Isner Advances In Newport, Felix Left In The Dark

John Isner made a winning return to the Infosys Hall of Fame Open Wednesday. Playing in Newport for the first time since he won consecutive titles in 2018 and 2109, the American extended his win streak to nine matches on the Rhode Island grass with a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory against Peter Gojowczyk.

“I’m very happy. The first match here is always pretty tricky and I haven’t played here in a quite a few years,” the four-time champion said in his on-court interview. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on this court but I’m very happy to be back on this court. I’ve won a lot of matches here and I’ve always had a lot of crowd support.

“It never ever gets old, even though I myself am old,” he joked. “At 37 who knows how many more tournaments I’ll be playing, how many more Newports I’ll be playing. So I really do cherish these moments.”

The second-seeded Isner cruised to the opening set behind an early break, saving one break point of his own along the way as his serve blazed through the hot summer air. But after Germany’s Gojowczyk survived a six-deuce service game for 2-1 in the second set, both players raced through clean service games to set up a tie-break.

A single mini-break decided the tie-break when the World No. 91 German double faulted at 6-6. Isner made no mistake on serve, sealing the match with his 22nd ace of the match to advance to the quarter-finals.

After breaking the all-time record for career aces at Wimbledon, Isner now sits even further ahead of the pack with 13,772 aces.

The victory levels Isner’s ATP Head2Head record to 1-1 against Gojowczyk, who won the pair’s 2018 Delray Beach meeting in three tie-break sets. He will next face fifth seed Benjamin Bonzi in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman’s 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Christopher Eubanks earlier on Wednesday.

Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime’s matchup against Australia’s Jason Kubler might have gone down as the match of the day — had it finished.

The match was suspended due to poor light with the Canadian leading 6-4, 3-6, 6-5 and Kubler preparing to serve to force a tie-break. In the last game before the suspension, Auger-Aliassime saved a break point with a daring forehand winner before battling through deuce to edge in front.

A single break decided each of the opening sets, but both men protected their serves in a third set that featured several lengthy rallies as the conditions cooled.

The match will be completed on Thursday, with eighth seed James Duckworth awaiting the winner in the quarter-finals. The Aussie was a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 winner against France’s Quentin Halys in the second round.