Alexander Zverev won his match against Pablo Carreno Busta on Friday and now faces John Isner in the final on Sunday.
Alexander Zverev and John Isner have met three times in the past, and will meet again in the Miami Open final. Zverev has owned their head-to-head, winning all three matchups. Despite that, the two have always been put on a display of high-quality tennis, with their match in Miami last year the most entertaining. Both players are playing some of their best tennis, guaranteeing a highly-anticipated final.
Despite their age differences — Isner is 32, Zverev 20 — both players are very familiar with each other’s game, with Zverev being exposed to Isner’s practices at Saddlebrook Academy in Tampa, Florida, where his older brother, Mischa, trained. Zverev talked about growing up watching the older American after his semifinal win on Friday.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m actually quite happy that he’s in the final, he’s somebody that I grew up with on the practice courts,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.
“He’s been practicing with me since I was 14 years old. I was lucky as a junior to have him at the Saddlebrook academy and it’s going to be a great final.”
Both finalists have played some of their best tennis throughout the Masters 1000 event, beating several top seeds and barely showing any signs of weakness.
Zverev dispatched the other two young talents, Nick Kyrgios and Borna Coric, with exceptional ease, and comes into the final at the peak of his prodigious talents. It’s clear the German is playing with more power, finesse and even improved movement that has left his opponents guessing where he’s going to place the ball.
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“I put on about four kg. I’m heavier than I was, stronger than I was and it influences your tennis. It just takes time,” Zverev said according to Tennis World.
It looks like the new power is working for the two-time Masters 1000 winner. But Isner is also playing at top form, and Zverev isn’t taking anything for granted.
“It’s not going to be easy. He’s playing maybe the best tennis of his life so it’ll be great,” said Zverev according to Express.
This will be Isner’s fourth Masters 1000 final, and playing the way he’s ousted del Potro, sensation Hyeon Chung, and Marin Cilic, he will be hungry for the biggest win of his career.
It’s a good bet that the contest between the two will go the distance. The men’s final airs on Sunday, 1 p. m. on ESPN.