REILLY OPELKA

Frances Tiafoe calls his run to the U.S. Open semifinals ‘a Cinderella story.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Alexander Zverev, the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up, will miss the tournament this year while recovering from surgery on his right ankle. Zverev tore ligaments in the ankle during his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June, and the No. Zverev won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year and then returned to the U.S. Open semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets. Main draw play begins next Monday. Fellow American Jack Sock took his place in the main draw.

Alexander Zverev, the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up, will miss the tournament this year while recovering from surgery on his right ankle.

Novak Djokovic has pulled out of next week’s hard-court tournament in Cincinnati because he has not gotten any COVID-19 vaccine shots and so is not allowed to travel to the United States.

Serena Williams has lost her first singles match in nearly a year.

Building Your Business On A Strong Foundation, it's the Youth Center Talent Show at the Flagler Auditorium, John Wayne seen by Mark Rydell.

Reilly Opelka, 24, captured his fourth career ATP Tour title on Sunday in Houston, besting longtime friend and rival John Isner.

Opelka held after three deuces when Nadal netted a forehand chasing the American's drop shot to force the second tiebreaker. Again on his serve, Opelka closed to 6-5. But Nadal closed it out by pulling Opelka out of the court and the American's backhand landed wide. Opelka fought off the only break point in the seventh game with a smash and forehand winner. ___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Nursing a nagging foot injury, Rafael Nadal improved to 18-0 this season, edging Reilly Opelka 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on Wednesday in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

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. 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. 23 in the world and is 2-1 all-time in ATP Tour finals.

Palm Coast's Reilly Opelka battled for three hours early Friday morning but ultimately fell to Denis Shapovalov in the third round.

Opelka put forth an outstanding performance Monday night in the second round of the Australian Open, dispatching Germany's Dominik Koepfer.

In the wee hours of Monday morning Eastern time, Reilly Opelka took the first step toward doing that, easily dispatching former Top 10 stalwart Kevin Anderson in the first round of the Australian Open, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.

While the “will he or won’t he” question remains for No. 1 Novak Djokovic and his participation in the Australian Open the rest of the tennis world returns to work this week to prepare for the season’s first major.

The pandemic-delayed fourth edition of the Laver Cup — and first without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic participating — began Friday with Team Europe taking a 3-1 lead over Team World thanks to victories in singles from Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev. Italy's Berrettini, the runner-up to Djokovic at Wimbledon in July, saved 12 of 13 break points and came back to edge Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in a match tiebreaker 6-7 (3), 7-5, 10-8.

Emma Raducanu’s qualifier-to-champion run at the U.S. Open has vaulted her 127 spots in the WTA rankings to a career-high No. 23.

This is the first time in U.S. Open history that no men or women from the host country has made it to the quarterfinals in singles.

Reilly Opelka lost his fourth-round match to South Africa's Lloyd Harris, who was almost impossible to deal with.

Novak Djokovic has extended his pursuit of the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969 by beating the last U.S. singles player at the U.S. Open.

Today at the Editor’s glance: Happy Labor Day, as Covid continues to change what we mean by labor. Here he is conducting Bach’s ample and heart-rending Mass in G Minor:Health Department’s Covid Testing and Vaccination Schedule and Information:The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County (DOH-Flagler) has modified its COVID-19 testing schedule at the Flagler County Fairgrounds for the Labor Day holiday. Priority will be given to any students, faculty and school staff of public or private schools in Flagler County, followed by the general public, who should schedule testing appointments by calling 386-437-7350 ext. Vaccinations continue to be offered at 301 Dr. Carter Blvd three afternoons a week – Monday (except Labor Day), Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:00PM. The health department is awaiting additional guidance for the administration of booster doses and expects to add vaccinations to its operation at the Flagler County Fairgrounds later this month.

Palm Coast's Reilly Opelka overcame 41 unforced errors and a $10,000 fine to win his third-round U.S. Open match in straight sets.

Reilly Opelka at the U.S. Open is in his third-round match roughly around 5 or 5: 30 p.m.

Daniel S. Da Costa, who has pleaded to arson in setting fires outside Publix and a gas station last year, is sentenced this morning. Opelka is off.

Opelka schooled 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, 7-6 (1), 7-5, 6-4, to advance to the third round for the first time.

US Open Tennis Emma Raducanu, from Britain, returns a shot to Shuai Zhang, of China,during the second round of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig)NEW YORK — (AP) — Emma Raducanu quickly seems to have figured out this Grand Slam thing. So now, having played maybe four or five weeks, I'm still extremely fresh and new to the whole situation, but given the matches that I've played, I'm able to keep up a lot more physically. 1 Court at Wimbledon as a home favorite, Raducanu has found herself out of the spotlight at the U.S. Open. “When I’m in France: ‘Yeah, I’m 7 foot.’ They don’t know what it is. I don’t know if, like, historically it’s accurate, actually, because I haven’t checked that, but it was easy for me to just go to a different world and just (enjoy), I don’t know, the experience," Swiatek said.

Emma Raducanu quickly seems to have figured out this Grand Slam thing.

Novak Djokovic has moved into the third round of the U.S. Open as he tries to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam and collect a 21st major championship.

Reilly Opelka, at 6-foot-11, has a big serve that's making him a threat at the US Open. He's having the best season of his career.

How long is too long to take in the bathroom.

NEW YORK – The goalposts are changing for Reilly Opelka in the pro tennis world, and he knows it. But in the tennis world in general, he’s pretty darn close to “arriving.”There are a lot of firsts for Opelka at this year’s U.S. Open, which began Monday. Opelka blasted 33 aces, including a 141-miles per hour serve, and made just 31 unforced errors to 55 winners. Musetti, making his U.S. Open debut, reached the fourth round of the French Open this year and is up to No. The two played once this year, in Rome on clay, with Opelka snaring a 6-4, 6-4 win.

Novak Djokovic has started his bid to make history at the U.S. Open with a four-set victory over Danish teenager Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune.

US Open Tennis Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, serves to Catherine McNally, of the United States, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):__1:40 p.m.Karolina Pliskova and Reilly Opelka were among the early winners on the second day of the U.S. Open. Pliskova, a 2016 finalist, beat Caty McNally 6-3, 6-4 in her first-round match as the former world No. Pliskova lost the Wimbledon final this year and fell to 0-2 in major finals. ___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Alexander Zverev opened his bid for a second straight U.S. Open final appearance with a win in his opening match.

Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin and Dr. Paul Mucciolo co-host "Uncomfortable Conversations" on Covid.

The Bunnell branch library is closing to prepare for a move to Marvin's Gardens, smoke testing, the wonders of forests.

Opelka, the ex-Palm Coast resident came up short in the championship match of the National Bank Open in Toronto Sunday.

TORONTO — (AP) — Top-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia won the National Bank Open on Sunday for his third victory of the year and 12th overall, beating 6-foot-11 American qualifier Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-3. The 25-year-old Medvedev, ranked second in the world, also won this year in Mallorca and Marseille. He saved all four of his break points and won 73% of his service points. The six-foot-11 Opelka was playing his first ATP Masters 1000 final. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Palm Coast's 7-footer Reilly Opelka used his movement and his return of serve to score an enormous victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Associated Press has learned that teenager Coco Gauff and Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady will lead the U.S. Olympic tennis team at the Tokyo Games.

Coming off a third-round showing at the French Open, Palm Coast's Reilly Opelka had lots of reasons to be optimistic heading into Wimbledon.

Reilly Opelka ran into one of the best serve returners on the planet in Daniil Medvedev, losing in straight sets.

France Tennis French Open Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates after defeating United States's Reilly Opelka during their third round match on day 6, of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Friday, June 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (Thibault Camus)PARIS — (AP) — The Latest on the French Open (all times local):___6:20 p.m.Having never previously reached the second round at the French Open, two-time Grand Slam finalist Daniil Medvedev is now into the fourth round at Roland Garros. ___3:15 p.m.Kei Nishikori followed up two consecutive five-setters with a one-set victory at the French Open. Play is resuming on the outer courts at the French Open after a rain delay of less than an hour. Rain has forced play to be suspended on all courts at the French Open besides the main stadium — where the roof is closed.

France Tennis French Open A United States fan holds up the American flag as he watches United States' John Isner play against Serbia's Filip Krajinovic on day four of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. “It beats all of us losing and getting on flights home,” said one member of the quartet, Stevie Johnson, who has won a pair of five-setters this week. “That’s for sure.”The other American men still in the draw: No. — On May 10, there were no American men in the ATP’s Top 30 for the first time in the nearly half-century of computerized tennis rankings. (Entering the French Open, he was 33rd, Isner 34th, Opelka 35th).

There are four American men in the French Open's third round for the first time in 25 years: John Isner, Reilly Opelka, Stevie Johnson and Marcos Giron.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said Monday, May 31, she was withdrawing from the French Open for mental health issues. Today, at least for Naomi Osaka's corporate sponsors, it is being hailed as refreshingly honest. The four Grand Slam tournaments reacted to Osaka's withdrawal by pledging to do more to address players' mental health issues. Marketing consultant Adamson believes Osaka’s decision to come forward will encourage many more athletes to divulge their own mental health battles. “We are moving from mental health and mental illness as a ‘they” thing to a ‘we’ thing,” he said.

A few years ago, a star athlete dropping out of a major tennis tournament over mental health issues might have been seen as a sign of weakness.

Opelka powered his way into the third round Wednesday in Paris, overcoming a tough Jaume Munar in four sets. Until this year, the former Palm Coast resident had never won a match at Roland Garros.

Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School return to the Ocean Center for their graduation ceremonies, as before the pandemic.

The Palm Coast City Council's 6 p.m. meeting is expected to draw blazin' crazies in light of City Manager Matt Morton's resignation.

For Opelka, now up to No. 35 in the world rankings, the match was a huge opportunity to measure himself against Nadal.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal won a total of three matches over younger players and will renew their record-setting rivalry in the Italian Open final.

Reilly Opelka is in the midst of a career week at the Italian Open in Rome, reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event.

Rafael Nadal has ended a run of three straight losses to Alexander Zverev with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over the German to reach the Italian Open semifinals.

Italy Tennis Open Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after beating Canada's Denis Shapovalov, in their 3rd round match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 13, 2021. Nadal struggled to hold serve at the start, while Shapovalov was blasting aces and winners with his one-handed backhand. Shapovalov dropped to 0-15 against players ranked among the top five since beating Nadal in Montreal in 2017. Nadal, a nine-time champion in Rome, will next face either Alexander Zverev, who won the Madrid Open on Sunday, or Kei Nishikori. Djokovic said he played “at least 20-30% better” than he did against Taylor Fritz in his opening match in Rome.

Italy Tennis Open Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 13, 2021. The top-ranked Serb seemed to enjoy every moment of his 6-2, 6-1 win over Spanish qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina that put him in the Italian Open quarterfinals. They definitely gave me great sensations today on the court and I enjoyed it.”Djokovic often trains with Davidovich Fokina in Marbella, Spain. Perhaps that familiarity helped Davidovich Fokina break the top-ranked Djokovic in the opening game. In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Ash Barty beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-3 and will next face American teenager Coco Gauff, who defeated Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-3.

Rafael Nadal showed he’s still got the stamina to withstand much younger challengers in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) comeback win over 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov that secured him a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

Palm Coast's bet on a vast expansion of the Tennis Center into the Reilly Opelka Racquet Center rests on a lot of speculation.

In the fourth set, after the best buddies traded service breaks, Opelka raced out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set tiebreak, a mere two points from victory. But then Fritz, the highest-ranked American men’s player in the Australian Open draw, reached down and found some magic. He forced three straight Opelka errors on groundstrokes, and went on to win six straight points in the breaker to snatch it, 7-5, and keep his hope alive. It was also the fourth five-setter Opelka has played at the Australian Open, with him winning one of them. 1, and eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the third round.

The last American man to win a Grand Slam tournament was Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open in 2003, and there's no sign the drought will end anytime soon. “But I don’t see it being what it once was ever again.”AdOpelka, for one, isn’t surprised the United States has the same number of seeded men in Melbourne as, say, Bulgaria or Norway. The United States has four seeded women in Melbourne, including Kenin and Serena Williams. That’s a challenge, because those kids want to play basketball and football.”The United States Tennis Association has inner-city programs in more than 250 locations. Opelka (ranked 38th), Fritz (ranked 31st), Tommy Paul (53rd) and Frances Tiafoe (64th) are all 23 and good friends who root for each other.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic makes a forehand return to United States' Frances Tiafoe during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. 1, had never beaten anyone in the Top 5, and now he'd just won a tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic to level their second-round match at the Australian Open. But it wasn't quite enough to beat the eight-time Australian Open champion, who won the 3 1/2-hour afternoon match 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 6-3. AdAnother U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, needed only an hour to sweep Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3. 29 Ugo Humbert 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in a rollicking night cap full of turns and twists.

The former Indian Trails Middle School student notched his second career win at the Australian Open (he beat John Isner previously, in 2019) played very well against an outgunned opponent. But Opelka broke right back and played a strong second-set tiebreak, winning it 7-2, and then cruised from there. Opelka and Fritz are extremely close friends: Opelka was in Fritz’s wedding. 1 Novak Djokovic, and could play Djokovic if both advance to the third round. The total purse for this year’s Australian Open is $62 million ($80 million in Australian dollars).

It was a basic question that elicited an usual response from former Palm Coast resident Reilly Opelka. “To be honest, I’m not one bit excited,” Opelka said in a conference call with reporters. Opelka finished the abbreviated season strongly, reaching the quarterfinals at a tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia, beating world No. He is a presenting sponsor of the Palm Coast Open, a minor league (“Futures”) tournament held at the Palm Coast Tennis Center each January, which this year is tentatively re-scheduled for the fall. Palm Coast spokesman Brad West said they’ve been very happy to have Opelka give back to the community, and hopes for more partnerships in the future.

Serena Williams of the U.S. screams in the first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Kristie Ahn of the U.S. at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. Both began this French Open with straight-set victories against overmatched foes in Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday. Nadal began his attempt to pull even with rival Roger Federer for the most by a man, 20, by beating Egor Gerasimov of Belarus 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. He'll be aiming for his 18th major championship at this French Open, which he finally gets underway Tuesday with his first Grand Slam match since being disqualified at the U.S. Open. Among the other key results on Day 2 of a chilly, pandemic-postponed French Open were losses by 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova, who was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Polish teenager Iga Swiatek; three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber; 2017 U.S. Open finalist and 2018 French Open semifinalist Madison Keys; and men’s seeds No.

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, leaves the court after winning her match with Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the quarterfinals at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in New York. Soon after, the whole tournament was put on hold for a day. Osaka tweeted that as a Black woman, she feels compelled to pull out of the tournament to put a focus on police shooting Black people. "Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach. I have to be patient, to try to enjoy every single match I play here after six months without competing.

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot from Tennys Sandgren during the third round at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK Novak Djokovics neck felt much better, and his tennis looked much better, in a 6-2, 6-4 victory over unseeded American Tennys Sandgren at the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday that improved the No. The Western & Southern Open is usually held in Ohio but was moved to the U.S. Opens site in Flushing Meadows this year to make for a two-event, no-spectator bubble amid the pandemic. He has won five of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments, including at the Australian Open in February. Womens quarterfinal matchups set earlier in the day were two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka against Anett Kontaveit, former No.

A trainer works on the neck of Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during his match with Ricardas Berankis, of Lithuania, during the second round at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in New York. 1-ranked Djokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event Sunday because of his neck. That major championship's site in Flushing Meadows is hosting the Ohio-based Western & Southern Open, too, as part of an unusual doubleheader with no spectators. Like Djokovic, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka emerged with difficult wins, while two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, the No. Djokovic now meets American Tennys Sandgren, a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (5) winner over No.

Since he was around 8 years old, Reilly Opelka has never had a problem with being motivated to smack a tennis ball. But with nothing but endless days in front of him for months at a time while he and other professional tennis players waited for Covid-19 conditions to improve, he admitted that all the time alone and off the road dulled his senses. Big names like Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, and Simona Halep have all withdrawn due to Covid-19 travel concerns. The city has been great and super supportive of me, and Im always staying looped in with whats going on, Opelka said. Like everything else, things are kind of on hold.Except for pro tennis, which blissfully for Opelka, is finally back.