Learner Tien vs Reilly Opelka Prediction 5/8/25 Rome Tennis Picks

Learner Tien and Reilly Opelka meet in the first round of the 2025 Italian Open Rome on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Here’s our Learner Tien vs Reilly Opelka prediction. This preview will also include a Learner Tien vs Reilly Opelka pick.

Learner Tien Preview

Learner Tien is ranked 70th in the ATP rankings. It’s his first full season on tour. Tien has posted a 13-10 record, winning 11 matches on hard courts. His best results include reaching the round of 16 of the Australian Open as a qualifier and the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco.

His first taste of the European clay swing will take him to the courts of the Italian Open this week. It will be his first participation in the event. Tien has a negative win-loss record on the surface this season, winning two of only four matches in all competitions. It all began in Houston, where he was vanquished in the opening round by his good friend Alex Michelsen in straight sets. While he impressed in qualifying at the Munich Open, including a stunning straight sets victory against the dangerous Botic van de Zandschulp, he was eliminated at the first hurdle by Tallon Griekspoor. Tien’s next two tournaments both ended in first-round defeats, and he is currently on a three-match losing run.

Reilly Opelka Preview

Reilly Opelka is ranked 94th in the ATP rankings. The tour’s tallest player will make his fourth trip to Rome to compete at the Italian Open. Opelka lost in qualifying on his debut in 2019 and took many by surprise when he reached the semifinal in 2021, only losing to Rafael Nadal. But on his last visit in 2022, he was knocked out in the first round by Stan Wawrinka. This will be his first visit in three years.

Opelka only returned to full-time competition in the second half of last season. This year, he has won 14 of 24 matches, and he’s slowly but surely regained his fitness and match sharpness. His most significant achievement of the season so far was making the Brisbane final in January, in a run that saw him defeat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Opelka has played in three clay-court tournaments in 2025 and has won three and lost three matches so far. He is coming off a quarterfinal run at the Aix-en-Provence Challenger. 

Learner Tien vs Reilly Opelka Head-To-Head

Tien and Opelka have never played before. This will be their first meeting.

Learner Tien vs Reilly Opelka Prediction

This is such a tough call. Look, clay is ill-suited for both of these players. Tien is unproven and inexperienced on clay with a 5-8 lifetime record on the pro tour on this surface. Opelka isn’t an elite mover for a man of his height, and he isn’t the most comfortable on clay, but he’s beaten some top names before thanks to his world-class serve. Tien will look to exploit Opelka’s movement and hope the surface dulls the pace of his serve. That said, I’m going with the games in this one, with a very high possibility that one set goes into a tie-break.