DELRAY BEACH–
Steve Johnson advanced to the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open with a 7-5 7-5 win over Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi on Thursday. Johnson, who entered the tournament on a nine-match losing streak dating back to last season, looks to be playing well at the right time.
Johnson saved two break points in the early stages of the match, and had a couple of break chances of his own but couldn’t convert. The American ultimately broke at 6-5 to take the first set. Johnson also had opportunities to go up 5-3 in the second set. He couldn’t collect those, but wound up breaking a couple of games later to take the second set 7-5 on windy day in Delray Beach. Johnson said, “I had to play patient tennis, but I’m happy to get a win.”
It was Johnson’s first match against the Italian veteran, and he admitted he went through a feeling out process in the early stages of the match.
Delray Beach has been a tournament where the former NCAA standout typically performs well at. He’s lost in the quarterfinals twice and reached the semifinals last year before falling to eventual runner-up Peter Gojowczyk.
Johnson, who’s already won four ATP titles in his career, is hoping that a run in Delray Beach is a step in the right direction after struggling in Australia and last week at the New York Open. While his forehand and serve continue to be weapons that will help him win a lot of matches, his backhand continues to be a liability as it has been throughout his professional career so far.
These next few weeks are going to be crucial for Johnson as he has a chance to improve his ranking in big tournaments on hard courts. After Delray Beach, he’ll head to Acapulco before his hometown tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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