Kyrgios Clutch Again: Nick Beats Isner To Set Zverev Final

Nick Kyrgios backed up his Acapulco wins against top seed Rafael Nadal and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka with a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(7) victory against third seed John Isner as Friday evening turned into Saturday morning, reaching the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The 23-year-old Australian is into his first ATP Tour final since winning his fourth tour-level title last January in Brisbane. Kyrgios will face reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev on Sunday for his fifth ATP Tour crown.

Two nights after saving three match points in a final-set tie-break against Nadal, Kyrgios once again found a flair for the dramatic against Isner. Despite giving up a mini-break advantage twice in the third-set tie-break, the Aussie converted his third match point with a stick-save drop-shot winner from the baseline to triumph after two hours and 21 minutes, just past 1 a.m. local time.

Battling Isner, who entered the match with a tournament-leading 75 aces, it was Kyrgios who won in that department, too. The former World No. 13 was broken just once in 18 service games, delivering 25 aces to Isner’s 24 and winning 82 per cent of his first-serve points. Kyrgios began the second set by hitting six aces from eight first serves.

There was little difference between the two players as the midnight oil burned in Mexico. Kyrgios saved two break points from 15/40 in the first set with big serves, while two double faults got Isner in trouble on his serve at 5-5. The American missed an inside-out forehand on Kyrgios’ fourth break chance of the game, allowing the Aussie to serve out the set.

It was much of the same in the second set, with the players appearing destined for a tie-break. But Isner placed several returns deep in the court late in the set, and Kyrgios dumped a backhand into the net to send the pair to a decider.

In four previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings between the two, Kyrgios had won all five of their tie-breaks. The Aussie made it 6-0 with his victory in the deciding-set tie-break. Kyrgios earned a mini-break for 3/1, before Isner swatted away a forehand volley to get back on serve. The Aussie did well to return a big first serve on his first match point at 6/5, but Isner hammered an inside-out forehand for a winner. After Kyrgios earned a second match point, on his own serve at 7/6, the unseeded player hit a down-the-line backhand well wide to give Isner hope. 

But Kyrgios hit a big forehand winner to earn a third opportunity to reach the final. And while the 6’10” American scrambled well to hook a running forehand down the line, Kyrgios was able to scoop it up on the short hop, just over the net, and Isner could not get there in time. Isner won three more points than Kyrgios in the match, but the men embraced with smiles on their faces after a well-fought battle.

Kyrgios arrived in Acapulco on a seven-match losing streak against opponents inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. But with his victories against Nadal and Isner, the Aussie is now 17-28 against the elite group. The right-hander is the No. 72 player in the world this week, his lowest standing since he was No. 70 the week of 4 August 2014. But thanks to his performance at this ATP 500 event, he is guaranteed to return to the Top 50 on Monday.

Kyrgios has lost his past two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against World No. 3 Zverev, his opponent in the final. But the Aussie once led their series 3-1, with two of his three victories coming in straight sets, and they are now tied at 3-3. The pair’s latest meeting in a tournament came in Beijing two years ago, where Kyrgios defeated Zverev in a 78-minute semi-final.

Did You Know?
Kyrgios has now won five consecutive final-set tie-breaks, while Isner has lost three of his past four.