[CR12] John Isner (USA) vs. [CR41] Nicholas Kyrgios (AUS)
Amidst the controversy surrounding Kyrgios, Isner maintained his focus. Despite his ailing back and left knee, Isner was able to keep Kyrgios quiet. It was a rather lukewarm performance from the youngster. After last night’s debacle, he maintained for the most part a meek demeanor. A shame as part of his appeal is his fiery personality; however, there has to be an acceptable standard of court decorum. Certain boundaries should not be crossed. Vocal vulgarity and disparaging remarks are poor sportsmanship, it reflected poorly on him and it tarnished his victory over Stan Wawrinka. Hopefully he will learn from this experience and realize that his talent as a tennis player is more than enough to entertain the fans.
Isner was all business today, and despite the aches and pains, he defeated Kyrgios in an hour, 7-5, 6-3. A surprise, perhaps, but expected given the circumstances surrounding his opponent. Kyrgios had to have felt uncomfortable in the glaring spotlight and it affected his level of concentration and ultimately negatively impacted his game. Isner continues to play with focus and he’s into the quarterfinals of another Masters 1000 tournament. Unfortunately, his next opponent is Jeremy Chardy. Chardy leads their head-to-head 3:0. Will Isner surprise us tomorrow? He will have to be sharp from the first ball to do so.
Having seen the debacle between Kyrgios and Wawrinka the previous evening, I was actually rooting for Isner and I’m glad he won. Kyrgios is a very talented player but his attitude leaves much to be desired. His remarks were inappropriate and uncalled for. Not the way to endear oneself to the fans. I’m glad they fined him!!