John Isner said at the start of the Miami Open that he had a one in 100 chance of successfully defending his 2018 title. Felix Auger-Aliassime wasn’t even in the main draw until last Wednesday night.
On Friday afternoon, one will find himself in the Miami final.
Isner and Auger-Aliassime will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in the semifinals of the season’s first Masters 1000 event. Both players have been in scintillating form while also taking advantage of a top half of the draw depleted by early upsets.
After capturing the biggest title of his career last spring at Crandon Park, Isner is up to his usual Miami tricks inside Hard Rock Stadium. The ninth-ranked American has improved to 23-10 lifetime at this tournament with victories over Lorenzo Sonego, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Kyle Edmund, and Roberto Bautista Agut while refusing to lose even a single set. Since starting the season 0-2 in Australia, Isner is 14-4 in his last 18 matches.
Fifteen year his opponent’s junior at 18, Auger-Aliassime is engineering a meteoric rise up the rankings. He started the 2019 campaign at No. 108 in the world and will reach at least No. 33 even if he loses to Isner. Following a runner-up finish in Rio de Janeiro, a quarterfinal performance in Sao Paulo, and a third-round showing in Indian Wells as a wild card, Auger-Aliassime is now through to the Miami semis for the most important result of his professional life. The Canadian qualified for the main draw and has since knocked off Casper Ruud, Marton Fucsovics, Hubert Hurkacz, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Borna Coric.
“A lot of things are working, obviously,” the world No. 58 assured. “I think I have been just improving in the last couple of weeks. But I don’t want to look back right now; I think I will do at the end of the tournament. Right now I’m looking forward to the next match and how far I can go in this tournament.
“I think maybe I’ll have to maybe adjust my return position (against Isner)–maybe see the stats where he’s serving best, look at the match how he played [against Bautista Agut] in these tiebreaks, to see where he likes serving on important points. From there (the key is to) just focus on myself, what I have to do first, and then figure out a way to break him.”
That is easier said than done, of course, especially in Miami. Conditions suit Isner perfectly and he is an incredible 7-0 in tiebreakers so far this fortnight. The seventh seed has blasted 77 aces compared to just seven double-faults and has served at no worse than 69 percent in any match.
The stage won’t be too big for the youngster, but the opponent will be.
Pick: Isner in 2
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