Someday Steve Johnson and John Isner may not showcase an absolute thriller when they go head-to-head at the Citi Open. Friday was not that day.
Johnson fought off a mind-boggling 12 set points–five in the first and seven in the second–before outlasting Isner 7-6(7), 7-6(15) in one hour and 57 minutes. Unlike their two Washington, D.C. encounters the previous two years, this one ended with two tiebreakers instead of in a third-set ‘breaker. But that, much Isner’s chagrin, made it no less tense.
The 6’10” American could have sealed the deal long before all of the drama ensured. He got a look at three break points with Johnson serving at 4-5 and one more at 5-6 that would have allowed him to avoid a tiebreaker, but Isner could not convert. The top also seized a quick 2-0 lead in the ‘breaker only to see Johnson get the mini-break back at 3-5. A forehand winner by Johnson at 8-7 gave him another mini-break, and with it the set.
If the fifth seed got a somewhat lucky in the opening set, the second was absolute thievery. Isner missed two more break chances before surging to a seemingly insurmountable 6-3, double mini-break lead in the tiebreaker. But the world No. 16 donated two consecutive service points, including one with sitting forehand that he shanked long at 6-4.
Isner’s lone double-fault of the afternoon came at the worst of times–at 15-15. Johnson took care of his sixth match point (first on his own serve) with no trouble after Isner sent a backhand wide at the end of a short rally.
“I have no idea (how I won),” Johnson admitted in his post-match interview. “It was one in a million. I have no idea what just happened.”
“I had countless chances today,” Isner lamented. “I did a lot of really good things; I certainly put more pressure on him than he put on me. I got tentative on that forehand on the second set point (in the second-set tiebreaker). As hard as it is to swallow, it’s a positive step for me because I played the right way…. I just didn’t get paid off; partly because I got a little tight and partly because he was good.”
Karlovic has been especially good over the past two weeks, with a title in Newport and now a semifinal run at the Citi Open. The 13th-seeded Croat ousted Jack Sock 7-6(4), 7-6(6) in the first match of the day, firing 26 aces while saving all four of the break points he faced.
“It’s pretty ridiculous,” Sock said Karlovic’s huge serve. “It’s probably harder to play him on a really hot day like today, because the ball jumps even higher. I even guessed right on a few (of my break chances) and he hit some second serves that almost went over my head. I’m a decently tall guy and they were above my shoulder. So it’s pretty ridiculous sometimes.”
The bottom-half semifinal see Gael Monfils go up against either Alexander Zverev or Benoit Paire. Monfils held off Sam Querrey 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the first evening match.
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Isner shoulda won in 2
Exactly!
Crazy stuff