Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
INSIDE: John Isner rolls past del Potro, heads to final.
Isner ends Martin del Potro’s win streak, will face Zverev in final
KEY BISCAYNE — He took to Stadium Court on Friday afternoon knowing his opponent had won 15 consecutive matches, was the crowd favorite and had, less than two weeks ago, saved three championship points to defeat the legendary Roger Federer and win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
None of that seemed to faze John Isner.
The big-hitting American was a force, his serve at times overpowering fifth-seeded Martin del Potro of Argentina during a commanding 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory in the first of two men’s semifinals at the Miami Open.
The 14th-seeded Isner now advances to Sunday’s championship match where he will face another big hitter: fourthseeded Alexander Zverev of Germany, who had 10 aces in his 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the late semifinal.
“He’s played so many matches and he’s understandably sort of running on fumes. So that was certainly a big adJuan
vantage for me. I was much fresher than him, and I think that played a big role today,” said Isner of del Potro. “But also, I did play my game well, so that certainly helped. You know, he’s coming into this match winning so many matches. When you’re that confident, even when you’re super, super tired, you still find a way to win. So I knew he had that on his side. So it was a battle of, you know, me being fresher but him being exhausted but super confident. Fortunately, I was able to win.”
Isner’s appearance in the final helps set up what could be a stellar weekend for American tennis during the final two days of play on Key Biscayne, before the tournament moves to Miami Gardens next year.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, a Plantation native, is set to take on defending French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko in Saturday’s women’s final, while Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will seek their fifth Miami Open doubles title against Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.
For Isner, Sunday’s championship match will be his first on Key Biscayne and just the fourth ATP Masters 1000 final of his career.
He got there in part by using the powerful serve that has become one of his trademarks. Isner notched 13 aces in his win, eight coming in the second set, including two that topped 130 mph and forced the tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, he hit another two aces — one clocked at 138 mph the other at 139 — that del Potro, who showed signs of fatigue throughout 83-minute match, could not handle.
“Well, he has a better serve than me, and then when he plays as good as today, he’s one of the tougher guys on tour,” said del Potro. “I mean, not many players can return his serves. He plays every time making winners. When he has a good day, he has everything to win a title like this. I think he was better for today.”
Still, del Potro — the world’s sixth-ranked player — tried to fight back after Isner dominated the first set in 27 minutes.
With the second set tied at 2, del Potro, backed by a crowd that chanted his name and held up more than a few Argentina flags, notched four quick points to grab his first lead of the day. He later took a 5-4 lead in the second with a shot that fell just inside the net outside of Isner’s reach, but Isner answered, winning two of the next three to force the tiebreak.
Isner now looks to become the first American to win the Miami Open since Andy Roddick in 2010. A win will make him the topranked American on tour and return him to top-10 status.
“Last year in the summer I hit a run of form when I was playing pretty well, but I wasn’t beating the caliber of players that I’m beating now,” Isner said. “I just know with my game, if I’m doing the right things, it doesn’t really matter who I’m playing. I’m going to be very tough to beat. But if I’m on the flip side of that, if I’m not playing too confidently out there and not doing the right things on the court, I can be beaten by anybody, as well. It’s been a very streaky year so far, but I’m very happy to be on the good side of that streak right now.”