Opelka upsets Djokovic in Brisbane International, reaches semifinals

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

- BRISBANE, 3 JANUARY

With this win, Opelka sealed a place in the semifinals and kept alive his chances of winning the title.

The American played a near-perfect match to blast the Serbian 25-time Grand Slam winner off the court in front of a capacity crowd at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane. 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 ATP heat-to-head meeting.

Opelka thus became the first American to beat Djokovic since Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in 2016, said a report on the ATP Tour website.

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