Isner outlasts Hewitt to set up meeting with Anderson
ATLANTA: Top seed John Isner and second-seeded Kevin Anderson set up an Atlanta Open final billed as the tallest in ATP tour history with semi-final triumphs on Saturday.
Isner fired 21 aces in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 victory over Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt, while South Africa’s Anderson saved two set points in the 12th game of the second frame to force the tiebreaker en route to a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Ryan Harrison.
In a rivalry that dates back to their US university days, the 2.06m Isner and 2.03m Anderson have met eight times previously, but never in a final. Isner has won five of those meetings, most recently in the quarter-finals at Delray Beach this year.
‘‘John’s very tricky to play. Obviously he’s got one of the best serves probably in the history of the game, and he really uses it well,’’ said Anderson, another big server who fired 14 aces past Harrison.
Isner, a two-time Atlanta runner-up seeking his seventh career ATP crown, improved to 4-2 against Hewitt and avenged two losses to the Australian this year — in the second round at Indian Wells and earlier this month in the semifinals at Newport.
In the third set, Isner went down triple break point in the seventh game but rescued them all with service winners and held.
Hewitt forced another break point in the ninth game but Isner saved it with a serve and volley winner and held for a 5-4 edge on the way to the tiebreaker.
Isner, with the ATP’s most tiebreaker wins this year at 23-6 and wins in both of his prior tiebreakers against Hewitt, opened with a an ace and ripped a forehand winner for a 2-0 lead.
Hewitt fell and Isner hit an easy backhand for a 3-0 advantage but the Aussie, who entered 5-5 in tiebreaks this year, swatted a crosscourt forehand winner but then netted a forehand to hand Isner a 4-1 lead. Hewitt fought back to level at 4-4 when Isner netted a backhand volley. The American answered with his final ace only to have Hewitt respond with a forehand volley winner for 5-5.
Isner reached match point with a backhand volley winner and hit a service winner to take the victory.
Yesterday, in Gstaad, Mikhail Youzhny beat Robin Haase 6-3, 6-4 to become the first Russian in nearly two decades to lift the honours at the high-altitude Swiss Open.
Youzhny broke once per set, for 5-3 and the first and early in the second. But he had to recover from 0-30 down as he served for victory, requiring three match points to get the job done.
‘‘This feels really great,’’ Youzhny said. ‘‘Robin was a tough opponent but I was able to play me best tennis and beat him. It’s been a super week for me.’’
In Umag, third-seeded Fabio Fognini saved three match points on Saturday before reaching the final of the Croatia Open, beating Gael Monfils of France 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 in a match full of momentum swings and turnarounds.
He was to play Tommy Robredo, who beat Andreas Seppi 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.