High seed Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Brisbane Worldwide in a straight-set quarter-final defeat by Reilly Opelka.
Djokovic, chasing his a centesimal ATP title, went neck-and-neck with the American within the first set earlier than Opelka eased to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 victory in a single hour and 40 minutes.
Opelka, 27, will now face France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who beat Jakub Mensik 7-5 7-6 (7-5) to succeed in the semi-finals.
“[Djokovic] is the best tennis participant ever. Nevertheless it’s tough being in his place,” mentioned Opelka, who’s ranked 293rd on the earth.
“The truth is we have now nothing to lose towards him, so you find yourself enjoying extra freely and taking much more dangers as a result of it is your solely probability. When you play your regular degree, he wins each time.”
Opelka, who was sidelined for nearly two years since 2022 after present process hip and wrist surgical procedures, is trying to win his fifth profession title in Brisbane.
“It was powerful. There have been numerous uncertainties and doubt,” added Opelka.
“I watched numerous my associates on TV which was enjoyable, motivating and stored me within the sport. I additionally watched Novak turn into the best throughout that interval.”
In the meantime, 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic will shift his focus to profitable a eleventh Australian Open (12-26 January) title below his new coach Andy Murray.
Within the different Brisbane semi-final, defending champion Grigor Dimitrov, who acquired a walkover after Jordan Thompson retired harm, will face Jiri Lehecka, who beat Nicolas Jarry 6-4 6-4.
