World #9, 33-year-old American John Isner stayed under the radar to capture his first Masters Series 1000 Title in Miami last season. It’s unsurprising that his pre-tournament stance was to downplay his chances of defending his title:
“I do know that, look, odds are, I probably won’t defend this title.”
He could be made to eat his own words, as there is grit and guile back in his game.
John Isner Looks on a Mission in his Three Gutsy Wins
Three wins in and the North Carolina star must be working his way back into the reckoning. Significantly, the six sets played and five tiebreaks won show that the big-serving ace has the appetite for a fight. 1-4 down in a tie-break to the awkward Lorenzo Sonego saw Isner win a match that he’d definitely have lost a few seasons ago. Impressively, Isner’s fight came out against the tricky Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, saving 4/5 (80%) of break points. Although, Kyle Edmund was distracted by the crowd in the last round, Isner still deserves the 7-6, 7-6 victory.
John Isner is Having a Steady Season
Before his career-defining win in Miami last season, John Isner went into the tournament 2-6 for that season. This season, he is now 13-6 and has the experience of last year to dig himself out of tough spots. This makes him a contender – make no mistake about that.
Roberto Bautista-Agut up Next for Isner
Not many people thought Philipp Kohlschreiber would cause Djokovic to break his racket in anger at defeat in Indian Wells last week. It underlines the fact that there’s a vulnerability to Djokovic of late. He trounced Bautista-Agut in the first set, but really struggled after that. The Spaniard amazingly prevailed 1-6 7-6 6-3, setting up this unlikely quarterfinal.
A key statistic this tournament in favor of an Isner victory is the impressive out-acing of his Spanish opponent. Isner’s average ace count is 17.66. Whereas Bautista-Agut’s is a miserly 1. The free points alone give Isner a big edge in this match-up.
John Isner Looking to Extend Head-to-Head Advantage over Bautista-Agut
John Isner leads the history 2-1 between him and his quarterfinal opponent. It would be unwise to write-off Isner’s chances in this match or the tournament. John Isner lightning could strike twice in Miami.
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