John Isner outmuscles Lleyton Hewitt for final showdown – BB&T Atlanta Open 2013
Top seed and two time finalist, John Isner, took down the former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt, in a three-set thriller at the BB&T Atlanta Open 2013 on Saturday. He clobbered 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) victory against the Australian icon to secure a final spot
at this first tournament of the Emirates Airways US Open Series.
The former Top 10, Isner, re-ignited his spark for final berth at this hard court event. He prevailed in the third set’s tie-breaker to overpower the Aussie in two hours and 23 minutes. Both players were meeting each other for the third time this season
but Isner recorded his first victory. As a result, the local star not only avenged his loss in Newport earlier this month but also lowered trail in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 2-5 against Hewitt.
“I thought I played very well,” said Isner. “It’s a case where I’m getting more comfortable, now that it’s my third match out there. I was able to go for my shots more in this match than I was in my previous matches.”
Isner made a smooth start in this battle. He swiftly slid his entire serves and got the breakthrough in the last game, consequently pulling out the opener with a 6-4 score line.
Ranked 64th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Hewitt turned the tides towards his favour in the following set. He drew the first blood in the third game and jumped to a 2-1 lead. Despite squandering his edge in the very next game,
the Aussie put his head in the match. He cashed another break chance in the seventh game and grabbed the equaliser with a 6-4 win.
In the deciding set both players played carefully. The world number 22, Isner easily bagged his entire serves but failed to convert any break opportunity to his advantage. However, he lifted his game in the tie-breaker and eventually sealed the decider with
a 7-6(5) victory.
Isner will square off against the second seed, Kevin Anderson, in the title-round. The south African number one fended off late resistance to halt the local contestant, Ryan Harrison, with a 6-3, 7-6(3) score line.
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