Carlos Alcaraz is through to the US Open second round after navigating a difficult opening match against Reilly Opelka.
Players like Opelka are always a threat to the highest-ranked competitors in the game, due to the sheer power and consistency of their serving.
However, Alcaraz performed admirably to nullify Opelka’s serving and defeat the American 6-4 7-5 6-4.
The Spaniard will face Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the next round, and the occasion will mark their first meeting on the ATP Tour.
Against Opelka, Alcaraz proved why he is a threat against any style of play on the ATP Tour, and one commentator was particularly impressed by a certain element of the Spaniard’s game.
Carlos Alcaraz did not lose a point on serve in the first set against Reilly Opelka
David Law, a well-respected tennis commentator and journalist, has noted a particular strength of Alcaraz’s game during his victory over Opelka.
Law, who was speaking on The Tennis Podcast alongside fellow tennis journalists Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts, highlighted a serving statistic from Alcaraz that he found ‘pretty astonishing.’
Law said: “Locked in, all business. Particularly [the] first set, in which he didn’t lose a single point on serve.
“That was pretty astonishing, 85 per cent of his first serves in and that’s what we were asking for really from an Alcaraz perspective. Come out, concentrate, get your serves in and see where you are.
“What that revealed is Reilly Opelka’s return is not… it’s not what you need. I mean he got it going in the second set a bit. Alcaraz had his little wander sort of mind-wise.
“But look, I think that should be a very satisfactory day’s work for Carlos Alcaraz, to come through in straight sets against a guy of nearly seven foot tall and with that serve.”
Carlos Alcaraz outserves Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka being outserved by anyone on the ATP Tour is a rarity, especially when playing in front of his home crowd in New York.
However, Alcaraz did just that, winning 86 per cent of his first serve points across the match, compared to Opelka’s 74 per cent.
This serving performance was exemplary, and Alcaraz once again proved he can constantly evolve his game, after struggling with his first serve in the Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz also made more first serves than Opelka, while winning 65 per cent of his second serve points. For comparison, Opelka won 41 per cent of his second serve points.
The Spaniard also threatened the Opelka serve on multiple occasions, demonstrating his excellent returning game. Alcaraz engineered 11 break-point opportunities, three of which he converted.
If the Spaniard can maintain this level of serving throughout the tournament, he will pose a significant threat to Jannik Sinner’s chances of defending his US Open title.
