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Match Details
Fixture: (18) Lorenzo Musetti vs (PR) Reilly Opelka
Date: August 26, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Lorenzo Musetti vs Reilly Opelka preview
18th seed Lorenzo Musetti will take on home favorite Reilly Opelka in the first round of the US Open 2024.
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Musetti had a slow start to the season and didn't even win back-to-back matches until March when he made the fourth round of the Miami Open. He reached the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and then didn't win a match in his next three tournaments.
Musetti put up a decent showing at the French Open, where he pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets in the third round but came up short. He flourished during the grass swing, starting with a semifinal finish in Stuttgart. He finished runner-up at Queen's Club, going down to Tommy Paul in the final.
The Italian reached his maiden Major semifinal at Wimbledon after that, where he lost to Djokovic yet again. He advanced to his second final of the season at the Croatia Open, losing to Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
Musetti advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, where he was bested by Djokovic once more. However, he managed to snag the bronze medal over Felix Auger-Aliassime. He lost to Frances Tiafoe in the second round of the Cincinnati Open upon his return to hardcourts.
Opelka returned to the tour after a two-year hiatus in Newport, where he progressed to the semifinals. He bowed out in the second round of his next two tournaments and failed to register a win at the Cincinnati Open and the Winston-Salem Open.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Reilly Opelka head-to-head
Opelka leads Musetti 3-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the Indian Wells Open 2022 in straight sets.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Reilly Opelka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Lorenzo Musetti vs Reilly Opelka prediction
Opelka's comeback started on a promising note, though he seems to have hit a wall in the last few weeks. He's currently on a three-match losing streak. Musetti has been in good form over the last couple of months. 21 of his 32 wins this season have come since the start of June.
While Musetti's transition to hardcourts didn't go too smoothly, his current form makes him the favorite to win against Opelka. While the American has won all three of their previous matches in straight sets, including one at the US Open three years ago, he's still finding his footing on the tour right now.
This seems like Musetti's best chance to make a breakthrough in this rivalry. If he's unable to get the better of Opelka who's far from his best these days, then it'll never be possible for him to do so once the latter regains his old form.
Pick: Lorenzo Musetti to win in straight sets.
