Opelka breaks longest ever ATP Tour tie-break record alongside Isner en route to Dallas Open final: "I lost track, it was bizarre"
ATPSunday, 13 February 2022 at 15:30
John Isner and Reilly Opelka were at it again through the night with the latter prevailing to reach the final of the Dallas Open.
But a slice of history was made as they required 46 points to settle the second set tiebreak which is the longest ever ATP decider in history.
This after Isner's prior exploits where he was part of the longest match ever with Nicolas Mahut back at 2010 Wimbledon and while not as long, it showed his skill to get embroiled.
"I lost track. At one point it was 21-all. It's something I've never seen before," Opelka told reporters after the match.
"It just shows how clutch he is. If it was going to happen, it would have been in this match."
“It was bizarre. It’s just next point, you know, back to the guessing game. I have to take care of what I do and hopefully guess right, and I did. I guessed wrong a lot, obviously, and [Isner] was in more points than I was. I really hit some big shots. I stayed tough. I also served extremely well.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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