ZCZC
BSP-04
TENNIS-ATP-USA
Wildcard Opelka topples Sock in Delray Beach
MIAMI, Feb 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Wildcard Reilly Opelka, ranked 228th in the
world, stunned top seed and defending champion Jack Sock 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on
Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP tournament in Delray Beach,
Florida.
Towering 20-year-old Opelka, playing in his first ATP level tournament of
2018, fired 17 aces past world number eight Sock to cap a day of upsets.
Opelka will next face Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk, who sent sixth-seeded
American John Isner packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5).
Unseeded American Steve Johnson dominated ninth-seeded Canadian Milos
Raonic 6-2, 6-4.
Isner fired 30 aces and held three match points but couldn’t hang on for
the victory.
“I tried to go for my shots and not hold back,” Gojowcyzk said. “He had
three match points, but I played well. I think both of us were playing well.”
For Isner it was another early exit. He accepted a wildcard into Delray
Beach after falling in the first round of the New York Open last week.
“It was close. It happens,” Isner said. “He made three straight first
serves, and he hit a crazy, high, backhand drop shot, angle thing on the
first match point, which was a good shot.”
Johnson notched his first career win over Raonic in four meetings. It was a
bitter departure for Raonic, who reached the Delray Beach final last year but
had to pull out against Sock because of a leg injury.
Injuries limited Raonic’s time on the court in 2017, and his first-round
victory over Japan’s Taro Daniel was his first Tour-level win in six months.
Ranked 51st in the world, Johnson made sure Raonic wouldn’t build on that
success. He withstood 11 aces from the Canadian — a former world number
three now ranked 32nd — and surrendered only four points on his own first
serve to book his first quarter-final appearance of the year.
“Any chance you get to play more matches that always builds confidence,”
said Johnson, who next faces Russian Evgeny Donskoy, a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 winner
over American Donald Young.
“The first set kind of got away from him with a second break so that is
always comfortable,” Johnson said.
Second-seeded Juan Martin del Potro will try to book his quarter-final
berth on Thursday, taking on American Frances Tiafoe. Eighth-seeded Chung
Hyeon of South Korea faces Croatian qualifier Franko Skugor for a place in
the last eight.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0847 hrs