6-5 and a set point. The veteran saved it before losing a point on serve at 6-6 after the opponent's attack and a smash winner at the net. Reilly blasted an ace at 7-6, wrapping up the opener in 57 minutes and gaining a boost.
The Serb closed the second game of the second set after deuces. He created his only break chance at 1-1, and the American denied it with a serve & volley combo. World no. 293 held after world no. 7's volley error, opening a 2-1 lead.
Reilly generated two break points in the fourth game. He painted a forehand winner on the second, moving a set and a break in front and putting himself in a great position to seal the deal. Opelka held at 15 for 4-1 and provided another fine hold two games later with a forehand winner.
ADVERTISEMENT
The American served for the win at 5-3 and held at love with an ace, delivering a career-best victory and Djokovic's rare loss against such a low-ranked opponent.
