By Tennis Now | @TennisNow | Friday, February 14, 2025
Photo credit: Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty
Tennis balls will be endangered species when Reilly Opelka faces Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard for title of world’s fastest server.
Two of the game’s biggest servers will square off Sunday, March 2 in The Ace Challenge Presented by Michelob ULTRA to earn the title of the game’s fastest serve. The winner will take home a cash prize as part of the The MGM Rewards Slam weekend at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
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The 27-year-old Opelka looks to make his way back up the ATP Tour rankings, where he reached a career high No. 17 in 2022, following nearly two years off due to injury. One day after upsetting all-time men’s Grand Slam wins leader Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International to start the year, Opelka downed Perricard in the semifinals before pulling out of the final due to a back injury.
The six-foot-eight, 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard had a breakout year in 2024 and owns a current career-high ATP ranking of No. 30. He leads the ATP Tour with an average of 19.3 aces per match and is currently ranked No. 1 with a 302.1 service rating. He made headlines earlier in the year with a booming 144 miles-per-hour serve. Last year at Wimbledon, he cracked 51 aces in one match.
In Saturday’s main event, women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face off against former No. 1 Naomi Osaka for the coveted Lion’s Cup. Sabalenka, the recent Australian Open finalist from Belarus, is a three-time Grand Slam singles champion while Japan’s Osaka has earned four Grand Slam titles, including her first two back-to-back at the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 Australian Open.
In Sunday’s action, men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev and Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, ranked Nos. 4 and 9, respectively, will participate in a four-player round-robin event using 10-point tiebreakers. The two players with the highest points will compete in a Championship Tiebreak for the men’s version of the Lion’s Cup.
Tickets are on sale now via axs.com. Single-day tickets start at $55 and two-day tickets at $127.50, not including applicable service charges or fees.
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