After a long hiatus, American tennis star Reilly Opelka made a comeback to the ATP Tour in July 2024. Injuries have been a major hindrance in his career for the last couple of years. However, after making his return in 2024, Opelka did manage to put up some impressive performances in some of the tournaments, but he failed to maintain consistency. However, in 2025, he made a strong start by reaching the final of the Brisbane International, but he looked pretty ordinary in Melbourne! Now, it’s time for him to deliver in Dallas. Reilly Opelka is all set to take Kazakhstani star, Alexander Shevchenko in the first round (R32) of the Dallas Open. Who will win this epic battle?
Reilly Opelka vs Alexander Shevchenko: Preview
After making his return to the Tour, we saw Reilly Opelka making it to the semis at the 2024 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. However, he was defeated by his compatriot Alex Michelsen in that match by 2-6,0-6. Apart from that, there weren’t any noteworthy performances from this American in the previous season. His 2025 season started with a bang! We saw him defeat the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, in the QF of the Brisbane International, and then in the SF, he outclassed the French star, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, in two sets. Although he reached the final in Brisbane, he was forced to retire from that match against Jiri Lehecka (CZE). Reilly Opelka will be entering this match against Shevchenko following his second-round exit from the 2025 AO at the hands of Tomas Machac.

Alexander Shevchenko, on the other hand, was a bit unlucky in Melbourne! He had to face Carlos Alcaraz in the first round, and the Kazakhstani was defeated by a 1-6,5-7,1-6 margin by the Spaniard. If we take a glimpse at Alexander Shevchenko’s performance in the previous season, he reached the QF of several tournaments, including ATP Rotterdam, Geneva Open, and Almaty Open. How far can he go in Dallas, though? It’ll be interesting to see if he can put up an impressive performance against the Opelka on American soil or not in this epic encounter. Have these two players met each other before?
Opelka vs Shevchenko: Head-to-Head
Reilly Opelka hasn’t yet faced Alexander Shevchenko in his career. So, currently, their H2H record is at 0-0! Reilly Opelka will surely be looking forward to making full use of his home advantage. Can Shevchenko silence the crowd with a stellar performance in Dallas?
Prediction: Opelka to win in straight sets
Reilly Opelka has already shown a glimpse of his capabilities in Brisbane and guess what? This 27-year-old American is surely one of the players to watch out for in this season. Opelka is currently ranked 145 in the world and talking about the numbers from the previous season, he had a win-loss record of just 11-9. On the other hand, Alexander Shevchenko (82) is placed above Reilly Opelka in the singles ranking but his win-loss record was just 23-29 in the 2024 season.
If we now take a look at their playing styles, Alexander Shevchenko loves to bring variation to his game, and he can really mix up his shots pretty well during the matches. His game is based on control and moving the opponent around. He is often seen using drop shots to disguise his opponents. Shevchenko also loves coming to the nets to finish off the points. His varied style of play, with a subtle hint of a counterpuncher game style, can be really effective on this surface.
Is it enough to unsettle the 6ft 11 inches American? Well, looks pretty much unlikely at the moment! Now, shifting our focus to Opelka’s playing style, he uses his height incredibly well to generate real power behind his serves. He hit 222 aces last season and guess how many he hit at the 2025 AO? Well, Reilly Opelka hit a staggering 78 aces in just two matches at the AO! It’ll be interesting to see if his aces can win him the race against Shevchenko in Dallas or not.
However, talking about the other aspects of his game, Reilly Opelka also has a good volley and an incredible reach on the courts. His down-the-line backhand is another shot that Alexander Shevchenko needs to be a bit aware of. So, considering all these weapons in his armory, we feel Reilly Opelka has a good chance to wrap up this match pretty quickly against Shevchenko!
The post ATP Dallas: Reilly Opelka vs Alexander Shevchenko; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction appeared first on EssentiallySports.