In a tight tennis match, catching just the right breaks can mean the difference between winning and losing. That's how fourth-seeded John Isner saw his semifinal match Friday at the Winston-Salem Open.
Isner upset top-seeded Andy Roddick 7-6 (7), 6-4 and will play for the title at 12:30 today, against qualifier Julien Benneteau.
"I was flat-out just luckier than he was in the first set," said Isner, who won in front of a crowd of about 3,000 at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. "He hit that baseline overhead that clipped the net and it gave me a sitter forehand. In a match like that, I caught that break today…. I was just luckier than he was, and sometimes that's just how it goes."
Both players held serve in the first set, forcing the tiebreaker, then Isner got a minibreak of Roddick's serve to go up 8-7. Isner ended the set with a 107 mph serve that Roddick couldn't handle.
Isner fell behind 3-1 in the second set after Roddick broke his serve. But in what was the key game of the set, Isner came right back to break Roddick, closing to 3-2, then held serve to tie. The set also was tied 4-4.
"He played a pretty good game down 3-1, and he was a little tired but slapped a couple of balls in, and all of a sudden I'm in hole, down love-30," Roddick said. "Then he hit that great forehand pass."
Isner said: "It was huge to get an early lead in that game when I was down 3-1."
Isner broke Roddick again to take a 5-4 lead, then rattled off three straight aces to end the match. Two of those serves reached 135 mph, and the match-point ace was 125 mph.
One of the challenges Roddick faces against Isner is that Isner can afford to gamble a little more and isn't interested in long rallies.
"He's able to play riskier because his serve is like State Farm," Roddick said, referring to Isner's consistency.
"Besides the two times he broke me, I don't know if he won a point against my serve."
Isner, who had eight aces, smiled when told what Roddick said about his serve.
"That's quite a compliment," Isner said. "To be honest, I probably should play riskier a lot of times. Sometimes in matches, I get caught playing too passive, but for sure, because of my serve, I can take a lot of risk, and if it doesn't pan out on the return game, I'll still have my serve."
Another key for Isner was his ability to return Roddick's second serves (70 percent).
"I was just thinking in a match like that, it's important to get up in the return game," Isner said. "It just puts pressure on him, and when he's serving 15-love or 30-love, that's when he's serving at his best. But I was able to put some returns back into play and played aggressive, and I had a love-30 to get back on serve, and the next thing you know we are dead even."
Roddick said he was disappointed with the loss, but also is looking ahead to next week's U.S. Open. He came into this tournament hoping to knock off some rust.
"Obviously I'm upset because I feel like I played the better first set," Roddick said. "And he definitely played better in the second set."
Roddick, now fully recovered after battling a lingering abdominal strain, was upbeat for next week's tournament in New York.
"I'm really happy because I haven't played four matches in a week since March," he said. "I think this week served its purpose for me in preparation for the U.S. Open."
Isner, a Greensboro native, will be trying to win today as the local favorite but said he won't put added pressure on himself. He has embraced playing close to home all week.
"I think this is my third final in my last six tournaments, so I'm playing well," he said. "I've had some tough luck in the finals, but I won't be thinking about that (today). Win or lose, it's a good tournament for me, but I'm not putting more pressure on myself."
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