Reilly Opelka dominated German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-3, 7-4 (4), 6-1 to notch his first career Wimbledon main-draw victory on Monday. The American is no stranger to success on grass: he won junior Wimbledon in 2015, but it's just his third time playing the pro event.
Opelka will now have a chance to upset three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who in his fourteen trips to Wimbledon, has made it past the second round just five times. But world No. 19 looked formidable in his opening round win, losing just seven games to Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans.
“The courts are playing as slow as I have ever seen a grass court,” Opelka said.
Slow courts are welcome news for Wawrinka, who excels when given time to prepare his big swings. But it’s still the surface of choice for the big serving Opelka, who leads the ATP Tour with 507 aces this season.
