World Number 40 American Reilly Opelka will face the 86th ranked Australian Alexei Popyrin in the second round of 2021 Miami Open on Friday, March 26. The match is yet to be scheduled. Get the live streaming options of this Reilly Opelka v Alexei Popyrin match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Reilly Opelka v Alexei Popyrin Head to Head
The round of 64 at Miami will be the first time the pair will face each other.
Also Read:
Singapore Title and Top 100 Break for Popyrin
Popyrin has been in superb form recently. He rose to a career high ranking of 86, jumping up thirty-two places and banking his point tally to 883, after winning the Singapore Tennis Open.
It was the first time he made it past quarter finals at an ATP level tournament making it a dream week for him as he beat Alexander Bublik 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in the final. To go with that, he had made it through with wins over two seeded players on the way to the title, including Marin Cilic.
Earlier, at the Australian Open, he had defeated David Goffin in a five-set thriller in the first round but lost a tough contested five setter to Lloyd Harris in the second round.
With nine wins and just three losses in 2021, Popyrin played at Dubai but suffered a loss at the hands of the resilient Russian Karen Khachanov in the round of 32.
Popyrin enters this match with a win over the veteran Feliciano Lopez in the first round in straight sets, though it was a closely contested match ending 6-4, 7-6.
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Opelka And His Losing Streak
Being on the list of “Players to watch in 2021” has its own pressure and it is surely reflected on Opelka’s recent form. He has not won a match since late January and is on a four match losing streak.
Even though he has lost all three of his last matches in the final set, he has been struggling to find a clutch moment to get over the line throughout 2021.
Having a 2-5 win-loss record this year, Opelka’s last appearance was at Dubai where he went down to Kei Nishikori in a tough battle 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.
As a result of this streak, Opelka has slipped from 38 to 41 on the ATP charts but now gets a chance to overcome an in-form opponent to gain some of his confidence back following a first round bye.
Opelka v Popyrin Prediction and Tip
Alexei Popyrin has an excellent record in tiebreaks this year. He served well at key moments but had five double faults in his first-round match. He needs to be wary as his serve was broken three times by Lopez.
On the other hand, Opelka has an excellent serve but will that be enough remains the question.
However, both the players like to play on hard courts and with the form that Popyrin is in, he has an edge over his opponent in the build-up to this match.
Both the players like to play on the baseline, but Opelka’s big serve allows him to play at the net too.
Popyrin will be our pick to win this tie due to his current form and his opponent’s recent struggles.
Tip: Popyrin to win: 11/10 (bet365)
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The 2021 Miami Open will be played from March 22 to April 4. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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