Reilly Opelka didn’t have a great time in Shanghai, as he grew frustrated during his first-round defeat.
The American star returned at the Shanghai Masters, having last been seen on court at the Laver Cup, where he went 0-2.
Standing between Opelka and the second round was France’s Benjamin Bonzi, who beat Daniil Medvedev at the US Open recently.
In straight sets, Bonzi defeated Opelka 7-6, 6-4, condemning the world number 64 to his fourth consecutive singles loss.
Opelka was far from his best in China and expressed his frustrations to the umpire when a bad bounce cost him during the match.
Reilly Opelka claims he’d expect to see the Shanghai Masters courts at a ‘futures’ tournament
The 28-year-old wasn’t best pleased with the court conditions in Shanghai, and reached his boiling point when a return bounced past him during the second set.
Annoyed by the umpire’s reactions to his complaint, Opelka had this to say.
“Stop acting like what I’m saying is unreasonable,” said Opelka.
The umpire tried to calm Opelka down by explaining that there was nothing he could do.
“I’m not, but I haven’t got a solution,” he said.
“There’s no way we can change the surface of the court here now, and you know the bounce is different on the lines.”
Opelka wasn’t satisfied, as the pair continued to exchange words during the changeover.
“There’s got to be something they can do?” said Opelka.
“They’re not going to repaint the court in the middle of the match,” replied the umpire.
“I’m happy to report that there was a bad bounce after the match, but that’s all I can do.”
Dissatisfied with the answer, Opelka gave his damning verdict on the courts in Shanghai.
“Masters 1000, you expect this in a future, not in a Masters 1000, you’d expect this in a future with a crack in the court,” he said.
Futures ITF tournaments are the lowest tier of professional events in men’s tennis, and are usually contested by young up-and-coming players.
Opelka clearly expected better from the conditions in Shanghai, but he won’t want to dwell on them for too long, as he looks to finish his 2025 season on a high note.
How many more events will Reilly Opelka play before the end of the year?
Opelka is scheduled to return at the European Open in Brussels, which begins on October 13.
The ATP 250 event will feature several top-20 players, including Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
Top eight seeds at the 2025 European Open
- 1. Lorenzo Musetti – #9
- 2. Felix Auger-Aliassime – #13
- 3. Jiri Lehecka – #19
- 4. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – #20
- 5. Frances Tiafoe – #28
- 6. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – #37
- 7. Jaume Munar – #41
- 8. Sebastian Baez – #42
He may then make the trip to France for the final Masters 1000 event of the year.
Opelka has only appeared at the Paris Masters once before, in 2021, where he lost in the second round.
There is also a chance he could remain in France for the Moselle Open a week after, or even travel to Greece for the new Hellenic Championship ATP 250.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the year, Opelka will finish higher in the rankings than he did in both 2023 and 2024.
| Year | Year-end ranking | Titles | Finals |
| 2025 | Current – 64 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 293 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,146 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 38 | 2 | 3 |
| 2021 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | 39 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 36 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | 99 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 229 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 204 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 981 | 0 | 0 |
He will, however, be determined to snap his losing streak before the end of the year, having last won a match at the Cincinnati Open, 53 days ago.
Only time will tell if he can return to winning ways in Brussels, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins in two weeks’ time.
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