John Isner pulled off a 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5) upset of Roger Federer during third-round action at the BNP Paribas Masters on Thursday afternoon. Rafael Nadal almost followed Federer out of the tournament to cap off the night session, but the Spaniard saved one match point to overcome Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.
“In my opinion he’s the greatest player of all time,” Isner said of Federer. “It was an incredible honor to share that court with him today.
Of course, Isner did a lot more than just share the court with Federer. He served the 17-time major champion right off it. Isner did not earn a single break (although he did generate six chances), but he blasted 27 aces without double-faulting a single time.
“It was a great match for me and a good one to win,” the 6’10” American assured. “It was a lot of fun. He’s an incredible player, obviously; my favorite player…. It was a huge win for me. I’m very proud I was able to get it done.”
“I thought he did very well today when he needed it,” Federer said of Isner. “(In) the ‘breakers, he served great. Those are the ones he needed. This is how it happens against John. It’s always [on] his racket; especially indoors. And today he served as he had to–230 (kmh) on the very important points. Everyone would like to have what he has.”
Isner-Federer highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-iRGu-WhCE]
A similarly tense encounter saw Nadal outlast Anderson after two hours and 26 minutes. The underdog South African had a match point on Nadal’s serve at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker, but the Spaniard saved it with a well-placed forehand at the end of an extended rally.
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