Opelka stuns Djokovic to reach Brisbane’s final four

Reilly Opelka earned one of the biggest victories of his career on Friday at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, where he upset top seed Novak Djokovic, who was aiming to win his 100th tour-level title.

The American played a near-perfect match to blast the Serbian off the court in front of a capacity crowd on Pat Rafter Arena. Opelka clubbed his forehand into the Djokovic backhand and served with consistent power and precision to earn a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I just focused on hitting my spots,” Opelka said when talking about the pressure of serving out against Djokovic. “If I hit my spots, it is hard to get it back, but if anyone can, it is him. I was ready for that if it happened.

“He is the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen. It is difficult being in Novak’s position because he can scout me all day long but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him, he is the greatest player ever. So you end up playing more free and take more risk. If you play your normal level or even a little above your normal level he will win.”

With his one-hour, 40-minute triumph, Opelka advanced to his first tour-level semi-final since 2023 (Newport). Entering the week at No. 293 in the PIF ATP Rankings after an injury-plagued two years, the 27-year-old is the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in tournament history. Opelka is up to No. 207 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his latest win.

“It has been tough,” Opelka said about his injury issues. “A lot of doubt. I watched Taylor, Tommy, Frances, Ben on TV do great and that was fun and motivating. It kept me motivated in the sport. I watched Novak become the greatest in my two-year period off. You ask yourself what would Novak be doing in my position. That is the impact he has had on the sport. I stayed the course when I was on crutches and just hoped I would have another chance out here like I had tonight.”

The 27-year-old, who is 8-12 against Top 10 players, will continue the quest for his fifth tour-level trophy against fellow big server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Saturday.

Djokovic defeated Rinky Hijikata and Gael Monfils earlier this week and was trying to become just the third man to win 100 tour-level titles after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). The No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next head to Melbourne, where he will chase a record-extending 11th AO crown and 25th major. Coach Andy Murray is set to join Djokovic at the hard-court Slam.