The Infosys Hall of Fame Open continues this week as Christopher Eubanks faces Aleksandar Vukic as Alex Michelson goes up against Reily Opelka. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 ATP Tour – ATP 250
Infosys Hall of Fame Open
International Tennis Hall of Fame
Selected QF and SF matches – 19/20 July
Quarterfinal- 19 July
Christopher Eubanks 31/20 | Aleksandar Vukic 5/10
This has been a torrid year for big-hitting American Christopher Eubanks. He was the shiny new toy on last year’s ATP Tour, emerging from years of obscurity to win a maiden ATP Tour title and reach a Wimbledon quarterfinal.
His big, serving, high-octane style was a perfect fit for grass and it really looked like he would continue that form into 2024. How wrong we were. Eubanks has been frankly dreadful this season, amassing a paltry 6-15 record this year.
But he did pick up his best result of the season on grass, finally reaching a quarterfinal at the Terra Wortmann Open. Too bad he followed that up with back-to-back first-round exits. I think that players have figured him out and he has become a bit too one-dimensional.
But a big serve and big forehand can just about get the job done on grass (especially in a fringe event such as this). He barely scraped by Ethan Quinn in his opener but at least it broke his three-match losing streak.
On the other hand, 28-year-old Aussie Aleksandar Vukic is actually in the midst of a real uptick in form. A record of 12-17 for the season doesn’t exactly make for outstanding reading.
But he has really got his act together during the grass-court swing. In fact, he has gone 8-4 in main draw matches since the start of the Libema Open. He reached the quarters of the Libema Open before a season-best semifinal finish in Eastbourne (where he pushed Fritz in two tight tiebreaks).
He went out to eventual champ Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon (pushing the Spaniard to a tiebreak in the first set). And he has breezed through to this year’s quarterfinals without dropping a single set. Vukic has looked competitive against the very best grass-court players in the world and will go into this as a notable favourite.
The Verdict: Aleksandar Vukic to win in straight sets 5/4
Vukic leads the head-to-head 2-0, winning easily when they met in Atlanta earlier this season. The Aussie is just playing far more composed all-round tennis.
He has a strong serve and an aggressive baseline game. But he also has the ability to linger in points and frustrate his opponents. He should win this match handily if he manages to keep his first-serve percentage up.
Semi-final – 20 July
Alex Michelson 66/100 | Reily Opelka 23/20
Alex Michelson really made his bones in these championships, essentially choosing to turn pro after his runner-up finish here last season. And he has enjoyed a fairly decent first full year on tour, reaching his fourth quarterfinal of the year in these championships.
And the big-serving American has actually looked brilliant this week, giving us a little taste of what could be in store for him with a little more tour experience.
He was sensational against former champion Cressey, hitting 20 winners against just six unforced errors in a fairly faultless display (winning 77% of his first-serve points in the process).
He wasn’t quite as dominant against Kovacevic but still won by the same margin (he curiously won both his matches four and four). The third seed currently sits 2nd in the Live Race to Jeddah rankings and a strong showing this week will all but secure his place at those NextGen Finals.
It has been an exceptionally long road back to full health for veritable giant Reily Opelka. The gargantuan-serving American has barely played in two seasons after terrible injury issues. He first underwent a successful hip surgery but was then hampered by unsuccessful wrist surgery.
He returned to action briefly towards the end of last season, pulling out of a Challenger event after just one match. But he has looked far more like his old self after accepting a wildcard to play in this event, picking up three successive three-set wins to reach a morale-boosting semifinal.
His quarter-final win against McDonald was pure Opelka (he served 27 aces to power his way into the final four). A true serving behemoth, Opelka is a unique talent who adds another dimension to any tournament he is involved in.
The Verdict: Opelka to win in three sets 38/10
This will be their first career meeting. This could be a baptism of fire for the 19-year-old Michelson, who is going to be exposed to the sheer helplessness of facing Opelka’s serve for the first time.
That being said, Opelka might also find it tough to make an impact against Michelson’s dynamic serve and decisive volleying. All in all, I just have the feeling that Opelka could be in for a fairytale week. But this should be a close one.
