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9/8/11 9:56 PM | Ricky Dimon
John Isner wins three tiebreakers and takes out Gilles Simon in four sets on Thursday at the U.S. Open. Isner is through to a quarterfinal clash against Andy Murray.
John Isner has always been one of the most feared tiebreaker players in tennis. At the U.S. Open, he's virtually unbeatable in them.
Isner booked a spot in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon, getting past Gilles Simon 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4) during fourth-round action in Flushing Meadows. The world No. 22 is 6-0 in tiebreakers this fortnight and has won 13 of his last 14 'breakers at this event dating back to 2009.
A tight but surprising first set saw Simon give back breaks on multiple occasions. The Frenchman broke right away to open the match, but he donated serve immediately to put the proceedings back on serve. Simon seemed to have regained the upper hand when he struck at 5-5, but he again failed to consolidate in his effort to close out the set.
Isner forced his way into a tiebreaker, and that is always bad news for his opponent. Simon never had a chance in the 'breaker, as Isner raced through it seven points to two thanks to a flurry of big serves and forehands.
With momentum in hand, Isner seemed to take complete control when he opened the second with his third break of the day. Simon, though, continued to read the big man's serve incredibly well and he returned the favor to level at 1-1. That gave Simon the upper hand and he was not about to loosen his grip on the set. This No. 12 seed quickly added another scalp of the Isner serve and a routine hold at 5-3 evened the match at one set apiece.
The third frame of play more closely resembled a typical Isner match. Both players held the entire way without facing a single break, at which point Isner again raised his level when it mattered most. The 6'9'' American seized the first mini-break at 3-2 when Simon netted a swinging forehand volley and it was all Isner until the end. He won the next two points with huge forehands then cracked an ace to finish off the decider in style.
Just as he had done in set two, the world No. 22 followed up a dominant tiebreaker with an immediate break. Never one to go away without a fight, however, Simon battled right back and broke for 1-1. Ten holds later, another tiebreaker had to decide things.
Once again, Isner refused to give away even a single mini-break. A weak forehand from Simon gave Isner an early lead and the crowd favorite extended it to 4-2 when his opponent missed an easy forehand pass. Isner took care of his last two service points point to clinch victory, and it ended when a Simon backhand pass attempt went wide.
On his way to winning in three hours and 39 minutes, Isner fired 26 aces and double-faulted five times. He will face Andy Murray for a place in the semifinals.
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John Isner 
