Reilly Opelka Becomes the Eighth Player to Hit 1000 Aces in a Season
Tennis - Big serving American Reilly Opelka has hit a milestone - serving 1,000 aces during a single season in his semi-final match against Australian Alex de Minaur at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
The 22-year-old American hit 26 aces during his match against de Minaur to break the 1,000 ace barrier making him the eighth player to do so on the ATP Tour since the ATP started keeping track of the same. The other players who have completed the feat are Americans John Isner, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras, Croatians Ivo Karlovic and Goran Ivanisevic, South African Kevin Anderson and Canadian Milos Raonic.
Currently, Opelka has 1,014 aces in 2019 which makes him the leader on the ATP Tour for most aces this season, ahead of countryman John Isner, who will be competing in the Paris Masters this week. Opelka lost to de Minaur in three tie-break sets in Basel and also reached the doubles final in Basel playing with fellow American Taylor Fritz.
This is the first time that Isner has achieved the feat in a season, while the record is held by Isner who has accomplished the feat on 8 occasions, including in 2019.
Opelka started the season at No. 99 but is now ranked a career-high No. 31 in the rankings. At 6 feet, 11 inches, he is one of the tallest players on the ATP Tour along with fellow American John Isner. He won his first ATP title in New York earlier this year and is also a former junior Wimbledon champion.
Opelka was also part of another ATP milestone this year on the serving front - he hit 43 aces against Isner in their semi-final clash in New York during which Isner hit 38 aces. The combined 81 aces are the most in a best-of-three set match since the ATP started tracking the same in 1991.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Pt3mwU
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