Sunday 2 August 2015 15:36, UK
Big-serving John Isner stayed on track for a third consecutive Atlanta Open title when he outlasted fellow American Denis Kudla in a tight semi-final on Saturday.
Top seed Isner won a battle of attrition against the unseeded qualifier, converting his second match point to triumph 4-6 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 43 minutes under a blazing afternoon sun on the outdoor hardcourt.
The match appeared to be heading to a tiebreak in the third set before Isner rallied from 30-0 down in the 12th game. He eventually clinched victory when Kudla uncharacteristically sent a crosscourt backhand sailing wide.
Isner said a more aggressive approach to his service returns in the second set was the key to victory: "That 2-1 game in the second set turned the match around.
"My shots found the court, I was able to break and it relaxed me a lot from there.
"When I'm up a break, I tend to serve my best because most of the time when I get one break, I can take that set home."
He next faces Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis who beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in the other semi-final.
Baghdatis served for the match at 6-5 in the third set, only to tighten up and allow Muller to force a deciding tie-break.
"At 6-5, I have to be honest, I choked but I was able to keep calm and find a way in the end and I'm very happy about that," said Baghdatis after winning every service point in the tie-break.
A losing finalist at the 2006 Australian Open, he has four ATP titles but has not won a tournament since 2010 and will need to be near his best in his first final since 2011 to beat fellow 30-year-old Isner, against whom his career record is 0-5.
