Houston (AFP)
American Riley Opelka won the “Giant” confrontation and beat his idol, his compatriot John Isner 6-3 7-6 (9-7), to win the Houston Tennis Championships, taking his tally to four ATP titles.
The final match wore a unique character following it brought together two of the tallest players in the history of the game. Obelka, 24, is 2.11 meters tall, while the 36-year-old Isner is 2.08 meters tall.
The match was special for Opelka, as he was facing a player he considered his idol, according to what he said following the final, saying: He was my idol during my childhood and I admired him even before I met him.
But since we met, we have become best friends and spent a lot of time together during the sessions, and I love him more than before.
The match was not the first between the two players, but rather they had faced each other on five previous occasions, and Opelka confirmed his superiority over his ideal by coming out victorious for the fifth time, which prompted Isner to say following his failure to raise his tally of titles to 17 and to be crowned champion for Houston for the second time following 2013: We’ve had several matches and you keep winning, adding jokingly: I hate you for that.
