At close to 7 feet tall, Reilly Opelka strikes an imposing presence when he strides onto the court.
The 22-year-old will have a shot at setting the first impression of 2020 for the U.S. Davis Cup team today, playing in the leadoff spot for a qualifying tie against Uzbekistan at Blaisdell Arena.
The draw for the first Davis Cup event in Hawaii since 1992 was revealed on Thursday at the Sheraton Waikiki, with tour veteran Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan’s No. 1 singles player, slotted against the 22-year-old Opelka in today’s 5 p.m. opening match.
“I like playing first up,” Opelka said. “I’m going to treat it the same as I would any other tournament and go about my business.”
Taylor Fritz, also 22 and the highest ranked member of the U.S. roster at No. 24 in the world, will face Sanjar Fayziev in tonight’s second match.
The youthful U.S. singles lineup will attempt to set the stage for legendary doubles duo Bob and Mike Bryan, who face Istomin and Fayziev at 1 p.m. Saturday in their final Davis Cup match.
If the best-of-five is still in doubt after the doubles match, Fritz is slated to face Istomin, with Opelka taking on Fayziev in the finale. The winner earns a spot in the 18-team Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in November.
Opelka and Istomin, who reached No. 33 in 2012 and enter the week at No. 156, split their previous meetings, with Istomin winning in straight sets in Chicago in 2018 and Opelka pulling out a win in the New York Open last year. They each won a tiebreak in the first two sets before Istomin retired with a thigh injury in the third.
“Obviously it’s going to be a battle. I expect it to be a tough match, just like our last two,” Opelka said. “So if I don’t come ready to play really good tennis, it’s not going to be fun for me.”
Fritz is making his second appearance in Hawaii in a little more than two months. He played in the Hawaii Open at the Stan Sheriff Center in late December and is coming off a run to the final in Acapulco last week.
“I feel like I’m playing my best tennis and everyone has had really good results recently, so we’re all pretty confident coming in,” Fritz said. “I think the main thing is to stay focused and take care of the things we can take care of.”