Proud moment for Reilly Opelka as he wins maiden ATP Tour trophy

Reilly Opelka can call himself an ATP Tour trophy winner after he won the New York Open with a three-set victory over Brayden Schnur.

The 21-year-old Opelka, the 2015 Wimbledon Boys’ Singles champion, beat the Canadian qualifier 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (9-7) in two hours and three minutes to secure his maiden title.

New York's newest skyscraper 🗽

👏👏@ReillyOpelka towers above Brayden Schnur 6-1 6-7(7) 7-6(7) to claim his maiden ATP title at @NewYorkOpen pic.twitter.com/TgsvzwJTbG

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 17, 2019

The American, who saw off top seed John Isner in the semi-final, took just 18 minutes to win the opening set, but after no breaks of serve in the second set, Schnur hit back via the tie-breaker.

Both players were solid on their serves again in the decider and, after wasting three match points, Opelka finally got the job done at the fourth time of asking.

“This [title] is definitely what I’m most proud of,” he said. “I was tough mentally, especially losing a lot of first sets this week, and my first serve really helped me out. I was able to play clutch in those big moments.”

More from Tennis365:

• • Who is most likely to take a 2019 men’s Grand Slam from Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer?

  • Johnny Nic on match-fixing: Tennis needs to be as corrupt as the corrupters

  • Roger Federer the doubles player: Did you know he won a ‘bizarre’ title with Marat Safin?

  • QUIZ! Test your knowledge on the ATP Tour’s ace record-holders

  • Youth development in tennis: Many coaching roads lead to the top of the tree