Opelka-Isner, Round Four Awaits In Atlanta

American Reilly Opelka set up a tall second-round meeting against top seed and five-time champion John Isner on Tuesday at the BB&T Atlanta Open. Opelka beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who fell to Isner in the Hall of Fame Open final on Sunday, 6-3, 7-6(1), behind 17 aces.

“I thought I played really clean,” Opelka said. “I played a really good tie-break, I made all my first serves.”

The 6’11” Opelka and the 6’10” Isner have faced off three times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including three years ago in the Atlanta semi-finals, when Isner won in three sets.

But the 21-year-old Opelka beat Isner twice this year, including in the first round of the Australian Open and in February en route to his maiden ATP Tour title at the New York Open. Eight of their 10 sets have been decided by tie-breaks.

“Coin flip” was how both Isner and Opelka have described their second-round match. “This one probably a little more favoured for John, just because he’s won it so many times,” Opelka said. “Obviously I’m the underdog again playing him, and there’s a good chance there are going to be a lot of tie-breaks.”

Aussie Bernard Tomic knocked out fifth seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) and will meet countryman Matthew Ebden, who beat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 7-6(5), 6-3.

Tiafoe sprinted to a 4-0 lead, but Tomic rallied and saved all three break points in the third set, including two consecutively from 3-4, 15/40.

South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon, No. 117 in the ATP Rankings, fought back to beat Indian Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-0, and Brit Daniel Evans breezed past Jason Jung 6-1, 6-1. The 21-year-old Kwon will next meet Brit Cameron Norrie. Evans will face the winner between American Tennys Sandgren and sixth seed Radu Albot of Moldova.