Reilly Opelka delays Chengdu Open debut as he pulls out of event

• Tennis News
• American Tennis

Rising American star Reilly Opelka won't be making his debut at the Chengdu Open next week as he has withdrawn from the Chinese ATP 250 level event. Opelka, 22, last played at the US Open, where he disappointingly suffered a straight-set loss against German qualifier Dominik Koepfer in the second round.

Opelka, ranked at No. 50 in the world, will take at least one more week off to recover from his North American hard-court campaign, in which he played a total of four tournaments. The 22-year-old's best run this summer came on the hard-courts of the Atlanta Open, where he made the semifinal before losing to Alex de Minaur of Australia.

Meanwhile, a place in the Chengdu main draw has opened for rising 22-year-old Kazakh Alexander Bublik following the withdrawal of former world No. 42 Opelka. World No. 70 Bublik is set for a Chengdu debut as he has no previous appearances at the tournament.

Bublik, who is a enjoying a breakthrough season on the tour, will be hoping to make a good result in Chengdu and bounce back from this week's first round exit at the St. Petersburg Open.