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WATCH: Venus Williams Roots for Friend Reilly Opelka While He Plays Against Jack Sock in Delray

Published 02/17/2022, 10:12 PM EST

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Venus Williams has had a legendary tennis career that spans several years. She initiated the dominance of the Williams’ sisters on the women’s circuit. Moreover, she won her first WTA title at the age of 18. Her win in 1998 was just the beginning of many titles and glories to come.

To date, Venus has clinched seven Grand Slam singles titles. Additionally, she paired up with her younger sister to win an astonishing 14 major titles in women’s doubles. The duo also has three Olympic gold medals to their credit. Venus is a former World Number 1 in both singles and doubles competition.

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The ATP 250 Delray Beach Open is currently underway and the now-iconic Venus Williams attending one of the matches at the tournament.

Venus Williams cheers for her friend Reilly Opelka

Reilly Opelka was up against fellow American Jack Sock in the second round of the Delray Beach Open. The elder Williams sister attended the match and motivated her friend Reilly Opelka.

She proved to be a lucky charm for Opelka, as he prevailed in the close second round encounter 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 in 2 hours and 17 minutes. In an all-American clash, the match began with both of them holding their serves in the opening set. None of them were able to penetrate their opponent’s serve as the first set entered into the tie-break. Jack Sock eventually won the first set, clinching the tie-breaker 8-6.

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via Reuters

Further, the second set moved along similar lines as the first set. No break of serves ensued. However, this time, Opelka held his nerves to win the second set in the tie-breaker.

The third set was a rather one-sided affair. Opelka broke Sock’s serve on two occasions and clinched the match by winning the third set 6-1. He will next face the winner of Adrian Mannarino vs Brandon Nakashima’s match in the quarterfinals.

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Venus’ friendship with Opelka

Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka are close friends. They are often seen hanging out with each other. The duo loves spending time with each other and attended the Art Basel in Miami together. Further, they also walked the red carpet together at the King Richard movie premiere in Los Angeles.

 

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A post shared by Reilly Opelka (@reillyopelka)

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Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka maintain a healthy relationship, and their friendship continues to blossom.

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Written by:

Vatsal Shah

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Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.
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