John Isner put on a powerhouse display to end Juan Martin del Potro’s hopes of a ‘Sunshine Double’ at the Miami Open, defeating the Argentine 6-1 7-6 (7-2).
With a commanding win over comeback sensation Juan Martin del Potro at the Miami Open semifinal, John Isner is into a Masters 1000 final for the first time since the 2016 Paris final against then-dominant Andy Murray. The win over favorite del Potro comes in a long line of surprises at the Miami Open with first Novak Djokovic, then Roger Federer, and several other top seeds—some at the hands of Isner, such as Marin Cilic a few days ago—going out earlier than expected.
A Masters 1000 win would be a huge career boost for the newly married 32 year-old, of course. His biggest titles have all been ATP 250’s so far, and playing like he did against del Potro—fresh off his title win at Indian Wells—the world No. 17 has a chance of pulling off quite an upset in the final.
If he brings his big serve and his baseline prowess, it will be the biggest career win for the American and will signal a welcome change to an otherwise disappointing start to the year.
It was a surprise loss for the world No. 6 del Potro, coming off his first Masters 1000 title against a fine-form Roger Federer just a few weeks at Indian Wells. The Argentine has been surging ahead since he came back to tennis in 2016 after years of heartbreaking injury, several wrist surgeries, and time spent away from the tennis courts during recovery.
He ousted Federer at last year’s U.S. Open and then again at Indian Wells, one of only a few to do so during Fed’s resurgence. The Argentine climbed back to the Top 6 after being ranked as low as 1,016 during his injury time out. Since coming back, he’s gone from the top 150 to one of the most dangerous players on the tour.
But that all seemed irrelevant once Isner dominated over an off-kilter Delpo in the first set, speeding through two breaks to clinch the set at 6-1.
The 2009 U.S. Open winner put up more of a fight in the second set, forcing a tie break, but again the American’s spirit prevailed.
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He’s to face either Alexander Zverev—who won his ‘battle of the nextgen’ against Borna Coric Thursday night—or Pablo Carreno Busta, scheduled to play their semifinal Friday night at 7 p. m., airing on ESPN.