{"id":13084,"date":"2019-03-27T08:53:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T12:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=13084"},"modified":"2019-03-27T08:53:24","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T12:53:24","slug":"john-isner-defend-miami-open-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/03\/27\/john-isner-defend-miami-open-title\/","title":{"rendered":"John Isner can Defend his Miami Open Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

World #9, 33-year-old American John Isner stayed under the radar to capture his first Masters Series 1000 Title in Miami<\/a> last season. It\u2019s unsurprising that his pre-tournament stance was to downplay his chances of defending his title:<\/p>\n

“I do know that, look, odds are, I probably won’t defend this title.”<\/p>\n

He could be made to eat his own words, as there is grit and guile back in his game.<\/p>\n

John Isner Looks on a Mission in his Three Gutsy Wins<\/h3>\n

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\u2019d definitely have lost a few seasons ago. Impressively, Isner\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

John Isner is Having a Steady Season<\/h3>\n

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 \u2013 make no mistake about that.<\/p>\n

Roberto Bautista-Agut up Next for Isner<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

A key statistic this tournament in favor of an Isner victory is the impressive out-acing of his Spanish opponent. Isner\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

John Isner Looking to Extend Head-to-Head Advantage over Bautista-Agut<\/h3>\n

John Isner leads the history 2-1 between him and his quarterfinal opponent. It would be unwise to write-off Isner\u2019s chances in this match or the tournament. John Isner lightning could strike twice in Miami.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>