John Isner topples Jurgen Melzer to enter quarters – Winston-Salem Open 2012
Defending champion, John Isner, eased past the 13th seed, Jurgen Melzer, in straight sets at the Winston-Salem Open 2012 on Wednesday. He nudged up a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Austrian number one to cruise into the final eight at this outdoor
hard court tournament held in North Carolina, United States.
Seeded third in this event, Isner displayed solid performance to outrun the Austrian for the first time in their third outing. After earning the glory in one hour and 11 minutes, the American not only avenged his loss at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships
earlier this season but also moved a step closer towards his second year-to-date title.
"I played well. I served well. I felt my second serve especially well," said the delighted American after pulling out the victory. "It was just a break each set, a lot of time in my matches that’s all it takes. I would’ve liked to have converted more break
points, I was 2 of [9], so gotta improve a little bit there. Overall, I’m very happy with the match and very happy that I’m still alive."
The American top ranked star entered the Wake Forest University in high spirits. He swiftly plucked his entire serves without encountering any breakpoint and got the breakthrough in the last game, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to four.
Ranked 10th in the world, Isner maintained his intensity in the following set. He got the critical break in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead before the Austrian could hold on. The Greensboro native easily bagged his entire serves with
conviction and subsequently clicked the set with a 6-3 success.
The 27-year-old struck 14 aces to pocket the match. He manifested a lower first serve share of 63 per cent as compared to his rival’s 67 per cent but impressively marked 28 out of 33 points on it.
Next in line for Isner is the Belgian contestant, David Goffin, who battled past Poland’s Lukasz Kubot in three sets to occupy this spot. The 21-year-old lost his serve twice but dominated in the third set tie-breaker to register a 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(5) score
line.
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