Giant slaying: Demon beaten in Cincy by tour powerhouse
The Australian No.1, who's already won a title in Washington during the North American swing, had been hoping for another deep run at the Masters 1000 event in Ohio before the third grand slam of the year in New York.
But despite having never lost previously to the 211cm Opelka, the biggest man on the ATP tour, 'Demon' found the giant too hot to handle on a sizzling Sunday as the world No.73 prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in their second-round clash.
Opelka, who had been defeated in their five previous meetings, was in scintillating form, determined to avoid the ignominy of losing all six matches to the same opponent for the first time in his career.
Going for broke on de Minaur's serve, Opelka not only saved all seven break points he faced in the one-hour 41-minute contest but also blasted down 14 aces among his 38 winners, with the high bounce generated from his booming delivery often forcing the Australian to take the return above shoulder height.
It was a rude shock for world No.8 de Minaur, who's had a Tour-leading 24 hard-court victories this season and who's hoping for the protection of a top-eight seeding in New York. He now has to hope that his nearest pursuers in the rankings don't have a big week in Cincinnati that could scupper that.
"I didn't serve as well as I'd have liked to, but everything else was working," enthused Opelka, whose monster forehand proved a blistering weapon in the first-set tiebreak.
"I was pretty consistent from the baseline the whole match. My serve fluctuated and it was a bit of a surprise that the other things came through well for me today. I think I returned really well too."
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