Opelka vs Nadal: will the American create difficulties for Rafa?

Who would have guessed that Opelka would have such a great clay campaign! Since the beginning of the year, the American has performed terribly. He has lost five matches in a row and has not won since February when he beat Taiwanese tennis player Lu at the Australian Open. But in Rome, Reilly really surprised everyone: so far, he has not lost a single set here, beating Richard Gasquet (6-1, 7-5), Lorenzo Musetti (6-4, 6-4), Aslan Karatsev (7-6, 6-4) and Federico Delbonis (7-5, 7-6) on his way to the semifinal.

It is worth mentioning that Opelka's main weapon is his big serve. In four matches, he has struck 77 aces and never lost his serve to an opponent.

Surprising as it may seem, Nadal has yet to win a single clay Masters this season. In Monte Carlo, Rafa lost to Andrey Rublev, and in Madrid - to Alexander Zverev. He won his only title on this surface in Barcelona, when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final (6-4, 6-7, 7-5).

In Rome, the King of the Clay has also been having some problems. For example, he conceded one set to Denis Shapovalov (3-6, 6-4, 7-6). But in the other matches, he didn't allow himself such a weakness: he beat Jannik Sinner (7-6, 6-4), and Alexander Zverev (6-3, 6-4) in straight sets.