Orlando resident Reilly Opelka came out on top of a strong field to win the all-unseeded final at the BNP Paribas Primrose, a $100,000 ATP Challenger-level event in Bordeaux, France, defeating Frenchman Gregoire Barrere 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5.
“This week says a lot about my fitness, my tennis, how well I’m competing,” Opelka told members of the media afterwards.
It was his second career Challenger-level title after Charlottesville, Va., in 2016.
The Top 4 seeds in Bordeaux were ATP tour regulars Jeremy Chardy, Pierre-Herbert, Radu Albot and Nicolas Mahut.
The 20-year-old Opelka en route to the final did not face a seeded player, defeating Frenchmen Constant Lestienne and Benjamin Bonzi, fellow Floridian Stefan Kozlov, and former French Open semifinalist Ernests Gulbis of Latvia without dropping a set on the red clay.
In the final Opelka landed 22 aces and broke his opponent in the 11th game of the third set before closing it out 7-5. He improved to 2-0 in career ITF/USTA Pro Circuit finals, and rose to No. 144 on the ATP rankings.
American Bradley Klahn won the doubles title with Canadian Partner Peter Polansky, in the final defeating the Argentine pairing of Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.
