Houston Open Finals LIVE – Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner: Reilly Opelka beat fellow American John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (7) on Sunday to win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in the tallest matchup in an ATP Tour final. The 6-foot-11 Opelka won his fourth tour title and first on clay. He improved to 5-1 against the 6-foot-10 Isner. Follow InsideSport.IN for more updates.
Houston Open Finals LIVE: Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner In ‘Battle Of The Bots’ For Houston Title – Follow LIVE updates
Houston Open Finals LIVE – Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner: “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 friend and spent so much time on Tour, I like him even more now,” Opelka said of Isner during the trophy ceremony. “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 and Isner often joke with one another that they are “Servebots” — or “Bots” for short — who are only known for their serving. But there were 13 break points in the one-hour, 50 -minute 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.
The celebration is on 🥳#USClay | @ReillyOpelka pic.twitter.com/6MZ9d1EyYu
— Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Clay (@mensclaycourt) April 10, 2022
Houston Open Finals LIVE: Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner In ‘Battle Of The Bots’ For Houston Title – Follow LIVE updates
Houston Open Finals LIVE – Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner: 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 Head2Head series 5-1 and has won 11 of their 14 sets during that stretch.
“We’ve played a handful of times and you keep on beating me. I hate you for that!” Isner joked. “But it was really cool to play you in a final. I think that’s very unique. Obviously there are a lot of similarities between Reilly and I, but I’m much older than him and he has a lot more years ahead of him on Tour, so for me to get to play you in a final, I think that’s very, very special.”
The 24-year-old Opelka, seeded third, has won all his titles in the United States, taking his first in 2019 in an indoor event in New York and following with wins at Delray Beach in 2020 and Dallas this year.
The 36-year-old Isner, seeded fourth, won in Houston in 2013. He has 16 ATP Tour titles.
Houston Open Finals LIVE: Reilly Opelka Beats John Isner In ‘Battle Of The Bots’ For Houston Title – Follow LIVE updates
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