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By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 30, 2018

 
John Isner

John Isner cranked 39 winners and did not face break point snapping Juan Martin del Potro's 15-match winning streak, 6-1, 7-6 (2), to power into the Miami final.

Photo credit: Miami Open

A raucous crowd created a charged atmosphere for the final Miami Open semifinals staged at Crandon Park.

Demolition man John Isner blasted serves as if trying to bring down the back wall.

Watch: Miami Open LIVE Blog

Drilling 13 aces, Isner disarmed a depleted Juan Martin del Potro, 6-1, 7-6 (2) snapping the Indian Wells champion’s 15-match winning streak and charging into his first Miami final.




The 14th-seeded Isner, who will surpass Jack Sock as the highest-ranked American man on Monday, is the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2010 to reach the Miami championship match.

Isner not only defused the hottest player in the sport, he overwhelmed the world No. 6 in the process. Isner nearly quadrupled del Potro’s total winners (39 to 10), permitted just six points on his first serve and did not face a break point in the match.

“The first set was pretty easy; he’s understandably so tired—he’s played so many matches at Indian Wells—so I was fortunate to get a del Potro who’s very, very low on fuel,” Isner told ESPN’s Brad Gilbert afterward. “The key for me was holding my serve. I did that and I was able to take advantage of opportunities in the tie break.”

The 32-year-old American will face fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev in the Easter Sunday final.

Zverev dismissed 16th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta, 7-6 (4), 6-2. 

"I'm just going to focus on what I do well and come up with a game plan," Isner said. "Sascha, I mean, he's the best young player this game has."

The lanky Isner who stumbled through a 2-6 start to the season, extended his singles winning streak to five matches taking down another powerful former Grand Slam champion. 

"I've played a lot of big matches where I wasn’t able to free up," Isner said afterward. "You gotta tell yourself to go for it. I’m playing the best tennis I played in a very, very long time. I’m so happy to be doing it here."




Del Potro hit the  physical wall and struggled to get a good hit on the buzzing Isner serve.

"As always, I have been feeling tight in all my body for the last couple of weeks, but when I get into the court I love to play tennis," del Potro said. "I got too much love from the fans, and maybe that pains go away during the match.

"But today John plays better. I don't have any skills for that. He was better than me, and he deserved to win."

Partnering Jack Sock to win the Indian Wells doubles title early this month, Isner showed forward thinking blocking a forehand volley winner to break for 2-0. Hammering heavy aces in succession, Isner imposed a quick hold for 4-1.

Isner banged a jolting return right back yat the 2009 US Open champion banging out another break for 5-1.

Muting the pro del Potro crowd, Isner served 71 percent, slammed five aces and won 13 of 15 first-serve points dominating the 27-minute opening set.

Rarely do you see del Potro, who possesses one of the game’s most devastating forehands, get beat so thoroughly in forehand exchanges, but Isner was nuking his forehand with such force the ball sounded dangers as it crashed into the corners corners.

Scalding a 100 mph forehand, Isner leveled after four games of the second set. By then, he’d cracked 13 more forehand winners (14 to 1) than del Potro.

Though he wasn’t hitting his first-serve with its typical volatility, del Potro still stamped successive love holds for a 4-3 second-set lead.

Staring down break point in the ninth game, del Potro pounded a 121 mph body serve into the rib cage to deny it. An ace out wide helped the Indian Wells champion hold for 5-4 as Argentine fans erupted in a sing-song soccer chant of “Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Delpo! Delpo!”

Throughout the match, Isner’s ability to mute one of the game’s biggest hitters—and a charged-up crowd—helped him sustain control. He powered through a two-ace game leveling after 10 games.

Blasting through a three-ace game, Isner forced the eighth tie break between the pair.




Taking the initiative, Isner charged forward on the first point earning the mini-break with a fine forehand volley. A massive 138 mph ace, a crackling inside-out forehand and successive jolting serves brought Isner to 5-2. 

Leaneing low, Isner lashed a backhand pass down the line. The former all American at Georgia ladled out an exquisite drop volley winner scoring his second win of the week over a former US Open champion in one hour, 23 minutes. 




 

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