Isner Comes Up Short in Quarterfinals in France
John Isner lost a tough, two hour match with Federico Delbonis of Argentina on Thursday, falling just short of reaching the semifinals of the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur. Isner couldn’t secure a big third set lead and allowed the Argentinean to come back and win the match.
After dropping the first set 6-4, Isner fought back nicely to regain form in the second set. After bringing the set even at 5-5, he capitalized on an effective serve to win the set 7-5, setting up the third.
Isner looked as if he was in control of the match, racing out to a 5-2 third set lead and up for match point. Delbonis hung tough though and won the next three games to claw his way back to a 5-5 tie in the deciding set.
As the two players battled for advantage, Delbonis was able to eventually come out on top, winning the third set 7-6(6). Each player exchanged blows back and forth as the third set took a very long time to decide. Delbonis now moves into the semifinals as he awaits the winner of Gilles Simon and Carlos Berlocq.
It is a disappointing loss for the top-seeded Isner, who seemed to outplay Delbonis all afternoon. He smashed 16 aces to just five for the Argentinean and had a much higher first serve percentage. While his serve was working, Delbonis seemed to be able to counter it with his returns, and was able to outlast the American 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6).
