John Isner overcomes Xavier Malisse in the second round –
Open de Nice Côte d’Azur 2012
American number two, John Isner, needed two tie-breakers to outlast the world number 80, Xavier Malisse of Belgium, in straight sets 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in the second round at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur in France on Wednesday.
Isner and Malisse served exceptionally well throughout the contest. Such was the high standard of their serves that, even on the slow clay courts where even the best servers get broken, they did not lose their serve even once until
the end of the encounter. Break of serve looked like a difficult thing, none of the two even managed to create an opportunity.
In the first set, both players held their serve in the first 12 games to square off the score at 6-6 and take it to a tie-breaker. Isner and Malisse went on equal terms till 3-3 but then the American captured four successive points
to win it 7-6(3).
Isner bombarded eight aces on his opponent and did not commit any double fault. He hit 69 percent of the first serves and won 22 of the 25 points on them. The American also did well on the second deliveries and returns, claiming
seven of the 11 and six of the 14 points on them respectively.
The trend continued in the second set, as Isner and Malisse did not allow each other to break till the end, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. The American made a good start, as he grabbed first two points to move
ahead 2-0 and maintained it till the end, sealing it 7-6(5).
The 6ft 9in tall pounded five aces and 81 percent of the first serves, converting 24 of the 29 of them into points in the second set. On the other hand, Malisse banged in three aces and 63 percent of the first deliveries, winning
17 of the 22 points on them. The Belgian was far ahead in the second serve performance, as he pocketed 10 of the 13 compared to just four of the seven points by Isner. However, the American outplayed Malisse with his superior ground strokes and net play.
Isner needed an hour and 32 minutes to complete a hard earned win over the Belgian contender.
The American will meet Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, who is former world number three, in the quarter-finals. Davydenko ousted seventh seed, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, in three sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the second round.
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