Isner Finds A Break… Just In Time
Isner Finds A Break… Just In Time
John Isner broke at exactly the right time on Sunday to start his Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The 13th seed broke Dusan Lajovic for the first time as the Serbian served to stay in the match at 5-6 in the third set and advanced 7-6(3), 1-6, 7-5 at the season’s seventh ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Lajovic had saved all four break points prior to that. Isner, the 2013 finalist and 2017 semi-finalist, hit 27 aces and won 80 per cent (59/74) of his first-serve points.
More From #CincyTennis
* Roger Erases SW19 Flashbacks With… Caravaning?
* Who Can Stop The Big Three? Djokovic Looks At Prime Candidates
* Cincinnati Draw Preview
* All You Need To Know
* Can You Pass Our #CincyTennis Quiz?
The top-ranked American will next meet the winner between Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta and Frenchman Gilles Simon.
#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur improved to 3-1 against Italy’s Marco Cecchinato in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2 win. The BB&T Atlanta Open champion will next meet the winner between American Reilly Opelka and 12th seed Borna Coric of Croatia.
“These wins are often the ones that count the most,” De Minaur said. “To be able to come back from not playing my best tennis and turn it around… I’m really happy to get the win.”
In doubles, seventh seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers escaped past Felix Auger-Aliassime/Matteo Berrettini 7-6(5), 2-6, 10-4, and fifth-seeded Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut advanced past Croatians Nikola Mektic/Franko Skugor 6-3, 6-7(6), 12-10.