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7/25/11 12:47 AM | Ricky Dimon
Mardy Fish saves two championship points and defeats John Isner in the Atlanta final for a second straight year on Sunday. Fish again jumps into an early lead in the U.S. Open Series standings.
In the 2010 final of the Atlanta Tennis Championships, Mardy Fish was one game away from going down to John Isner. In Sunday's rematch, Fish was one point away from defeat.
Nevertheless, Fish survived to beat Isner for a second straight time in the Atlanta title match. After prevailing 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) last year, the 29-year-old American saved two championship points in a second-set tiebreaker and eventually stunned Isner 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2. Fish needed two hours and 16 minutes for the first successful title defense of his career.
Isner got off to a fast start by taking the opening set, but not before fighting off to break points in the first game of the match. The No. 3 seed struck for a break at 1-1 thanks to a Fish forehand error and that was all he needed. Isner wrapped up his 3-1 service game with a 143 mph ace--the fastest of the event--and he recovered from a 15-30 deficit at 5-3, clinching the set with consecutive aces.
For much of the second set it looked like Isner would capture the title in relatively routine fashion by his standards. The 6'9'' American broke right away for a 1-0 lead as Fish's forehand continued to go wayward. Even though Isner gave it right back with a double-fault on break point, he still had chances to seal the deal in straight sets.
Ten consecutive holds led to a tiebreaker, at which point it appeared to be all over for Fish. Isner raced to a 5-1 lead but dropped the next point on serve to keep his opponent alive. The world No. 35 eventually built a 6-4 advantage with championship point on his own serve, but Fish forced a rally and Isner sent a backhand long. Fish came up with a service winner to thwart a second match point and he soon capitalized on a set point of his own when Isner pushed a forehand wide.
A reeling Isner could not recover in the third. He almost battled from a break down at 3-2, but Fish survived two break points--one of which featured an extensive groundstroke battle. Unable to capitalize on his opportunity, Isner went downhill fast. He double-faulted on break point at 2-4 and Fish promptly served out the match at love.
"It feels great to win here again," said Fish, who fired 13 aces and won 87 percent of his first-serve points. "It's great to start off the summer like I did last year. I want to have a good summer. I want to make the (World Tour Finals) at the end of the year; keep doing things that I have never done before."
"The match was in my hands," Isner commented. "I was up a set and a break. I had a match point on my own serve; you can't ask for much more than that.... I didn't get it done.
"It definitely hurts," continued Isner, who noted that on the other hand he could have been out after one match--surviving James Blake 7-6(8), 6-7(3), 7-5. "I really, really wish I could have won this title. Still a good week."
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Mardy Fish 
