A quartet of Americans will be showcased during quarterfinal action on Friday in Washington, D.C. Two–John Isner and Steve Johnson–have to go head-to-head. Jack Sock is also on the schedule, set to face Ivo Karlovic.
(1) John Isner vs. (5) Steve Johnson
Isner and Johnson will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers and for the third consecutive year at this Citi Open when they battle for a semifinal spot on Friday afternoon. It is only fitting that these two Americans and former college stars meet again in Washington, D.C., because their two previous encounters certainly did not disappoint. Johnson prevailed 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(6) in 2014 before another third-set tiebreaker saw Isner exact revenge in the form of a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(9) semifinal victory. This week’s top seed leads the overall head-to-head series 4-1, having also gotten the job done at the 2014 Shanghai Masters and twice in 2015 prior to the Citi Open (Monte-Carlo and Nice).
Although Isner is no stranger to thrillers against Johnson and against just about anyone in Washington, D.C., he has kicked off the 2016 installment of this tournament with no drama. The world No. 16 took care of James Duckworth 6-3, 6-4 before improving to 8-0 lifetime at Marcos Baghdatis’ expense thanks to a 7-6(3), 6-2 win. Johnson is also a perfect 4-0 in sets through two rounds, with routine defeats of Adrian Mannarino and Ryan Harrison. Another impressive run at this event could have been forecasted by Johnson’s recent play. The former University of Southern California standout captured his first ATP title on the grass courts of Nottingham and then reached the Wimbledon fourth round. Johnson would likely have an edge if this one goes to another final-set ‘breaker, but Isner’s return game has been surprisingly effective this week and he may avoid the unfortunate tiebreaker fate that has plagued him throughout this season.
Pick: Isner in 3
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(13) Ivo Karlovic vs. (6) Jack Sock
Like Isner, Sock is also bouncing back from Davis Cup heartbreak; last weekend in Portland, the United States blew a 2-0 lead over visiting Croatia with Sunday singles losses by both Isner (to Marin Cilic in straight sets) and Sock (to Borna Coric in four). The sixth seed has seemingly erased those demons with straight-set victories over Lukas Lacko and Daniel Evans.
Up next for Sock is a fifth career meeting with Karlovic, who leads the head-to-head series 3-1. The 6’10” Croat has picked up one win in each of the past three seasons (2013 – Indian Wells; 2014 – Memphis; 2015 – Newport), while Sock came out on top 6-1, 6-4 on the clay courts of Houston two years ago. Karlovic is coming off a title in Newport and has maintained momentum at the Citi Open with mirror-image wins over Brian Baker (6-3, 7-6(4)) and Bernard Tomic (7-6(4), 6-3). At some point the world No. 35’s hot streak has to run out amidst a heavy workload, and it may come against an opponent who is playing in the Washington, D.C. quarters for a second straight year.
Pick: Sock in 3
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Sock and Johnson in 3
Isner and Karlovic 3