ATP Atlanta: Opelka downs Isner in a thriller. Evans, Norrie, Popyrin win
Three years after their previous match in Atlanta, Reilly Opelka took down the five-time champion John Isner 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in two hours and 33 minutes. It was the fourth clash between the giant servers and the third straight victory for Reilly who prevailed at the Australian Open and New York this year, embracing 11 tie breaks in 13 sets and ten in a row! Both players had more than 30 aces and they lost only 14 points behind the first serve, facing only five break points and saving them all to staying neck and neck all the time. Both players found the range on serve right from the beginning, with no deuces in the opening set before Reilly claimed the tie break 7-2 with two mini-breaks. John fended off two break points at the beginning of the second set and this time he had the edge in the tie break, taking it 7-5 to extend the match and bring more drama and excitement.
The defending champion had a colossal chance to emerge at the top after creating three opportunities on the return at 5-5 in the final set, with Opelka repelling them all to gain a boost before a tie break that he won 7-5 to send the five-time champion packing and advance into the quarters. Daniel Evans is through to the third ATP quarter-final of the season, toppling the 6th seed Radu Albot 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours and 28 minutes. The Briton survived 15 out of 19 break points, delivering five breaks from six opportunities to cross the finish line first, coming from a 4-2 down in the first set to grab it in the tie break. The second set also lasted for an hour and Albot claimed it 7-5 on the fifth set point, prolonging the battle before losing ground in set number three where Evans raced into a 4-1 advantage, saving four break points in the last two service games to seal the deal and propel himself into the last eight.
Another Briton Cameron Norrie took down the young Korean Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes, dropping 13 points on serve and never facing a break point. On the other hand, a qualifier had to play against three break points in his games, getting broken once in each set to end his run in the second round. The young Aussie Alexei Popyrin is through to the first ATP quarter-final, ousting the 4th seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 6-3 in an hour and 26 minutes. Alexei saved all six break points he had to play against, including three at 5-5 in the opener before earning a break that gave him the lead. Popyrin broke again in the second game of the second set, fending off three break points in the next game and celebrating a win after a hold at 5-3.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ZdMGvw
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