American Riley Opelka won the “Giant” confrontation and outperformed his ideal of compatriot John Isner 6-3 7-6 (9-7), to win the Houston Tennis Championships Sunday, raising his tally to four titles in the ATP tournaments.
The final match wore a unique character after it brought together two of the tallest players in the history of the game. Opelka (24 years old) is 2.11 m tall, while the 36-year-old Isner is 2.08 m tall.
The match was special for Opelka, as he was facing a player he considered his ideal, according to what he said after the final, saying, “He was my highest ideal during my childhood and I admired him even before I met him.”
But since he met him, “we became best friends and spent a lot of time together during the tournaments, and I loved him more than before.”
Sunday’s 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, prompting Isner to say after failing to raise his tally of titles to 17 and crowning Houston’s champion for the second time a year later. 2013: “We have faced each other in several matches and you continue to beat me,” adding jokingly, “I hate you for that.”