• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Opelka Injures His Back and Falls In 2nd Round at U.S. Open

August 29, 2019 | Michael Lewis | 1 Comment

Reilly Opelka’s back let him down in his second-round match at the U.S. Open. (© Michael Lewis for FlaglerLive)

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – Reilly Opelka’s 22nd birthday is probably one he’ll be forgetting pretty quickly.

The former Indian Trails Middle School student injured his back-during his second-round U.S. Open match and wasn’t ever able to get into a groove, falling in straight sets to Dominik Koepfer, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Armstrong Stadium.


Playing on his birthday and in only his second main-draw U.S. Open match, Opelka had his normally-impenetrable serve broken once in each of the first two sets, then wasn’t able to hold a 3-0 edge in the third set in falling to Koepfer for the first time in four meetings.

“My body let me down,” Opelka said. “It didn’t recover at all after the match with Fognini. My left hamstring and my back. I’ve been feeling it the last two days.”

Because of the day-long rain here Wednesday, Opelka’s match was moved from a daytime start on Court 17 to a night match under the lights on Armstrong Stadium, the second-biggest court here and the largest venue Opelka had played on as a pro.

“I was hoping it’d be (rained out), give my body an extra day to recover,” Opelka said.

Opelka was in for a fight from the start, needing seven minutes to hold serve in the opening game of the match.

Both players held serve until 4-all in the first set, when facing break point, Opelka netted a forehand, giving Koepfer the first edge. The German then held serve to close out the opening set.

Then early in set two Koepfer, who had lost three close matches to Opelka on the Challenger (minor-league) tour the past two years, played a fabulous return game to break Opelka at love.

Down 4-3 in the second, Opelka took a medical timeout and left the court with a trainer; prior to exiting the trainer seemed to be stretching out Opelka’s lower back.

“It’s just killing me,” Opelka said. “If I’m healthy I like my chances every time in this matchup. I took the timeout but there’s just not much you can do at that point. I had trouble bending and I started compensating.”

After a three-minute break, Opelka returned to the court but seemed to be moving gingerly. He hung in and forced Koepfer into a long game at 5-4, but Koepfer held on and had a two sets lead on Armstrong Stadium.

Still, Opelka didn’t go down quietly. In the third set Opelka finally broke Koepfer’s serve and looked to be on the right track when he went up 3-0.

But the 25-year-old Koepfer, pounding forehands and smacking 39 winners in the match, battled back to even the set at 3, and from there both players held serve until the tiebreak at 6-all.

In the breaker Opelka, who had 48 winners Wednesday, including 24 aces, won the first point but couldn’t grab the lead, and bowed out, 7-2.

A despondent Opelka said he hoped the back injury wasn’t serious, but believed he needed “at least a few weeks off” from tennis to recover.

Opelka was making his U.S. Open main draw debut this year, another in a season-long line of accomplishments that saw him win his first ATP Tour-level title, at the New York Open in February, and reach a career-high of No. 42.

Coming off a four-set upset of No. 11 seed Fabio Fognini on Monday, Opelka was facing an opponent Wednesday night he’d defeated three previous times on the ATP Challenger Tour, tennis’ version of the minor leagues. Koepfer was ranked No. 118 when the tournament began.

— Michael Lewis for FlaglerLive

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan says

    August 29, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Wishing you a quick recovery, Reilly!

    Reply
  • Flagler Radio food-a-thon
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • Flagler Radio food-a-thon
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • FlaglerLive on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Same song different tune on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Jimbo99 on China’s Hypersonic Missiles May End America’s Pacific Supremacy
  • Duncan on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Duncan on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Angela on In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
  • Angela on In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Samuel L. Bronkowitz on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • same name on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • dislike them on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Laurel on DeSantis from Governor’s Mansion to Presidential Run
  • jnlocal on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Laurel on DeSantis from Governor’s Mansion to Presidential Run

Log in