John Isner ousts Ryan Harrison in first round – Hall of Fame Tennis Championships 2013
In a repeat of last year’s semi-final, John Isner triumphed over his compatriot, Ryan Harrison, in straight sets at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships 2013 on Monday.
He recorded a 7-6(0), 6-2 victory against the youngster to defend his title at this ATP World Tour 250 series event being held in Newport.
There was a sense of déjà vu in this battle as Isner recorded a similar score line to his last meeting at this event with Harrison. Last year, the higher ranked American conquered the opening set in a tie-breaker and then capitalised on two break chances
in the following set to claim the victory. This season both challengers battled each other four times. Isner lost in their first encounter but currently leads 3-1 against his compatriot.
The higher ranked American stated in a post match presser, “He’s a good grass-court player, and he’s also a player I’m good friends with, but if it’s him, I don’t want to lose to. It’s important to win matches like that. I’m one of the top-ranked Americans
and I want to continue to stay that way for as long as I possibly can, and beating guys like Ryan helps.”
In the opening set both challengers displayed brilliant tennis. They played carefully and held their respective serves with poise. The set went to a tie-breaker where Isner went berserk and subsequently sealed the opener with a 7-6(0) win.
Ranked 19th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Isner kept momentum rolling in the following set. He drew the first blood in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. After Harrison held his serve in the proceeding game, the seeded American stroke
out the last three games and clinched the set with a 6-2 score line.
On the whole, the former Top 10 manifested a better first serve share of 62 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 58 per cent and spectacularly clicked 30 out of 32 points on it. He was never threatened with any break chance and converted two out of seven break
opportunities to his advantage. Spicing his performance further, Isner fired 11 ferocious aces and spilled only two double faults.
The 28-year-old will square off against France’s Adrian Mannarino who overpowered the 2002 runner-up, James Blake, with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 victory. Isner is eyeing to extend his winning streak on grass courts to 12 straight matches. The Frenchman on the other
hand climbed 36 spots after securing a fourth round berth at the Wimbledon Championships last week. He is currently standing at number 75 in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings.
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