Opelka Lands 1,000 Aces In 2019
Opelka Lands 1,000 Aces In 2019
Reilly Opelka added another milestone to his breakout year on Saturday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, reaching 1,000 aces in a season for the first time during his semi-final against Alex de Minaur.
The 22-year-old had 988 aces going into the match and hit an additional 26 on the day, becoming the eighth player (since stats began being recorded in 1991) to hit the 1,000 ace mark. Opelka has averaged 21 aces per match this season.
| Players With 1,000+ Ace Seasons | Number Of Seasons |
| John Isner | 8 (2010, 2012, 2014-2019) |
| Ivo Karlovic | 4 (2007, 2014-2016) |
| Goran Ivanisevic | 4 (1994, 1996-1998) |
| Kevin Anderson | 2 (2015, 2018) |
| Milos Raonic | 2 (2012, 2014) |
| Reilly Opelka | 1 (2019) |
| Andy Roddick | 1 (2004) |
| Pete Sampras | 1 (1993) |
His strong week in Basel also pushed him past John Isner in this season’s ace tally (1,014 to 1,007). But with Opelka not competing in next week’s Rolex Paris Masters, a strong serving day from Isner in Paris will likely see him finish on top for the fourth year in a row.
Isner Cracks 1,000 Aces In 2019
More than 15 per cent of Opelka’s aces this year came during his maiden ATP Tour title run at the New York Open. The American finished that week with 156 aces, including 43 in the championship match against Brayden Schnur. He landed 72 per cent of his first-serves (312 of 436), won 88 per cent of his first-serve points (276 of 312) and closed out the week with 68 consecutive service holds.
Opelka started this year at No. 99 in the ATP Rankings, but is projected to crack the Top 35 for the first time when the newest standings are released on Monday.
