Opelka Too Strong For Brooksby, Wins Third Career ATP Title In Dallas

American big man Reilly Opelka rode his serve to a third career ATP title topping countryman Jenson Brooksby in two breakers 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in Dallas on Sunday.

The 7-footer bombed his serve all week, finally facing a break point today against the highly-touted Brooksby.

Opelka finished with exactly 100 aces with just one double fault for the week. He went 6-0 in tiebreakers including the longest ever, a 24-22 win over fellow-giant John Isner in the semifinals.

“I thought I played very well under pressure, especially against a great player like Jenson. He makes said to the crowd. “I really had to play my best tennis to get by and I barely did.”

Opelka won this title back in 2019 when it was held in New York. But there’s little connection to New York at SMU in Texas. However, Opelka is a big man of Brooksby.

“I’m a big fan of his game, a big believer in him. He’s super young and he’s got a lot of tennis ahead of him still,” Opelka said. “The scary thing is he has a lot to even improve on and I think that’s why he’s a future Top 10 player and he’s going to be winning many titles for many years to come.”

The 21-year-old Brooksby, who shot to prominence taking a set off Novak Djokovic at the US Open, came up short on a first career title.

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