American Reilly Opelka, playing his first ATP tournament in almost two years, ousted defending champion Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the grass-court event at Newport, Rhode Island.
Opelka, who received a wild card into the tournament, fired 19 aces to improve to 4-0 against France's Mannarino and advance to the last eight in a grass-court tournament for the first time.
19 aces for the servebot 🤖⁰⁰Opelka knocks out top-seeded Mannarino 6-4 3-6 6-4@TennisHalloFame | #InfosysHallOfFameOpen pic.twitter.com/2FpUScrKme
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 17, 2024
Opelka, 26, is back on the tour after prolonged absence in the wake of hip and wrist surgery.
He is playing in his first ATP Tour event since Washington in 2022, when he was ranked a career-high 17th in the world.
Mannarino, the world No 25 who was the top seed and coming off a first-round bye, fell to 1-5 on grass this year. He had an impressive 12-4 record on the surface in 2023.
Opelka had opened his campaign with a three-set victory over France's Constant Lestienne.
He will next face fellow American Mackenzie McDonald, who beat Britain's Billy Harris 6-3, 6-4.