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By Erik Gudris | Saturday, August 1, 2015

 
John Isner Volley Atlanta Open

Two-time defending champion John Isner goes after his third Atlanta Open title against surprise finalist Marcos Baghdatis.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox


Both top seed John Isner and No. 5 seed Marcos Baghdatis each needed three sets to advance into Sunday's final at the BB&T Atlanta Open. At stake, a first ATP title for each this season.

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Isner, who is the event's two-time defending champion faced off in a first time meeting against fellow American Denis Kudla in the first semifinal. Kudla entered the match on a recent 17-2 win streak that included reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

Kudla, who came through qualifying, played more aggressive tennis early on in the first set. From there, Kudla took the set 6-4.

Isner, who had been trying to place his serve, then decided to go for more in terms of power. That decision proved key as Isner won all 16 service points in the second set to take it 6-2.

The final set went almost down to the wire. Kudla raised his level of play to try and counter Isner's bigger serving. In the late stages of the third set, a tiebreak looked inevitable. Yet it wouldn't come to pass as Isner would break Kudla on his second match point in the 12th game to seal a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win to reach his fifth final in Atlanta.

"I got stronger and stronger as that match went on," Isner later told the AP. This will be Isner's first ATP final since reaching the same stage in Atlanta last year. He is also 19-3 lifetime at the ATP 250 event.

Waiting for Isner will be No. 5 seed Marcos Baghdatis. While Isner has enjoyed repeated success in Atlanta, Baghdatis has been trying to return to an ATP final since doing so in Kuala Lumpur in 2011.

The second semifinal between Baghdatis and No. 7 seed Gilles Muller of Luxembourg proved a back and forth contest right down to the very end. Muller entered the semifinal having not dropped his serve all tournament.

The first set needed a tiebreak with Muller edging past Baghdatis 7-6(4).

Baghdatis would counter in the second set by standing well behind the baseline to receive Muller's serve. That tactic, and perhaps Muller feeling the pressure of trying to reach his first ATP final since Atlanta in 2012, proved key. Muller would hit back to back double faults to give Baghdatis a 2-0 lead.

Baghdatis went on to take the set 6-3 and force a decider.

The final set proved anything but predictable even after Baghdatis took an early 2-1 lead thanks to another Muller double fault.

Muller broke back later at 4-all only to watch Baghdatis break him back for 6-5. That lead proved elusive for Baghdatis who played tentative tennis to hand his opponent the break back and force a final tiebreak.

Baghdatis recovered to take an early 3-0 lead and never looked back. On his first match point, Baghdatis served out the 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) win.

Now into his first final since 2011, Baghdatis must now try to figure out a way to beat Isner for the first time having lost to him in five previous meetings.

"I think (I need) to mess up his game," Baghdatis told ESPN's Brad Gilbert on his tactics against Isner. "I need to get him to take his eye off of the ball and I will do everything I can to find the way to win."

 

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