Match Report
Opelka upsets Djokovic in Brisbane
American reaches SFs at ATP 250
January 03, 2025
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Reilly Opelka in action on Friday in Brisbane.
By Sam Jacot
Reilly Opelka earned one of the biggest victories of his career on Friday at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, where he upset top seed Novak Djokovic, who was aiming to win his 100th tour-level title.
The American played a near-perfect match to blast the Serbian off the court in front of a capacity crowd on Pat Rafter Arena. 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 Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
With his one-hour, 40-minute triumph, Opelka advanced to his first tour-level semi-final since 2023 (Newport). Entering the week at No. 293 in the PIF ATP Rankings after an injury-plagued two years, the 27-year-old is the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in tournament history. Opelka is up to No. 207 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his latest win.
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 PIF 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.
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In an aggressive first set, Opelka fired 21 winners and limited Djokovic’s opportunities on return. The American made 83 per cent 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 per cent (13/15) of second-serve points won.
