Reilly Opelka urges ATP to fire umpire following Dallas Open controversy

An entry into the quarter-finals was not calming enough for American ace Reilly Opelka at the Dallas Open. Ranked lower than the top 100 in ATP standings, Opelka faced Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16 clash at the Dallas Open. After a setback in the opening set, Opelka claimed a come-from-behind victory as he defeated the 63rd-ranked Norrie 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2022. However, as it stands now, the clash has grabbed the headlines not for Opelka's win against Norrie but for his antics during the match that earned him a point penalty.

Reilly Opelka fumes at Greg Allensworth for penalising him in the Round of 16 clash at Dallas Open

The Round of 16 clash between Reilly Opelka and Cam Norrie was far from seamless at the Dallas Open. While Opelka kept up his game against the higher-ranked opponent, the American couldn't keep his emotions in check. Having lost the first set, Opelka had an uphill battle ahead of him as he looked to book a quarter-finals spot. In a tense moment, the 29-year-old let his nerves get the better of him as he confronted a spectator. Serving at 5-4 in the second set and with the game hanging in the balance at 30-30, Opelka accused a spectator of purposely coughing to distract him from the serve. Opelka's charge against the spectator was filled with expletives as the umpire took notice of the incident.

"You doing it on f****** purpose or what?" he said. "Go the f*** inside, buddy," Opelka shot at the spectator.

Match umpire Greg Allensworth didn't react kindly to Opelka's antics, handing the American a point penalty. While Opelka protested, the damage was done as he went down a break point. The American staged an impressive comeback from there onwards, saving the point to win the set and subsequently the match. However, the victory didn't overshadow the incident for Opelka, who refused to shake the umpire's hand following the match. The issue escalated further when the American ace called for Greg Allensworth to be suspended by the ATP.

"He's real bad. He almost changed the outcome of that match just because he doesn't really know what he's doing. He got emotional when we were arguing," Opelka said after his victory. "Greg Allensworth was the worst ref in the institute. Definitely, like, the worst umpire on tour. He almost changed the outcome of that match just because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing," he added.

"If the ref isn’t doing his job and then he penalizes me, it’s not a good look. Almost changed the outcome of the match. He gets no penalty. If I lose that point, I lose that match—that’s a difference in my paycheck. He gets no repercussions," the player further lashed out.

With this victory, Opelka leveled his head-to-head record against Cam Norrie, having faced the higher-ranked player four times in his career. Lined up ahead for Opelka in the Dallas Open is a quarter-final clash against compatriot and defending champion at the ATP 500 event, Tommy Paul.