Is Craig Boynton making Riley Opelka’s serve better? Jack Draper discovers… in Miami | ATP Tour
match report
Did Boynton make Opelka’s serve better? Draper found out in Miami…
Quinn defeats Rudd, Paul advances
March 20, 2026
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Craig Boynton and Reilly Opelka have been working together since January.
Sam Jacott
Riley Opelka’s serve has undoubtedly become one of the most feared weapons in tennis, and it doesn’t get much better. This season, however, the American believes he has reached a new level, a progress he attributes to his new coach Craig Boynton, who has previously worked with two of the best servers in the game, John Isner and Hubert Hurkacz.
According to Infosys ATP statistics, Opelka has the second-highest number of aces on Tour in 2025, behind only Taylor Fritz. He made 790 irreversible passes in 49 games and averaged 16.1 aces per game. In 2026, the American has hit 254 aces in just 10 games, raising his average number of serves per game to 25.4.
Opelka joined forces with Boynton in January and heaped praise on the American coach following his second-round win over British southpaw Jack Draper at the Miami Open hosted by ETA on Friday.
“We made some technical changes. Believe it or not, we have been working hard for my return. The statistics don’t show a breakthrough, but if you look at my statistics in the game, there are a lot of positive things happening,” Opelka said after beating Draper 7-6(3), 7-6(0).
“I’m serving really well. I’m serving, the best I’ve ever served. I’m really happy with my movement and my technique. We’re still in the beginning stages, but I couldn’t ask for a better coach.”
Opelka had 27 aces against Nuno Borges in his first-round match in Miami and then had 25 aces against Draper, who was returning from a left arm injury in just his third ATP Tour event. The 28-year-old American advanced to the fourth round with just one win at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since Indian Wells 2022, where he will next face compatriot Taylor Fritz or Botic van de Zandschulp.
In other action on Friday in Miami, Ethan Quinn continued his impressive form with a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over 11th seed Casper Ruud. Quinn won the ATP Challenger Tour in Phoenix last week, defeating Hubert Huckatz in the first round in Miami. He saved seven set points in the second set against Ruud and will face Jiri Lehecka or Frenchman Moise Kouame in the third round at #NextGenATP.
It was a good day for the American star as Tommy Paul beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Paul’s best finish of the season came in Delray Beach, where he reached the finals. The 28-year-old will next face either Flavio Cobolli or Raphael Collignon in Miami.
