By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 14, 2021
Reilly Opelka played sharp serve-and-volley stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-4 for his first Top-5 win to reach his maiden Masters final in Toronto.
Photo credit: National Bank Open Facebook
Opening-set stumbles were once fatal mis-steps for Reilly Opelka.
Facing a one-set deficit vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Opelka rallied to his biggest win on the strength of a stinging serve, soft hands and shrewd forward thinking.
More: Opelka Turning Corner in Toronto
Playing patches of brilliant serve-and-volley tennis, Opelka stunned Tsitsipas 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-4 surging into his maiden Masters final at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Opelka won 25 of 31 trips to the net, including scraping out some slick volleys off his shoelaces in the second-set tiebreaker. The 23-year-old from Delray Beach not only defeated Tsitsipas at his own all-court game volleying impeccably on pivotal points, he showed more poise under pressure than the Monte-Carlo champion, who incurred a coaching violation warning, smashed his Wilson racquet twice after dropping the second set and belted a ball into the stands late in the third set.
"I volleyed really well, and especially on like big points," Opelka said. "Even in that last game I know I got lucky with that net cord on the forehand volley, but I played an unbelievable backhand volley, actually, at 15-Love, it's a huge point, to get 30-Love, and then finished another one with an overhead, I think.
"And down breakpoint a volley winner, I really was clutch with not only my serve but with my volleys in the big moments."
It’s a giant step forward for the towering Opelka, who earned his first career Top 5 win. Opelka’s massive game has long commanded respect among opponents, but managing his emotions and playing pivotal points with consistent care has been a challenge.
Toronto has been a major turning point for Opelka, who arrived at the tournament 0-11 on the season when dropping the opening set and has scored three comeback wins from a set down this week. Opelka has shown his will and resourcefulness from the start rallying past Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in his opener, sweeping 14th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, saving match point to subdue Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) then battling by 10th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-6(1) in the quarterfinals.
Today, Opelka played his most complete match of the tournament, taking the net away from the athletic Greek, serving 72 percent, slamming 17 aces and denying the only break point he faced. If you're one of those skeptics branding the 6'11" Opelka a "servebot" you need a reality check or at least review the video of this match that illustrates the athleticism and versatility Opelka can bring at his best.
"I think it was just an accumulation of pressure put on him," Opelka said. "I think he felt that, you know, I was serving well, was winning points in a lot of different ways on my serve. Even when he hit some good returns, I would crush some forehands or I came up with some good volleys.
"I think I was winning so many points with so many different ways and different shots that the pressure just kind of stayed on him."
Tsitsipas said Opelka's ability to detonate points denied him rhythm.
"And when you get no rhythm, it's also kind of difficult, sometimes feel and get the shots that you had before," Tsitsipas said. "It kind of ruins your game very silently, very slow. The main factor there is just to forget all that and just play. That's how most of these guys win.
"It's not that I was scared or afraid of. It's just I was missing shots in the rallies. I was missing experience from the baseline rallies that I could have had better understanding of how to play and where to play. I had very few of those opportunities, and it kind of cost me at the end."
The victory vaults Opelka to a career-high ranking of No. 23 in the live rankings making him the new American No. 1—for the moment—ahead of buddy John Isner, who is playing to set up an all-American final against top-seeded Daniil Medvedev in tonight’s semifinal.
Little separated the pair in their second meeting that escalated into an opening-set tiebreaker.
Opelka missed a high volley off a serve and volley giving Tsitsipas the mini break and a 2-1 tiebreaker lead. Tsitsipas whipped the wide serve quickly extending his lead to 4-1. The Greek fought off a series of heavy diagonal forehands from Opelka for 5-1.
Tsitsipas slashed his sixth ace down the middle capping the 54-minute opening set.
In the latter stages of set two, Opelka amped up his aggression and elevated his play.
Deadlocked at 5-all, Opelka hit his second double fault to open the 11th game. The big man shook that miscue off and showed his versatility mixing in the serve-and-volley at times and curling a crosscourt forehand to hold for 6-5.
Jolting Opelka power changed the course of the tiebreaker as the American clubbed a diagonal forehand for the mini break and a 4-3 lead. The daring to continue attacking and soft hands to pull off delicate volleys propelled Opelka who made two slick pick-ups at net prompting an errant pass for 5-3. Tsitsipas stuck his fourth double fault into net handing Opelka set points.
Driving his forehand down the line, Opelka rattled out a shanked backhand ending the second set with a big strike to force a third after one hour, 46 minutes. Tsitsipas erupted smashing his Wilson racquet to the blue court dislodging the vibration dampener before picking up the stick to hurl it down again.
By the start of the final set, Opelka had won 17 of 23 trips to net.
Tension tightened in the sixth game.
Opelka broke a string and had to switch racquets before a second serve down break point. Unfazed, Opelka saved it with an assertive second serve and volley. A second serve ace helped Opelka quiet the threat leveling after six games.
Creeping forward to pressure the Greek’s second serve, Opelka drew a double fault for break point. The Opelka two-handed backhand is one of his most reliable strokes. Opelka hammered his two-hander crosscourt drawing a shanked backhand response to bang out the first break for a 4-3 lead after two hours, 24 minutes.
Opelka snapped off a smash for triple match point. Slamming a massive second serve down the T, Opelka capped his biggest career win.