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Isner Wins Title in Houston


By Tennis Now Staff
Sara Errani French Open (June 14, 2013) -- Following his 6-3, 7-5 win over Nicolas Almagro to take the U.S. Men’s Clay Court title, John Isner headed over to the pristine pool at River Oaks Country Club where the tournament is held. Winners traditionally jump in, fully clothed, to the delight of fans. For Isner, that submersion symbolized much more, as his title run on a hot, humid day in Houston, allowed him to effectively wash off a painful 7-8 start to the year that sent his ranking sliding outside the top 20. 
 
The match opened with a hold from each player – at love. This, of course, was not surprising considering 12th-ranked Almagro and 23rd-ranked Isner hold the top two spots on the 2013 ATP aces leader board (266 and 258 respectively). The American looked unsettled at first against his Spanish foe, allowing Almagro an early break in the third game to go up 2-1. But, little by little, Isner began to look like he usually does: like he somehow belongs on the clay.
 
Isner would go on to break Almagro in the sixth game, tying the opening set at 3-3. With a crafty forehand drop shot, Isner held to go up 4-3. He used that momentum to break Almagro again in the next game, giving himself the chance to close out the set 6-3.
 
While Almagro was clearly comfortable sliding left and right on the clay, spinning shots high and wide, at 6’9”, Isner was taking those balls in his strike zone, pummeling Almagro’s one-handed backhand with inside out forehands. Eventually Almagro started guarding the backhand side ever so slightly, allowing Isner to attack the open forehand side. 
 
Almagro and Isner, both 27, put on a show in the second set. The fans in Houston, who consistently dress so well you wonder if they got lost on their way to the Kentucky Derby, seemed thrilled by the battle unfolding in front of them.
 
Both players held serve until Isner finally managed to break at 5-5. Despite going down 0-30 while serving at 6-5, Isner would win four consecutive points before raising his hands in victory. Earlier in the week, the North Carolina native bashfully admitted to searching YouTube for videos of himself in an attempt to remember what his game looked like last summer when he won two titles, beat three top 10 players, and reached the semis of a Masters 1000. 

Apparently the strategy worked. Despite hitting his first balls on clay since last September when he landed in Houston on Monday, Isner pulled from past experience, working his way into a rhythm one match at a time. He also finished the week with 64 total aces, breaking the tournament record set by Pete Sampras in 2002. 

"I know I can do damage on clay," he said after the match. "I know no one wants to play me on clay. One time I took Rafa to five sets at the French Open. I really believe I can beat anyone on this surface. I'll take that into Monte Carlo on Tuesday."


(Photo Credit: AP)

 

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