John Isner strains past James Blake in the second round – Atlanta Tennis Championships 2011
One of the most enthralling contests of the tournament was witnessed on Wednesday afternoon, when the world number 35, John Isner of America, took down his unseeded fellow compatriot, James Blake in the second round of Atlanta
Tennis Championships, being played in Atlanta, the United States.
The three-set marathon thriller took two hours and fifty minutes to conclude, with the third seed Isner settling the final scores at 7-6(8), 6-7(3), 7-5, to make it to earn a place in the quarter-finals of the ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
It was an evenly poised contest, with a quality hard-court tennis display from both men. Blake hung in the contest all the way and bagged the second set to keep the contest even but it was the sheer brilliance of Isner which disposes
him out of the competition in the third set. A number of momentum swings take place in the matchup but Isner exhibited his steely nerves to absorb pressure in all crucial situations.
Intense tennis was witnessed in the opening set, with both men failing to register a serve break. a regular game was witnessed, with exchanges of assertive winners and brilliant stroke play from the two contestants. 12 thudding
aces were fired from Isner’s racquet and he reeled off 26 out of 29 first serve points, without converting a break point opportunity to level the scores at 6-6. A tie breaker round followed, which also went on neck-to-neck, stretching to a total of 18 points
before Isner closed out the opener at 7-6(8) to get one up in the contest.
The following set took off with an early trade of serve breaks from both contestants, followed by a routine game to reach 6-6. Once again a tie breaker round was enforced in the matchup but Blake turned out to be much aggressive
this time round and clinched the second set at 7-6(3).
Action continued in the final set as well and again no serve breaks were seen till 5-5. It appeared as if the game will enter a tie breaker round for the third consecutive time but a timely serve break from Isner proved decisive
for him, as he served out of the contest at 7-5 to make it into the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Up next for Isner in the quarter-final is Yen-Hsun Lu, who defeated the Australian qualifier, Marinko Matosevic in the second round of the tournament.
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