By Tennis Now | @TennisNow | Friday, February 14, 2025
Photo credit: Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty
You might want to hold onto your hats because things are about to heat up on the tennis court! Reilly Opelka and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard are gearing up for an epic showdown, aiming for the title of the world’s fastest server. This thrilling event, The Ace Challenge Presented by Michelob ULTRA, is set for Sunday, March 2. Not only do they get the glory, but the winner also takes home a generous cash prize—all happening during The MGM Rewards Slam weekend at the fantastic Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Switching gears a bit, let’s talk about Opelka. The 27-year-old powerhouse is making a comeback on the ATP Tour after nearly two years of battling injuries. Opelka, once ranked as high as No.17 back in 2022, has had an impressive start to the year. After his stunning upset against Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International, he managed to outplay Perricard in the semifinals. Unfortunately, a back injury forced him to withdraw from the final.
Mpetshi Perricard, at just 21 and towering at six foot eight, is on quite the roll himself! The young talent had an impressive run last year and is currently sitting at his career-high ATP ranking of No. 30. Known for his monstrous serve, he’s leading the ATP Tour with an average of 19.3 aces per match and holds a whopping 302.1 service rating. Earlier this year, he caught everyone’s attention with a blistering 144 mph serve and last year’s Wimbledon saw him smashing 51 aces in a single match!
The excitement doesn’t stop there. On Saturday, women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face off against Naomi Osaka, a former World No. 1, for the sought-after Lion’s Cup. Sabalenka, who just made the finals at the Australian Open, boasts three Grand Slam singles titles. Meanwhile, Osaka has claimed four Grand Slam trophies, with back-to-back victories at the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Australian Open.
Sunday’s lineup promises more action with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev, and American stars Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. They will compete in a four-player round-robin using 10-point tiebreakers. The top two will then battle it out for the men’s Lion’s Cup in a Championship Tiebreak.
Tickets are up for grabs now at axs.com. Single-day passes start at $55 and you can snag two-day passes for $127.50, plus whatever service charges or fees apply. Don’t miss out on this incredible weekend of tennis!
