Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka – Round of 16 – Preview & Prediction | 2022 Indian Wells Masters
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THE FACTS
When is Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka on and what time does it start? Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka will take place on Wednesday 16th March, 2022 – not before 19:20 (UK)
Where is Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka taking place? Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, USA
What surface is Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka being played on? Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka
What channel is Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka on in the UK? Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka will be televised live on the Amazon Prime app on Smart TVs
Where can I stream Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka in the UK? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Rafael Nadal vs Reilly Opelka live on Prime Video, while Tennis TV subscribers can also stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
RAFAEL NADAL
World number four Rafael Nadal is now riding a 17-match winning streak after winning his first three tournaments of the season at Melbourne 1, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open before impressive results over Sebastian Korda and Dan Evans this campaign. The 35-year-old came back form the brink against Korda in much the same way he came back to beat Daniil Medvedev to win a record-setting 21st Men’s Singles Grand Slam title in January. Nadal can usurp Alexander Zverev into world number three by reaching the semi-finals this week and he can equal Novak Djokovic’s record 37 Masters titles if he wins on Sunday.
REILLY OPELKA
24-year-old Reilly Opelka will set a new career-high ATP world ranking of 16th no matter the outcome of this round of 16 clash with Rafael Nadal after coming back from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov on Monday. The American avenged a third round defeat to Shapovalov at the Australian Open back in January, after which he won a third ATP title at the Dallas Open and then finished runner-up to Cam Norrie at the Delray Beach Open last month.
THE PREDICTION
Reilly Opelka found form like this almost exactly a year ago with a run to the semi-finals of the Italian Open ended in straight sets by Rafael Nadal, who went on to beat Novak Djokovic in one of the best matches of the year. Opelka will already set a new career-high next Monday no matter the outcome here and he will be one to watch at the Miami Open with less obstacles in conditions that suit him. However, the biggest obstacle on tour right now is Rafael Nadal on this 17-match winning streak (it’s actually 16 due to a walkover at Melbourne 1 but he can be afforded the honorary win over Tallon Griekspoor) and backing the Spaniard to win in straight sets seems a reasonable outcome here.
