Opelka takes second at USTA clay nationals

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

Florida's second-best clay court tennis player for 16-year-old boys lives in Palm Coast, and his name is Reilly Opelka.

Opelka took second place after losing in the finals of the USTA Boys 16 National Clay Court Championships earlier this month at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.

Opelka lost to Tommy Paul in two sets, 6-2 and 6-4.

"I don't think I did a good job today with my serve," Opelka said in a story posted on TennisRecruiting.net. "I did OK, but I think I could have done better. (Paul) played really well for sure and he returned my serve well, and I think that was the key to the match for him."

To reach the final, Opelka needed to avenge a loss to fellow USTA Boca Raton roommate, Jake DeVine, who he lost to in three sets at the USTA National Open in Montgomery, Ala., earlier in the month.

Opelka is currently finishing up his sophomore year as a virtual-school student at the USTA Training Center, in Boca Raton.

He won the clay court championships in 2011 as a 14-year-old.

For more coverage, go here. (http://www.tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=1706)

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