By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, January 4, 2025
Reilly Opelka scored his 100th career win charging into the Brisbane final—his first final since he won the 2022 Houston title.
Photo credit: Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty
Grounded by surgery for nearly two years, Reilly Opelka is flying high again.
The day after Opelka shocked Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic, he turned the Brisbane semifinals into milestone moment.
More: Opelka Shocks Djokovic
In a clash of seismic servers, Opelka did not drop serve fending off Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 7-6(4) powering into his first final since 2022 at the Brisbane International.
The 6’11” Opelka has turned the draw upside down in his Down Under return delivering a historic performance.
Arriving in Brisbane ranked No. 293, Opelka scored his 100th career victory, becoming the lowest-ranked man in history to reach the Brisbane final—and vaulted back into the Top 200 with his inspired run.
It is Opelka’s seventh career final—his first since he won the 2022 Houston crown—and his first final outside of North American soil.
The 27-year-old Opelka, who underwent hip surgery in February of 2022, spent much of the past two years recovering from a pair of wrist surgeries while dreaming of the type of comeback he’s produced this week.
Opelka will face Jiri Lehecka in the final. Lehecka led defending champion Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 4-4 when the Bulgarian retired with an apparent leg issue.
The 6’8” Mpetshi Perricard and towering Opelka both serve so big, it would not have been a surprise to see the balls bruised after tonight’s one hour, 26-minute match.
Opelka pumped 12 aces–-two more than the Frenchman Nick Kyrgios calls the biggest server he’s ever seen—and importantly protected his second serve with more care. Opelka won 13 of 19 second-serve points and saved all four break points he faced. Mpetshi Perricard faced only two break points, but won just nine of 21 second-serve points.