In a stress-free match, John Isner coasted to a second-round win over Vasek Pospisel on Wednesday night at the BB&T Atlanta Open in straight sets.
After a first-round bye, Isner’s win moves him into the quarterfinals at the Atlanta Open for an eighth consecutive year. He’s made it to at least the semifinals in every event.
“Of course … I love coming back here,” Isner said after his win. “I’ve said why a million times. I’m very comfortable here, I enjoy playing here. So, I’ve been fortunate that this tournament is here.”
With his win, he moves to 24-4 in the tournament. He’ll face Lucas Lacko in the next round.
Known for his dominant serves, Isner controlled the match with his timely breaks against Pospisel. He broke him early in the first set and quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead before taking the 6-3 win.
In the second set tied at two-apiece, he broke his second game of the match and took total control before winning 6-4.
“I started off well, I held serve out of the gate,” Isner said. “In the blink an eye, I’m up 3-0 and the set’s over. I played with a lot of momentum from that point forward. At 2-all in the second set, I played a great game and kind of put the match away there.”
Isner, who won three consecutive Atlanta Open titles before falling in the finals last year, didn’t allow any break points from Pospisel in the match. He won 40 of his 44 service points and lost just one point on first serves, which he landed 64 percent of. Isner converted on two of his five break points.
“I think I’m just really not thinking too much, just reacting out there, and things are falling my way,” he said.
The match started around 6:30 p.m., which allowed for the scorching temperatures to drop. With shadows set over the court and a heavy breeze blowing in, Isner benefitted from the nicest conditions of any singles match on the day.
“It was incredibly nice,” Isner said. “I played up until Sunday last week in Rhode Island and actually wanted to play on Wednesday night. So, the schedule couldn’t have been any better for me. The sun went down and it was cool. It was perfect conditions to play in my opinion, so it was a perfect start for me.”
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