By Chris Oddo | Wednesday March 28, 2018
John Isner rolled past Hyeon Chung to book a spot in the Miami semis for the second time in four years.
Clive Brunskill/Getty
ATP players beware: Big John Isner is in one of those moods.
The American has turned around a dismal season with a torrid stretch in Miami and he continued his fine form on Wednesday with a 6-1, 6-4 thumping of South Korea’s Hyeon Chung at Key Biscayne.
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Isner, who entered the season with just two wins to his name, has tripled his win total and sets up a clash with either Milos Raonic or Juan Martin del Potro with his third victory in four matches with Chung.
He was dominant from the start and never let up.
"Every match I've played this tournament, I've gotten better,” Isner told ESPN’s Darren Cahill after the match. “So I keep getting stronger--and that's a very, very good sign going forward.”
Isner hammered 13 aces and won 31 of 32 first-serve points to keep Chung off balance, and he saved the only break point he faced early in the second set just when it looked as if the 21-year-old might be getting some traction in the match.
The problem for Chung was that he could not keep the Isner return game at bay. Chung entered the match having not given up a break but surrendered three to Isner over the course of the 68-minute match.
“He’s a great player but it was a combination of me playing very well and maybe him being a little bit off,” said Isner. “That’s how tennis goes sometimes and I’ll take it.”
Three breaks is a recipe for disaster against Isner, particularly in the Miami conditions that he loves so much.
“It bounces up high, the court’s not too fast but the ball gets through the air pretty quickly,” said Isner. “It’s perfect conditions. I’ve played well here in the past and I’m just so happy that I’m playing well here again.”
Isner improves to 17-10 lifetime at Miami with his win. He has also gone 17-6 in Masters 1000 events over the last 52 weeks, reaching four semifinals (Rome, Cincinnati, Paris and Miami) in that span.