Paris Masters 2021: Reilly Opelka vs Filip Krajinovic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Reilly Opelka vs Filip Krajinovic
Date: 2 November 2021
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2021
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €2,603,700
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Reilly Opelka vs Filip Krajinovic preview
Reilly Opelka, making his debut at the Paris Masters, will take on 2017 runner-up Filip Krajinovic in the first round on Tuesday.
While Opelka has never played a match at Paris-Bercy, Krajinovic has been winless at the event since beating John Isner in the 2017 semifinals. The Serb has lost three matches on the trot in the French capital, and will be keen to turn things around this year.
Opelka on his part should theoretically be one of the world's most dangerous players in indoor conditions, given his ability to blow opponents away with his serve alone. However, the American hasn't been in the best of form lately.
Since making the fourth round at the US Open, Opelka has gone on to lose four of his next five matches (including his encounter against Casper Ruud at the Laver Cup). The 24-year-old was given a harsh reality check at Antwerp and Vienna, where Jenson Brooksby and Jannik Sinner neutralized his serve easily.
Flip Krajinovic has also been in woeful touch lately. He has failed to make an impression in all but one tournament since August; the only exception was the Sofia Open, where he finished as the runner-up.
During this period, Krajinovic has lost in the first round of the US Open, Astana Open, Cincinnati Masters, Kremlin Cup and Vienna Open.
Having said that, the 29-year-old will be fancying his chances on the courts of Paris-Bercy, where he has found success in the past. Krajinovic's game is well-suited to indoor conditions, but it remains to be seen if he can regain his 2017 form this year.
Reilly Opelka vs Filip Krajinovic head-to-head
Reilly Opelka and Filip Krajinovic have never faced each other on tour before, which is why their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Reilly Opelka vs Filip Krajinovic prediction
The outcome of this fixture will likely boil down to how well Reilly Opelka serves and whether Filip Krajinovic can find a way to break his giant opponent.
Opelka looked very strong during the North American hardcourt series, finishing as the runner-up at the Toronto Masters. He will be eager to get out of his recent rough patch as soon as possible, and finish the season strongly.
Krajinovic meanwhile packs quite a punch with his groundstrokes, and he could use them to hurt Opelka during the rallies. But the American has shown in recent months that he is no slouch when it comes to defense.
Opelka's serve has been under the gun lately, but is too good a shot to keep failing. If he can regain the accuracy on his serve, the American should be able to get past the out-of-rhythm Krajinovic.
Prediction: Reilly Opelka to win in straight sets.