American Reilly Opelka pulled off a stunning upset in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane Tennis Championship, defeating veteran Serbian star Novak Djokovic. Opelka, 27, triumphed with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win, securing his place in the tournament’s semi-finals in Australia.
This loss serves as a wake-up call for Djokovic, who is preparing for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins in Melbourne on January 12.
French player Giovanni Mbitchi Pericard also advanced to the semi-finals, following his victory over Czech player Jakub Mencic. Pericard won 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) in the quarter-finals and will face Opelka in the next round.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov continued his impressive run in Brisbane, reaching the semi-finals after his opponent, Australian Jordan Thompson, withdrew. Dimitrov, the second seed, had dominated the match, winning the first set 6-1 and leading 2-1 in the second when Thompson decided to retire.
Dimitrov will now face Czech Jerzy Lehecka, who defeated compatriot Nicholas Jari 6-4, 6-4, in the semi-finals.
