DALLAS (AP) — Reilly Opelka won the longest tiebreaker in ATP Tour history to finish a straight-sets win over John Isner and advance to the final of the inaugural Dallas Open on Saturday night.
The second-seeded Opelka sent a winner down the line for a 24-22 tiebreaker victory in the second set to secure the 7-6 (7), 7-6 (22) win over Isner, the No. 3 seed and de facto tournament host at the SMU tennis facility about a mile from his house.
No. 4 seed Jenson Brooksby played Marcos Giron in the other semifinal Saturday night. It's the first time since 2004 that all four semifinalists have been Americans.
The 24-year-old Opelka, a two-time winner on tour, now has four straight wins over Isner. All 10 of the sets he has won against the 16-time ATP Tour champion have gone to a tiebreaker.
The pair combined for 60 aces on Saturday and have now held 98 straight service games against the other, including 12 straight tiebreakers.
Isner was playing again Saturday night in the doubles with fellow American Jack Sock.
Opelka is ranked No. 23 in the world and is 2-1 all-time in ATP Tour finals. He won New York in 2019 and Delray Beach in 2020.
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