Rarely does the 6’6” Alexander Zverev find himself overmatched in height, but that’s exactly what John Isner did in the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau. At a whopping 6’10”, the American struck 18 aces and was unbroken throughout the match, finally earning victory in a tightly contested 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 decision over Zverev. The win was his first over the German in four tries – although the two go back even farther than their ATP World Tour meetings. The two have been frequent practice partners at Saddlebrook Resort for years and have shared a friendship for years. “The first practice that we ever played I think I was 15, and it was the last day of the...
(1) Confidence is key (especially for Isner) It's safe to say that John Isner was not a favourite to win the Miami Open presented by Itau. The American arrived at Crandon Park having won two tour-level matches all season (2-6) with neither of those victories coming against opponents inside the Top 80 of the ATP Rankings. But after losing the second set in his opening-round match against Jiri Vesely 1-6, the American won 11 consecutive sets to capture the biggest title of his career. Isner had won 12 previous tour-level trophies, but none of them came outside of the ATP World Tour 250-level. "I knew the only way I was going to be able to win this [Vesely] match is...
It was a fitting sendoff for Crandon Park, as the Miami Open presented by Itau bade farewell to its longtime home on Sunday with a thrilling finale. A captivating championship saw John Isner rally past Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 for the title, adding a historic first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown to his trophy case. The American and the German wrote one last chapter in Key Biscayne, battling for two and a half hours in humid conditions. At 32 years, 11 months, Isner is the oldest first-time winner at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. In fact, only two other players (Agassi, Federer) older than Isner have won a Masters 1000 title. The big-hitting American overturned an...
Watch highlights as John Isner claims the biggest title of his career and his first at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level by defeating Alexander Zverev at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.