It wasn’t as smooth as he had hoped. There were a few too many unforced errors, a second-set swoon, a vicious racket toss and an abundance of frustration.
But in what has become an annual tradition, John Isner advanced to the final of the BB&T Atlanta Open on Saturday, with a 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-1 victory over Matthew Ebden — doing so on the back of his whirling serve and a supportive Atlanta fan base.
“It was, like, not just ugly. To be totally honest, it was like two wounded ducks out there,” Isner said after the match. “Something was ailing (Ebden) — neck, shoulder, something. For me, I was totally spent. Wasn’t the best quality by any means, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Happy to be back in the final.”
With the win, Isner advanced to his eighth Atlanta Open final in nine appearances and moved to 30-4 all-time at the tournament. A mark, he was reminded by a reporter, on par with Roger Federer’s stellar consistency at Wimbledon.
“No way,” Isner said with laugh. “I wish my winning percentage was that good at Wimbledon; I’ll take it here.”
“I’ll take it” became a regular phrase for the former University of Georgia star Saturday afternoon, happy with the result, but displeased with the performance.
Isner’s appearance in the final — just short of a foregone conclusion — appeared to be in doubt in the second set. After breaking Ebden’s serve to go up 2-1, Isner seemed primed to cruise to a straight-sets victory.
Instead, Ebden broke Isner on the next serve, evening up the breaks in the set and throwing Isner for a loop, mentally and emotionally. Each held serve through the set, forcing a tiebreak, where Isner is notoriously strong.
But once again falling out of character, Isner was plagued by unforced errors into the tiebreak, including two double-faults, losing 7-6 to force a decisive third. Throughout the set, Isner was visibly frustrated, out of sorts with his serve and frequently arguing with the official. After losing the tiebreak, Isner chucked his racket to the court. A nervous energy reverberated around the stadium.
“I didn’t like — once I did get broken — I didn’t really like my energy after that,” Isner said. “That’s a big part. It’s an intangible out there. You can’t really (measure) based on strokes or anything like that. My energy wasn’t great. I think that’s what cost me in the second set.”
By now Isner, a four-time champion and the highest-ranked American in the world, is familiar with every nook and cranny at the Atlanta Open. The burdensome heat is hardly a surprise. The bouncy court plays well into his attacking style. The stands are littered with his essentially hometown fans. It has become, ostensibly, his tournament.
He can laugh, but at this tournament Isner is the Roger Federer equivalent.
That familiarity includes any potential opponents, with a potential rematch of last year’s final against his friend Ryan Harrison looming Sunday. Last year, Isner topped Harrison 7-6, 7-6 to claim the crown.
If it’s Harrison again, Isner said, each will be ready for the other.
“If I play Ryan, there’s no secrets there,” he said. “We’re good friends. It’ll be a rematch of last year. If that’s the case, it’ll be cool.”
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