The good news for Milos Raonic is that he won't have to play two matches in the same day. The bad news is that the 29-year-old Canadian lost his semifinal on Sunday at the Delray Beach Open to American Reilly Opelka, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
After weather forced the semifinal to be postponed Saturday night, Raonic and Opelka faced the prospect of having to play the semi and final within a matter of hours on Sunday. World No. 37 Raonic was favored to take down 56th-ranked 22-year-old Opelka, and seemed to be well on his way to a double match day after a tidy first set in which Raonic claimed the only break point.
However, the young American showed considerable fight in the second set, with both men holding serve throughout to force a tiebreak. Even the decider was well-balanced, with Opelka saving a match point with a well-timed ace to turn the tide and push the match to a third set.
MORE: Auger-Aliassime falls in Open 13 final
The momentum of the tiebreak remained with Opelka in the final frame, with the youngster converting on two-break point opportunities to grab an insurmountable lead on the way to his first win over Raonic.
Never give up 👏
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 23, 2020
Opelka saves match point with an ace and bests Raonic 4-6 7-6(6) 6-3 to earn the right to play Nishioka for the #DBOpen title. pic.twitter.com/x7jJqTtAP1
As for Raonic, he's still looking to make his first final since the championship match of the 2018 Stuttgart Open, which he lost to Roger Federer.