John Isner repeated his 2019 semi-final victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday with a 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win on Grandstand.
The 18th seed fired 16 aces and improved his record in Miami to 26-11. Isner, who defeated the Canadian 7-6(3), 7-6(4) to reach the 2019 championship match, remains unbeaten in tie-breaks at the Hard Rock Stadium. The American has won all 11 tie-breaks he has contested since the ATP Masters 1000 moved to its new home in 2019.
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Across the one-hour, 49-minute encounter, Isner won one point more than his rival (76-75). The match, which featured no break opportunities, once again came down to who could play the better points under the pressure of a tie-break. That player was Isner.
The American fired four unreturned serves in the first tie-break and benefitted from an Auger-Aliassime overhead error at 1/0 to clinch the opener after 50 minutes. In the second tie-break, Isner continued to serve with confidence and showcased great touch at the net to reach match point. The 35-year-old defended well from behind the baseline and moved through to the Round of 16 when Auger-Aliassime struck a forehand beyond the baseline.
Isner will meet Roberto Bautista Agut in the Round of 16. The Spaniard recovered from a set down to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Court 1.
Bautista Agut converted five of his six break points to set up a repeat of his 2019 Miami quarter-final against the 6’10” right-hander. Isner owns a 3-1 ATP Head2Head record against Bautista Agut, which includes his 7-6(1), 7-6(5) win at this venue in 2019.
Did You Know?
Isner is one of four ATP Masters 1000 champions still in contention for the Miami title. The American is joined in that group by Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov and Marin Cilic.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3tZ5MEw
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