US Open 2017: Is John Isner’s Grand Slam breakthrough looming?
Fresh off of winning back-to-back hard court titles, is John Isner finally ready for his professional tennis breakthrough at the 2017 US Open?
American men’s tennis has been in a tailspin for the better part of 15 years. Andy Roddick provided Grand Slam glory, but between injuries and underwhelming careers, the supporting cast has been rather underwhelming.
The question is: Can John Isner turn his recent success into a second consecutive strong Grand Slam showing by an American male?
Isner experienced something of a personal breakthrough when he won his first ATP World Tour title since 2015: The 2017 Hall of Fame Open. It was a strong showing, but it wasn’t quite enough to silence his critics.
With essentially no rest, Isner took his momentum to Georgia, where he triumphantly won the Atlanta Open without dropping a set.
Isner defeated Vasek Pospisil in the Round of 16, securing a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory. A round later, he secured a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 win over Lukas Lacko, who defeated American fan favorite Donald Young in the previous round.
Isner followed with one of his biggest wins of 2017, defeating No. 22 overall player Giles Muller in convincing 6-4, 6-2 fashion.
Isner finished his run to the Atlanta Open title with a thrilling win over fellow American Ryan Harrison. He won the first set tiebreak 8-6, and escaped with the second set tiebreak at 9-7—good for a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7) win.
It was good for Isner’s fourth career Atlanta Open title, as well as his second ATP World Tour title during the month of July alone.
Intriguing as this all may be, Isner is in the midst of one of the most underwhelming Grand Slam years of his career. The 32-year-old has failed to reach the fourth round of any of the three major tournaments thus far.
He hasn’t gone 0-for-4 since 2013.
Isner will have a chance to end the cold spell at the 2017 US Open, at which heavy favorite Novak Djokovic will be absent.
There’s no guaranteeing that Isner will show out in Flushing Meadows, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to do so. He’s rounding into form at the perfect time, and has the type of game that translates well to hard court services.
With two hard court titles, including one on the US Open Series, Isner may build upon what Sam Querrey started at Wimbledon.
Querrey turned heads in England by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon. He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round, Kevin Anderson in the fourth round, and shocked world No. 1 Andy Murray in the quarterfinal.
In turn, Querrey became the first American man to reach the semifinal at a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2009.
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In less than one month, John Isner will have a chance to simultaneously experience a personal breakthrough and continue the resurrection of American men’s tennis at the 2017 US Open.
The tide could soon be turning.