Reilly Opelka defeated John Isner 6-3, 7-6(7) to triumph at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship and lift his fourth ATP Tour trophy and his first on clay.
The clash between 6’11” Opelka and 6’10” Isner marked the tallest ATP Tour final in the Open Era.
Opelka and Isner are well known for their serving. But there were 13 break points in the 1.50-hour match and five mini-breaks in the second-set tie-break, with the clash coming down to returns and passing shots in the critical moments. “He was my idol growing up as a kid, and before I even met him, I liked him. But since we’ve become such good friends and spent so much time on Tour, I like him even more now,” Opelka said of Isner during the trophy ceremony, as per atptour.com.
“He’s been an unbelievable role model for not just myself, [but] Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul. We all say the same. He’s been an unbelievable competitor for a long time.”
Opelka, who earned the lone break of the match in the first set, saved three set points in the second-set tie-break, rallying from 4/6 down to claim his fifth consecutive win against Isner. The younger American now leads their ATP head-to-head series 5-1 and has won 11 of their 14 sets during that stretch.