Brisbane, Jan 3 American player Reilly Opelka earned one of the biggest victories of his career on Friday at the Brisbane International as he upset top seed Novak Djokovic, who was aiming to win his 100th tour-level title. With this win, Opelka sealed a place in the semifinals and kept alive his chances of winning the title.
The American played a near-perfect match to blast the Serbian 25-time Grand Slam winner off the court in front of a capacity crowd at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane. Opelka clubbed his forehand into the Djokovic backhand and served with consistent power and precision to earn a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory in the pair's first ATP heat-to-head meeting.
Opelka thus became the first American to beat Djokovic since Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in 2016, said a report on the ATP Tour website.
"I just focused on hitting my spots," Opelka said when talking about the pressure of serving out against Djokovic. "If I hit them my spots, it is hard to get it back, but if anyone can it is him. I was ready for that if it happened.
"He is the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen. It is difficult being in Novak's position because he can scout me all day long but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him, he is the greatest player ever. So you end up playing more freely and taking more risks. If you play your normal level or even a little above your normal level he will win," he was quoted as saying by the official website.
With his one-hour, 40-minute triumph, the 27-year-old Opelka advanced to his first tour-level semifinal since 2023 (Newport). Entering the week at No. 293 in the ATP Rankings after an injury-plagued two years, the 27-year-old is the lowest-ranked semifinalist in tournament history. Opelka is up to No. 207 in the ATP Live Rankings following his latest win.
"It has been tough," Opelka said about his injury issues. "A lot of doubt. I watched Taylor, Tommy, Frances, and Ben on TV do great and that was fun and motivating. It kept me motivated in the sport. I watched Novak become the greatest in my two-year period off. You ask yourself what would Novak be doing in my position. That is the impact he has had on the sport. I stayed the course when I was on crutches and just hoped I would have another chance out here like I had tonight."
The 27-year-old, who is 8-12 against Top 10 players, will continue the quest for his fifth tour-level trophy against fellow big server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Saturday.
Djokovic defeated Rinky Hijikata and Gael Monfils earlier this week and was trying to become just the third man to win 100 tour-level titles after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). The No. 7 player in the ATP Rankings will next head to Melbourne, where he will chase a record-extending 11th AO crown and 25th major. Coach Andy Murray is set to join Djokovic at the hard-court Slam.
In an aggressive first set, Opelka fired 21 winners and limited Djokovic's opportunities on return. The American made 83 percent of first serves and did not face a break point. He then pounced on a slow 166 KMH first serve by Djokovic at 6/6 in the tie-break to earn a mini break, before firing his 12th ace of the set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to move ahead.
Opelka then broke Djokovic's serve with a forehand winner in the fourth game of the second set and remained rock-solid on his own delivery to power to victory. Following his win, Opelka embraced Djokovic at the net, before he saluted the crowd.
Statistically regarded as the best returner in the history of the game, Djokovic was unable to get a hold of Opelka's serve. The American hit his spots throughout the clash, ending with 16 aces and 87 percent (13/15) of second-serve points won.
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