John Isner stuns Nicolas Almagro to capture the title – US Men’s Clay Court Championships 2013
Local star, John Isner, upset the top seeded Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro, in straight sets at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships 2013 on Sunday. He jolted down a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the Spanish star to capture his first clay court title at this ATP
(Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 Series event taking place in Houston, United States of America.
Seeded fifth in this event, Isner displayed brilliant tennis to grab his first title on dirt. After bagging this match, the American avenged his defeat at the Davis Cup last season and lowered trail in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against Almagro.
The American star stated in a courtside interview after pocketing the match:
“I've always known I could play well on clay. This week is a little surprising, as Monday was the first day I hit a ball on clay since September. I knew it was going to be a tough adjustment and that I had to find a way to get through my first match. My
second match was really close. I felt I played better each and every round. I played well yesterday and even better today.”
Isner made a sloppy start in this match. He suffered the first blow in the third game and fell at 1-3. However, the American went berserk after that and reeled off five games consecutively. He subsequently clinched the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 23rd in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Isner maintained consistency in his game in the proceeding set. He swiftly bagged his entire serves with poise and got the breakthrough in the second last game, ultimately clicking the
set with a 7-5 success.
Overall, Isner withstood five aces but smacked seven aces to dominate. He spilled only a single double fault as compared to Almagro’s four but bagged 70 points in total. The 27-year-old American clobbered a better first serve share of 57 per cent as opposed
to his rival’s 55 per cent and amazingly marked 30 out of 40 points on it.
With this victory, Isner bagged the prize money and 250 ATP ranking points.
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