Madrid Open 2022: Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (15) Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €6,744,165
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda preview
Compatriots Reilly Opelka and Sebastian Korda are set to square off in the first round of the 2022 Madrid Open on Tuesday.
Opelka commenced his clay season on a winning note as he claimed his fourth career title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. En route to the title, he defeated Mitchell Krueger, Gijs Brouwer, Nick Kyrgios and John Isner. It was also his first title on clay.
Opelka skipped the Monte-Carlo Masters and returned to action at the BMW Open in Munich. As the third seed, he received a bye into the second round. The American was up against Oscar Otte and went into the match as the overwhelming favorite. However, he suffered a surprise defeat to the German, going down 7-6(4), 6-2.
Oscar Otte keeping the hopes for a German winner alive in Munich with a 7-6 6-2 victory over Reilly Opelka 👏
@BMWOpen2022 | #BMWOpenbyAmex https://t.co/1Uk1vo4qZW
Sebastian Korda has been grinding it out on the red dirt over the past few weeks. He started off at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he upset the in-form Carlos Alcaraz in the second round in three sets. He lost to Taylor Fritz in the next round.
Korda was then upset by Carlos Taberner in the first round of the Barcelona Open, losing 6-3, 6-0 in a lackluster performance. He rebounded strongly by reaching the semifinals of the Estoril Open.
He scored a straight-sets win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals for his first top-10 win of the season. Korda lost to Frances Tiafoe in a tough three-set contest after that. He was very close to making it to the final, but wasted three match points in the second set and never really recovered after that.
PERFECT SEBI!
Sebastian Korda plays a flawless match to beat top seed Felix Auger Aliassime 6-2, 6-2 and reach the semifinals! https://t.co/sAdFEKWhhi
After falling in the qualifying rounds last year, Korda is set to make his main-draw debut at the Madrid Open.
Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda head-to-head
This is set to be their first meeting on the ATP tour, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Reilly Opelka vs Sebastian Korda prediction
The duo have arrived in Madrid on the heels of contrasting results. While Opelka lost early in Munich, Korda will be feeling a little more confident following his semi-final showing in Estoril.
Opelka is one of the best servers on tour, with his ace count hitting double digits in almost every match. He leads the tour with respect to the number of aces this season (405). He's also second when it comes to winning first serve points.
Korda will need to find a way to make inroads on the Opelka serve and be consistent on his own serve. If he's able to successfully negate his opponent's primary advantage, the match will tilt in his favor.
The 21-year-old is quicker than Opelka and has better court coverage, which will give him an added edge in the contest.
Korda, however, has had a little trouble closing out matches this season. He wasted three match points against Tiafoe in Estoril. At Indian Wells, he led Rafael Nadal 5-2 in the deciding set, but failed to win that one as well. He will need to control his nerves if the match goes deep.
While Opelka has already won a title on clay this year, Korda seems the more solid player on the surface and should prevail in this clash between two of America's brightest talents.
Pick: Sebastian Korda to win in three sets.