Paris QF preview and prediction: Del Potro vs. Isner

Juan Martin Del Potro is a single win away from a current spot in the World Tour Finals. Perhaps just as improbably, John Isner is only three wins away from a place in London. One will be eliminated on Friday, when they square off in the quarterfinals of the Rolex Paris Masters.

Del Potro is leading the head-to-head series 6-2, including 1-0 in 2017. The 17th-ranked Argentine prevailed 7-5, 7-5 at the Montreal Masters for his second straight victory over Isner, coming on the heels of a 6-4, 7-6(6) success on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm last fall. Their only other indoor encounter came six years ago in Memphis, where Del Potro got the job done 6-4, 6-3.

The 2009 U.S. Open winner has surged into year-end championship contention from just about out of nowhere thanks to a brilliant second half of the season. He made a run to the U.S. Open semifinals, also reached the Shanghai semis, captured the Stockholm title, and finished runner-up in Basel to Roger Federer. Del Potro is through to the Paris quarters thanks to straight-set defeats of Joao Sousa and Robin Haase.

“It’s extra motivation [for] me,” Del Potro said of a potential London berth. “It’s going to be a good battle next round trying to qualify for London…. Of course I would love to reach London once again. It could be a fantastic moment for me. But it’s still a really hard challenge [for] me.”

Isner has even more work to do, although the fact that he is still in the mathematical discussion has to be considered a big surprise. The 6’10” American is a decent 37-21 this season with a pair of 250-point titles and he continued to struggle at slams, winning a combined six matches at the four most important events. Isner’s 2017 campaign appeared to be over on Thursday when he trailed Grigor Dimitrov 5-2 in the third set and faced a match point. The world No. 14 saved it to hold for 3-5, earned his first break of the afternoon to stay alive, eventually forced a tiebreaker, and finally prevailed 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3). Isner preceded that result by beating a red-hot Diego Schwartzman 7-6(2), 6-7(11), 6-3.

Del Potro could not have asked for a better situation in which to put himself inside the London cut. He has spent only two hours and 35 minutes on the court through two rounds, while Isner has required a total of five hours and 20 minutes to advance. Moreover, Del Potro’s frequently sliced backhand is no detriment against Isner, because it stays low to the court and out of the No. 9 seed’s strike zone.