In a match that lacked drama, John Isner won his third consecutive BB&T Atlanta Open title with 6-3, 6-3 victory over an injured Marcos Baghdatis on Sunday at Atlantic Station.
With his parents and English Cocker Spaniel Magill in town, Isner became the eighth active player to achieve a three-peat on the ATP World Tour in winning the 10th title of his career. The former Georgia All-American has won 12 consecutive matches in Atlanta to improve his record to 20-3 in the city.
Using his powerful right arm, Isner dropped only one point on his first serve (27-of-28) and fired 13 aces to total 90 in the tournament.
“A lot of times, playing a wounded opponent is tricky,” Isner said. “You don’t know whether to play really aggressive or passive. For me, I just needed to keep trying to play aggressive and keep going for my shots.”
Isner said even if Baghdatis was healthy, he’d like to think that he would have held serve.
After playing well all week, Baghdatis said he felt a tightness in his groin and a tendon during the second point of Sunday’s match. It was the return of an injury he originally suffered during a tournament in Nottingham, England, in June.
After repeatedly shaking his right leg, Baghdatis left the court between the first and second set to receive treatment and had trouble putting weight on the leg after he returned.
“At the end, it was impossible to control it and compete 100 percent,” he said.
Bob and Mike Bryan won their 107th career doubles title — and first in Atlanta — with a 4-6, 7-6 (2), 10-4 victory over Colin Fleming and Gilles Muller earlier in the day.
The victory came in the same city where the Bryans won their first match as a doubles tandem in 1996. Atlanta is the 13th U.S. city in which they have won a title.
“Every title is special,” Mike Bryan said. “We’re just as happy now winning 107 as winning No. 1.”
The Bryans, the best doubles team in tennis history, have taken four titles this year. The Bryans said they traditionally try to defend titles. They said they will likely decide around the U.S. Open later this year, which is when they typically set their schedule for the following year, if they will return next year.
“We want to come back,” Bob Bryan said.
Isner said he would also like to return in an attempt to win the BB&T Atlanta Open a fourth consecutive time.
“This is my favorite tournament,” he said. “I would love to keep going, for sure.”
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