Opelka Overpowers Draper with Powerful Serve
Jack Draper faced a challenging defeat in his opening match at the Miami Open, unable to counter the overwhelming serving display from Reilly Opelka. The American star delivered 25 aces across two sets, securing a 7-6(3), 7-6(0) victory.
This loss represents a significant hurdle for Draper, seeded 25th, as he continues his comeback from a bone bruise injury that sidelined him for seven months. Miami marks only his third ATP tournament since returning to competition.
Standing 6ft 11in tall, Opelka embraces the nickname "servebot," a term some big servers might find dismissive but which he accepts with pride. His performance in Miami highlighted his formidable serving ability and his skill in removing the racket from his opponent’s control. Draper did not face a break point during the match but was unable to effectively respond to Opelka’s serve.
“I didn’t have many chances, especially on his serve,” said Draper. “I didn’t get broken in the match, so that was kind of my job, right? And, I guess I’m still at the very early stages of coming back from what was a very difficult injury to deal with. And if someone said that I’m going to be playing Dubai, Indian Wells, here, and go home feeling good, then I would have taken that, because it’s a long season to go.”
Katie Boulter Advances to Third Round
Katie Boulter continued her strong return to form by reaching the third round after her opponent, 17th seed Clara Tauson, retired due to injury while Boulter was leading 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0.
Boulter, who had dropped out of the top 100 following a difficult previous season, made a remarkable comeback with a title victory at the WTA 250 event in Ostrava last month. She currently holds the No. 63 position in the live rankings. Boulter will face 13th seed Karolina Muchova, who defeated Camila Osorio 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
“During December and January we worked so, so hard but you never really expect it to kind of just click straight away,” said Boulter. “I told myself I needed to be patient and be ready for a battle for multiple months to then get my best self back. So it’s come quite quickly. But at the same time, I know there’s a long way to go. And this is just the beginning for me.”
