By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, November 5, 2016
John Isner blasted 18 aces beating Marin Cilic for the first time in seven meetings, 6-4, 6-3, to reach his first Paris final against Andy Murray.
Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
Eyes riveted on the ball, John Isner unloaded a running roundhouse forehand pass that left Marin Cilic frozen at net while the towering American threw fierce fist pump in celebration.
Winless in six prior meetings with Cilic, a commanding Isner hit 18 aces and several running strikes knocking out his nemesis, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the Paris Masters final.
More: Murray Displaces Djokovic as New No. 1
The 31-year-old Isner completed a fistful of firsts beating Cilic for the first time, reaching the BNP Paribas Masters final for the first time and surpassing Ivo Karlovic for first place in the ATP ace race with 1,141 aces on the season, including 88 in five wins this week.
Reaching his third career Masters 1000 final assures Isner of cracking the year-end Top 20 for the seventh straight season and will mark his fifth consecutive year as the top-ranked American.
The low bounce of the indoor court can making the task of catching up to the 6'10" Isner's blurring serve as tough as trying to catch a tic tac tossed off the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Isner served 80 percent, dropped just five points on his first serve and faced only one break point roaring through four consecutive games to close. But this wasn't just a serving display, Isner beat the 2014 US Open champion in all phases of the game, more than tripling Cilic's winner total (36 to 11), winning 11 of 18 trips to net, passing with accuracy and even showing aggression on return.
Isner, the first American to reach the final since Andre Agassi defeated Marat Safin in the 1999 title match, will face Andy Murray in tomorrow's championship match.
A walkover win vaulted Murray into the Paris Masters final and past Novak Djokovic for the world No. 1 ranking.
The Wimbledon champion will officially assume the top spot when the new ATP rankings are released on Monday.
Murray ascended to No. 1 without striking a shot today as scheduled semifinal opponent Milos Raonic withdrew after suffering a tear in his right quadriceps muscle during his 6-2, 7-6 (4) quarterfinal victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday night.
A face-off of Fila endorsers began with jitters.
A day after snapping his 14-match losing streak against Djokovic, a tight Cilic showed the tension of being the favorite facing three break points in the opening game. The Basel champion denied them all, dotting all areas of the service box in navigating a six-minute hold to open.
Isner answered digging out of a love-30 hole scorching three aces followed by a a serve-and-volley winner to level. That was the last time Isner was challenged on serve in the set.
In the seventh game, the former all American at Georgia made the 2014 US Open champion pay for rushing net.
Dipping a low pass at Cilic's shins, Isner followed cracking a running crosscourt forehand for double break point. Attacking again, Cilic nudged a short volley into net as Inser erupted in celebration breaking for 5-4.
Throwing down the hammer, Isner thumped four successive aces blasting through eight of the last nine points for a one-set lead after 36 minutes. Isner slammed 10 aces and won all 16 of his first-serve points in an imposing set.
The futility of facing an in-form Isner was apparent in the second game. Cilic smoked two terrific forehand passes for his only break point of the match, but did not touch the ball again as Isner erupted with three massive aces holding for 2-all.
Facing triple break point in the seventh game, Cilic cracked lining a flat forehand into net to fall behind 3-4.
An empowered Isner roped a forehand winner backing up the break at love. Isner won 18 of the final 23, ending a masterful 70-minute performance drawing a backhand error.
Isner snapped a six-match losing streak to Top 10 opponents and a six-match skid vs. Cilic reaching his first final since losing to Nick Kyrgios in Atlanta. Now, the big man will try to beat new No. 1 Murray for the the first time.