A LOOK BACK BNP Paribas Primrose (Bordeaux, France): For the 11th time, the ATP Challenger Tour descended on the French city of Bordeaux. And the prestigious €106,000 event would celebrate its first American champion on Sunday. Reilly Opelka rallied from a set down to defeat home hope Gregoire Barrere 6–7(5), 6–4, 7–5 in two hours and 20 minutes, firing 22 aces and saving five of six break points faced. "I served great, served a lot of aces from the first match and competed really hard," said Opelka. "I love it here. Even off the court I've been hanging out in the city a lot and enjoying my time. The architecture is incredible." The title marked Opelka's first clay-court crown at...
Reilly Opelka knows quite well what the ATP Challenger Tour has to offer during its spring clay-court season. One year ago, the big-hitting American blasted into his first semi-final on the surface in Aix-en-Provence, France. And this week, Opelka finds himself in the last four on the green clay of Sarasota, U.S.A., rallying from a break down twice during the tournament. "I am better on hard, so it is nice to get a win on clay, especially when I have been in a slump the last six or seven weeks," said Opelka. "Tennis is such a confidence game, so it is just about finding that confidence when we hit the clay season. This gives me an opportunity to play tomorrow...
For 120 years, sport has been a staple component of life in Bordeaux, France, at the Villa Primrose Club. Several disciplines from fencing, handball, to golf and hockey have kept this community vibrant and active. However, it is tennis that is the true sporting passion at the historic institution, which hosts the BNP Paribas Primrose, a prestigious clay-court event on the ATP Challenger Tour. “The club was created in 1897 by families linked to the wine trade, harbour business and the banking world,” said tournament director Jean-Baptiste Perlant. “The founders, avid tennis fans, engrained an entrepreneurial spirit, we can say competition is in the club’s genetic make up." A decade after its opening, the first Primrosiens Cup in 1907 enabled players...
Thanasi Kokkinakis labels the past 18 months of his career as a “rollercoaster”. That’s a slight understatement as the Australian has endured a brutal battle with injuries. “It feels good, it’s been a while,” stated Kokkinakis. “I played my last proper ATP World Tour match in October 2015 (in Valencia), I just can’t wait to get onto the singles court really. The biggest target is to stay healthy. I hope the results will come, but I need to stay on court healthy and build up my work load from there.” The 21 year old burst into prominence in 2015, reaching a career-high No. 69 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, before shoulder surgery halted his blossoming career. A brief return in...
