Houston 2022 Final: Reilly Opelka vs John Isner preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Reilly Opelka vs (4) John Isner
Date: 10 April 2022
Tournament: U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships 2022
Round: Final
Venue: Houston, Texas, USA
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $665,330
Match Timing: Approx. 2 pm local time, 7 pm GMT, 12.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN 3 | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner preview
Third seed Reilly Opelka will square off against fourth seed John Isner in the final of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on Sunday.
Opelka has had an excellent season to date. He reached the third round of the Australian Open before losing to Denis Shapovalov. He then won the Dallas Open, beating Jenson Brooksby in the final. Opelka also reached the final of the Delray Beach Open before losing to Cameron Norrie.
The World No. 18 continued his good form by reaching the last 16 of the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost to eventual runner-up Rafael Nadal. He headed to Miami after that but retired midway through his second-round match against Francisco Cerundolo.
Opelka entered the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships as the third seed and survived a scare early on from Mitchell Krueger. He then beat Gijs Brouwer to reach the semifinals, where he defeated Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 to reach his third final of the season.
Another week, another meltdown at an umpire for Nick Kyrgios, getting a point penalty for audible obscenity down break point at 5-5 in the Houston semifinals.
Kyrgios was still seething over what he thought was a missed call on an earlier point.
Opelka served it out, 6-3, 7-5.
Isner, meanwhile, had a disappointing Australian summer before reaching the semifinals of the Dallas Open. He then made the last 16 of the Mexican Open as well as the Indian Wells Masters. The American was knocked out in the second round of the Miami Masters by Hugo Gaston. However, he won the men's doubles competition partnering Hubert Hurkacz.
Isner entered the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships as the fourth seed and survived a scare against compatriot Steve Johnson in his opener. He then fought off Frances Tiafoe to reach the semifinals. He fought back from a set down to beat reigning champion Cristian Garin to reach his first singles final of the season.
@mensclaycourt | Twitter
2013 champion John Isner stunned the defending champion Cristian Garin in 3 sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach Houston final 🔥
He will play compatriot Reilly Opelka for the 💪
📷 @mensclaycourt | Twitter
#JohnIsner #CristianGarin #ReillyOpelka #Houston #Tennis https://t.co/LP073UISBx
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner head-to-head
Sunday's final in Houston will be the sixth meeting between the two players, with Opelka leading the head-to-head 4-1. Isner won their first encounter in Atlanta back in 2016.
However, Opelka won the next three meetings in 2019. The two met in the semifinals of the Dallas Open this year, with the World No. 18 winning in straight sets.
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner odds
Opelka is favored to win the match because his form this year has been superior to Isner's, coupled with the fact that he beat his compatriot in Dallas in February. The 24-year-old has won 17 out of 24 matches so far this season, while Isner has won just nine out of 17.
All odds are sourced from Betmgm.
Reilly Opelka vs John Isner prediction
Opelka will head into the final as the favorite but the vastly experienced Isner should not be written off.
Both players have looked in good touch in Houston and the match promises to be a closely-contested one. Opelka and Isner are among the best servers on tour, with the latter having served a whopping 71 aces in the tournament so far.
The match could feature a tie-break or two, with the player that can hold their nerve in the crunch moments likely to emerge with the win. Considering Opelka's past record against Isner and his slightly superior all-round game, he should be able to get the better of his compatriot once again and win the title.
Pick: Reilly Opelka to win in three sets.