By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 20, 2017
Alexander Zverev hit more aces than John Isner and broke three times in a 6-4, 6-7, 6-1, triumph to reach his first Masters 1000 final in Rome.
Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Emerging from a shadow, the sight of 6’10” John Isner rumbling to net behind his twisting serve offers little wiggle room for returners.
Alexander Zverev shattered a sizeable obstacle with a convincing strike.
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Whipping an angled backhand return to break in the final set, Zverev broke open the match.
Playing with poise and hitting with penetrating power, Zverev downsized Isner, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1, soaring into his first Rome final.
The 20-year-old Zverev thumped a smash to end a one hour, 57-minute triumph that sent him into his first career Masters 1000 final. He is the first German to advance to a Masters title match since Nicolas Kiefer, who bowed to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Toronto final.
Hitting with conviction from the outset, Zverev converted three of five break points against one of the game’s most menacing servers. Zverev saved all three break points he faced in the fifth game of the final set, raising his clay-court record to 15-3 this season.
The 16th-seeded German plays for his third title of the season against either four-time champion Novak Djokovic or eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who snapped Rafael Nadal’s 17-match winning streak with a straight-sets win in yesterday’s quarterfinals.
Zverev is the youngest Masters finalist since a 19-year-old Djokovic collected his first Masters crown at the 2007 Miami Open, but with a former ATP pro father as a coach and a current ATP pro, brother Mischa, as his frequent practice partner and sometime mentor, Zverev exudes a veteran’s confidence on court these days.
The fact he has practice with Isner several times in Saddlebrook and carried a 2-0 record against the 24th-ranked American onto court helped settle semifinal jitters. Though Isner made history as the first man to eclipse 100 aces in a single Rome tournament, Zverev out-aced the big man (12 to 8) and won 20 of the first 22 points played on his serve.
Zverev’s two-handed backhand is a damaging weapon. He deployed backhand versatility to carve out the first break.
Banging his two-hander crosscourt to displace Isner, Zverev shrewdly played a short slice backhand down the line breaking with a clenched fist for 3-2.
Zapping an ace, Zverev earned triple set point. Isner pasted a forehand into the middle of the net ending the opening set.
Hanging tough on his own serve throughout the second set, Isner edged ahead 6-5.
The towering American got a glimpse of opportunity when Zverev double-faulted to fall behind 15-30 in the 12th game. The German cleaned up his game, landed his penetrating first serve and worked through the test to force the tie break.
Doubles partner and Davis Cup teammate Jack Sock was gnawing on his nails in the support box as Isner drew a forehand error to earn the first mini break. Zverev spit up his second double fault donating the second mini break and a 3-0 lead to his sometime practice partner.
Swinging freely, Isner pumped his eighth ace for 5-0. A sweeping slider serve set up a forehand drop volley giving Isner three set points at 6-3.
An aggressive second serve set up an authoritative inside-out forehand as Isner closed the set to level after 85 minutes.
Timing the ball beautifully, Zverev was consistently beating the bigger man in baseline rallies pounding away at Isner's weaker backhand wing.
In the second game, Isner tried to mix it up and serve and volley but netted a drop volley to face break point. Attacking again on a serve-and-volley, Isner paid the price as Zverev punished his two-handed pass crosscourt breaking with a fist pump for 2-0.
Stretching the lead with strong self-assurance, Zverev zipped through a three-ace game for a 3-0 advantage.
Still, Isner wasn’t done.
Pounding a return off a second serve that sat up in the middle of the box, Isner followed blasting a forehand winner down the line for triple break point.
Both men were grunting with vigor when Zverev cracked his 12th ace to save the first break point, won a long rally to erase the second then battered an error out of the Isner backhand to deny the third.
Streaking through five straight points, Zverev erupted in an extended scream celebrating a spirited hold for 4-1.
That game depleted a disconsolate Isner, who pushed a drop volley into net to face another break point. When Isner slapped a flat forehand into the middle of the net, Zverev had his third break and a 5-1 lead.