Aegon Championships, London

[CR14] Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. [CR18] John Isner (USA)

There was not much separating these two players. They are similar in age and rank. Lopez had a very slight edge in their head-to-head, 3:2 and Isner has the height advantage. Three of their previous five encounters have included at least two tie-breakers; therefore, the outcome of today’s match was not unexpected. The winner would have to capitalize on a tiny window of opportunity to steal the victory. There was no time to relax and every error was potentially the loss of a game/set. It was an awesome display of powerful serving and today the advantage of a higher percentage on first serve went to Isner.

Perhaps the many tournaments that Lopez has played is taking a toll. His demeanor is often deceptively lethargic; however, today at critical moments, he was not as sharp on serve as he should have been. In the end, that lack of alertness is what cost him the match. Isner is glad to have escaped with the 7-6 (5), 6-7(9), 7-6(4) victory. No doubt he is happy that the final set has a tiebreak as he is probably still haunted by memories of that never-ending match he played against (TR148) Nicolas Mahut (FRA) at Wimbledon in 2010.