Opelka stuns Tsitsipas to reach National Bank Open final

The win of his life – and a shock for the world No 3 – as an unseeded American heads to his maiden Masters 1000 final

Reilly Opelka

August 14, 2021

What happened: The USA’s Reilly Opelka secured the biggest win of his life against the world No 3.
You will also learn: How Opelka is looking to emulate compatriots Andy Roddick and Chris Woodruff with success in the Canadian Open.
Why you should read this article: This will be his first-ever Masters 1000 final.

Reilly Opelka reached the National Bank Open final courtesy of a shock 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas – looking to extend his own ATP Tour-leading record to 46 wins so far this calendar year – got thoroughly hot under the collar in the Toronto heat after taking the first set in a tie-break.

The Greek double-faulted to hand Opelka two set points, and after hitting a poor backhand to bring on the decider, he proceeded to throw his racket to the ground in frustration.

Tennis Majors

The clock ticked past two hours and there still had not been a break of serve – until the seventh game of the third set, when Opelka used his backhand to tremendous effect to pile the pressure on a nervy Tsitsipas and got the break he needed.

The last American to win this trophy was Andy Roddick, in 2003; prior to that, in 1997 Chris Woodruff won the title, with compatriot Michael Chang reaching the semi-finals.

Tsitsipas reached the final previously in 2018, beating Kevin Anderson, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem as an unseeded player.

Their head-to-head looked more emphatic than it actually was, with the Greek holding a 100 per cent record. In fact, they had only ever met once before, in the Cincinnati (New York) quarter-finals last year, when Tsitsipas progressed after Opelka’s first-set retirement.

He will face the winner of the second semi-final between top seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia and another American, John Isner.