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Match details
Fixture: (2) Reilly Opelka vs (3) John Isner
Date: 12 February 2022
Tournament: Dallas Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Dallas, Texas, USA
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $708,530
Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 10 pm GMT, 3.30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery+ App
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner preview
Second seed Reilly Opelka takes on compatriot and third seed John Isner in the semifinals of the 2022 Dallas Open on Saturday.
Opelka has looked solid in 2022 so far, having reached his second semifinal in three tournament appearances. The 24-year-old bowed out to Andy Murray at this same stage in Sydney, before getting knocked out of the third round at the Australian Open by Denis Shapovalov.
As the second seed, Opelka has looked the part in Dallas so far. He defeated Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in two tight sets, before taking down Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
John Isner, meanwhile, has had a more up-and-down start to the season. He won two matches at the ATP Cup, including a straight-sets win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. But he lost early at both Adelaide and the Australian Open, to Thanassi Kokkinakis and Maxime Cressy respectively.
Isner began his Dallas campaign with a tight win over Kevin Anderson in the second round, prevailing 7-6(1), 6-7(7), 7-6(5). He then defeated Vasek Pospisil in straight sets to reach the semis.
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner head-to-head
The semifinal in Dallas will be the fifth match between the two players, and Reilly Opelka currently leads the head-to-head 3-1 over John Isner.
Opelka has won each of their last three meetings, all of which took place on hardcourt in 2019. Isner's only success against his countryman came in their very first match, in the Atlanta semifinals back in 2016.
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner prediction
Both Reilly Opelka and John Isner go into the match with momentum on their side, and their similar playing styles makes this semifinal encounter a hard one to call.
The two Americans are heavily reliant on their serve, an aspect of their game which has fired seamlessly all week. But Opelka is the more versatile of the two off the ground, and the onus will be on him to mix things up in the longer rallies.
In their previous four matches, the pair have contested 11 tiebreakers. This semifinal is likely to feature at least one more, and the match could be decided on fine margins.
Given their previous record and fitness levels, that gives Opleka a slight edge.
Prediction: Reilly Opelka to win in three sets.
