Former world number one Novak Djokovic’s preparations for the Australian Open suffered a major blow on Friday as he was sent home from the Brisbane International by towering American Reilly Opelka.
The 2.11 meter (six foot 11 inch) Opelka served magnificently and came back just as well to stun the 24-time Grand Slam winner 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.
Djokovic had entered the tournament insisting that at 37 he still had the game to trouble younger players.
But Opelka, 27, a former world number 17 who was out for almost two years from 2022 to 2024 following hip and wrist surgeries, dominated the Serbian and cruised to a comfortable victory in an hour and 40 minutes.
Opelka returned to the sport in July last year, but showed that his serve had lost none of its power during his absence.
He served 16 aces and faced only one break point throughout the match.
“He’s the greatest player of all time,” Opelka said of Djokovic.
“The reality is we have nothing to lose against him. You end up playing more freely and you take a lot more risks because it’s your only chance to beat him.
“It’s hard for him, because there are guys like me who are going to roll the dice, and on a day like this, things go the way I want them to, and that’s how it’s done. ‘passed.’
Opelka now faces another huge server in the semifinals, rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who hit 75 aces in three matches in beating Czech Jakub Mensik, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).
– Sabalenka through –
The second semi-final will see defending champion and second seed Grigor Dimitrov face another Czech, Jiri Lehecka.
In the women’s semi-final, world number one Aryna Sabalenka dominated Marie Bouzkova in straight sets.
Sabalenka, who won Melbourne’s last two Grand Slam titles, beat the Czech player 6-3, 6-4 in a tough match lasting 1 hour 45 minutes.
She now plays Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who beat Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
Andreeva, 17, demonstrated her rich potential by defeating former world number two Jabeur in a high-quality encounter.
Jabeur was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023 but has been out since August with a shoulder injury.
Andreeva managed to handle Jabeur’s tricky shot, breaking her once in the first set, then recovering from two breaks of her own serve in the second set to force a tiebreak.
She raced to the tie-break to finish the match in 90 minutes.
“It was mentally difficult to keep pushing and playing aggressively because we all know she’s very good at making plays — drop shoots, slices,” Andreeva said.
The second women’s semi-final will pit Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova against Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina.
The Australian Open begins on January 12.
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