Quarterfinals – Isner vs. Russel – Atlanta Tennis Championships
John Isner, the No. 2 seed, with a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) victory over Gilles Muller, fought through another final-set tiebreak, in the second round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships.
Isner said, “I was able to play well when I needed to early in the second set, and the crowd would pump me up when I’d get down 15-40. I just didn’t want to let them down. I didn’t want to lose my first match here.”
After winning a three-day, 183-game match at Wimbledon last month, Isner became a household tennis name. In career final-set tiebreaks, he improved to 16-5.
Isner added, “With Gio as my opponent, he’s probably one of the last guys I want to play. First match back [against] a big-serving left-hander, he’s not going to give you much rhythm. So that was a little bit working against me, but I just told myself to compete.”
On Friday night, Michael Russell will face Isner in the quarterfinals so make sure you place your Atlanta Tennis Championships bets early to get the best lines.
In an earlier match, Taylor Dent beat No. 4 seed Horacio Zeballos 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, to advance to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since Tokyo in October 2005. In 20 matches this year, the victory was his seventh. Dent will face No. 6 seed Mardy Fish. Fish defeated Robby Ginepri 6-1, 7-5.
In tiebreaks this year, Isner, now a tour-best 23-12, improved to 25-15 overall in 2010. On the ATP Tour, he is ranked No. 19 and the second-leading American behind Andy Roddick, Atlanta’s top seed.
Isner pushed his 2010 total to 705 with 33, the tour’s leader in aces. By taking the final three points, he won the second-set tiebreak, the last coming on Muller’s long volley. Against the serve of Muller, Isner struggled all night.
In three career matches, Russell’s 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Rainer Schuettler was his first over the German, their first since September 2001 in Hong Kong.
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