Isner Captures Heineken Open Title
American John Isner won his eighth ATP World Tour title in Auckland on Saturday, defeating Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6(4), 7-6(7) in the finals of the Heineken Open. Isner earned $82,500 and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points, while Lu received $43,450 and 150 Emirates ATP Ranking points.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match," said Isner. "I knew he was playing well. It was, obviously, extremely tight. I thought it was my best performance all week. I was very happy with how I played. Apart from all the break points missed, I was extremely happy with everything. I felt like I was hitting the ball the best I have all week and that's a very good sign going forward."
It was Lu's first ATP final, having advanced only as far as the quarterfinals in previous tournaments. During his run in Auckland, Lu defeated American Steve Johnson, world number 95 Bradley Klahn, the Nertherlands' Igor Sijsling, and four-time Heineken Open champion and world number three David Ferrer.
"He just served incredibly," said Lu. "There was one period of time when I couldn't read his serve. Even sometimes, when I guessed right, I still couldn't really get the ball back. I started well, I managed one break point, but he's 14th in the world and his serve is his main weapon. I had a great week and I'm happy with my performance. I hope I can keep it going now into next week."
