Opelka wins two matches in day to claim Delray Beach Open Title

As many times before rain intervened in a tennis schedule and this time at the Delray Beach Open. Yet you don't often see a situation where player's need to play two matches in a day. Reilly Opelka had to do just that and to make it worse it was the semifinal and final match. His opponent Nishioka had the whole day to prepare for the match while the American had to go through Raonic.

He didn't start off well losing the 1st set 4-6. It was a tough matchup for Opelka who sort of plays against himself. Raonic is a similar player to him possessing a deadly serve a strong forehand. The only thing Opelka does better serves and it proved key. He managed to win a lot of easy and quick points because of it.

The 2nd set finished with a 7-6(6) tiebreak victory for Opelka. He would build on that and win the last set 6-3. It was a good display by the American as he saved one match point en route to the final.

A couple of hours after an energy-depleting match against Raonic Opleka once again found himself on the courts. It was time for the final against a very energetic and excited Nishioka. The Japanese play a very quick and erratic style of tennis that is tricky to battle.

However, Opelka adjusted very well. He once again relied heavily on his serve to give him quick points rather than playing long rallies. It worked in the 1st set which he won 7-5. The 2nd set was an all-out brawl with both playing holding onto their serve. We ended up in a tiebreak where Nishioka was slightly better and capture it 7-6(4).

For a brief moment, it looked like the Japanese were going to take over the match and win it. Opelka looked depleted but managed to rally and fight back. Carried by the loud cheers of the American crowd he rose up and beat Nishioka 6-3 in the final set. The key stat for the final was Opelka's 27 aces. Without his serve which allowed him to shorten the points the end result would have been much different.

Yesterday was a historic day for Opelka who won two matches against two opponents to lift the Delray Beach Open title. He will be heavily rewarded for his endeavours and deservedly so.

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