John Isner came through a fascinating serve-dominated quarter-final against Marin Cilic on Friday, when the fortunes and confidence levels of both players fluctuated, at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Winning 69 per cent of his second serves, Isner struck 21 aces to edge past sixth seed Cilic 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(2) in two hours and 38 minutes for a place in the semi-finals. The 6’10” Isner is the first American to reach the last four at the Foro Italico since Andy Roddick in 2008. He will now play #NextGenATP No. 16 seed Alexander Zverev, who beat fifth seed and 2014 semi-finalist Milos Raonic, on Saturday. Isner trails 20-year-old Zverev 0-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Watch Isner Hot Shot "It doesn't...
Rafael Nadal continued his unbeaten streak on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, weathering a mid-match surge from 13th seed Jack Sock to advance 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. He will now play eighth seed Dominic in the quarter-finals, marking their third meeting in four weeks. “There is always room to improve. That's why I wake up every morning. I go to practice with the motivation to improve something,” said Nadal. “I can keep serving better. I can hit some more winners with the forehand and it’s something that I am working on every day to try and make happen. But it’s obvious that I am playing well and I should be very happy with the way that I am doing...
Juan Martin del Potro had the marble statues surrounding Stadio Pietrangeli reverberating on Thursday evening as the former World No. 4 outclassed seventh seed Kei Nishikori 7-6(4), 6-3, on one of the most picturesque courts in the tennis world at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. “It was amazing. It was like a soccer match for me. I enjoyed the crowd a lot. My feelings are the best when I get onto the court and the crowd is cheering for me. That's incredible for all the players,” said del Potro. “I have lots of support around the world and that’s special to me after all my wrist problems. I have been making a big effort to come back to tennis and they...
Top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers got their Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign off to a flying start on Thursday, moving into the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Joao Sousa and Fernando Verdasco. Kontinen/Peers scored the lone service breaks of each set at 6-5 to prevail in one hour and 27 minutes. They are looking to pick up their first ATP World Tour title since winning their first Grand Slam title this January at the Australian Open. Next up for Kontinen/Peers are fifth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, who continued their fine form with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Florin Mergea and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Kubot/Melo have already won ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this year in...
John Isner continued his outstanding form at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday, stunning third seed Stan Wawrinka 7-6(1), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. “I thought I played pretty well out there. I'm going out there against the No. 3 player in the world. Maybe I have a little bit less to lose than he does,” said Isner. “I went out there with the belief that if I played well and executed my game plan, I could walk off that court with a win. That's what happened today. I served well and took my chances when I had them. I was very happy with the performance.” The American improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Wawrinka to 3-1 and has...