Second-seeded Nick Kyrgios claimed his second ATP World Tour title of 2016 with a straight-sets victory over three-time defending champion John Isner at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open, taking the match in two tiebreaks, 7-6(3), 7-6(4).
As expected with two big servers, break points were hard to come by, and in the end, there were no breaks of serve at all. The two tiebreakers proved to be the turning points for Kyrgios, where he was just able to find a bit more than Isner.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Kyrgios said. “I wasn’t expecting a title at all this week, and I guess some things you can’t really explain.”
Defeating Isner in Atlanta is a difficult task for any player, as the top-seeded American had a 15-match winning streak at the BB&T Atlanta Open entering the final.
“John is always so comfortable on that court, and his tiebreak record on that court I think is 12-2 or something, so I knew I that I was going to need some special stuff today,” the champion explained. “It was a couple points here and there. That’s what it’s going to come down to with John serving well.”
“You just try to put the ball back as much as you can and try and hold your serve,” Kyrgios said. “I knew that I had the belief, and I knew I had the game, but it’s always tough against him. I can play him 50 more times and only win once. He’s the type of player who really won’t give you anything.”
Kyrgios dominates tiebreak to take first set
Shortly after the final commenced, the top seed got his first and best chance to break the Australian's serve. In Kyrgios’ first service game, Isner earned three break chances at 0-40. However, the defending champion was unable to convert on any of his chances, and Isner knew after that this was a key turning point in the match.
“I think him holding that first game was very important [for him],” Isner said after the final. “That definitely settled him down. I mean, if I go up 2-0 there’s a good chance that set’s over. He started serving much better after that. In the first set, my legs weren’t really underneath me; it was pretty hot. It was taking its toll on me.”
As temperatures continued to rise, so did the level of play. Both players held for the rest of the set, leading to a tiebreak. Soon enough, Kyrgios raced out to a 6-1 lead before eventually taking the tiebreak 7-3 with an ace, his tenth ace of the set.
Australian number one takes second set tiebreak to claim second career ATP World Tour title
As like the first set, neither of the two top seeds got many looks at break points in the second set. Both players continued to serve extremely well.
The top seed had a chance to break in the 11th game, which would have given him a chance to serve for the set. However, Kyrgios remained clutch on serve and went on to hold. Another tiebreak was coming in Atlantic Station.
Unlike the first set tiebreak, this one was very back-and-forth. Kyrgios struck first, getting the mini-break to go up 2-1. Then, Isner broke back, but the American number one gave it right back with a double fault. That moment was crucial for Isner, who relented in that shot.
“I got a second wind in the second set and I felt like I put myself in position to win that set and I fell apart,” Isner said. “I didn’t quite come up too clutch there in the second set.”
Immediately after that point, an Isner error gave Kyrgios the mini-break and that was all the 21-year-old needed for victory. At championship point, an Isner double fault, his sixth of the final, gifted Kyrgios the title.
“He played better than I did today," Isner said. "He was the better player. Of course it was small margins. It seems like all week he was very motivated and controlled himself all week. He did that again today.”
Isner encouraged despite the loss
Despite the defeat, Isner remains happy with his week here in Atlanta, where he was now reached the final in six out of seven tries.
“It was a pretty encouraging week for me,” Isner said. “It’s my first final since the final here last year, so it’s been a while. It’s tough to make a final. There’s some things today that reared their ugly head that have happened all year. I’m not playing worse, the margins in my matches are pretty small sometimes. I just got to fix a few things and it could just be between my ears.”
“Of course I wanted to win this again,” Isner continued. “I love this tournament, but I’m not too discouraged; I know I’m not too far away. I just got to fix a few things here and there and these close matches will start going my way.”
The two finalists have talked all week about their friendship, and it was evident after the match that there were no hard feelings at all after the final. Earlier in the week, Kyrgios said that before the tournament, the two top seeds had talked about how they hoped for a chance to play in the final.
When asked about how the friendship came about, the newly-crowned champion said it all began two years ago in Montral, shortly after his incident with Stan Wawrinka.
“Obviously, after what happened with me and Stan, I walked out on court and was getting booed. John was like, ‘I’ve never experienced this before,” Kyrgios explained. “He’s always been the kind of guy when I’ve struggled, he’s always been there, he’s always talked to me. He’s always been friendly. He’s probably one of the few guys I’ll keep in contact with after my career is done.”
“I think he’s a bit misunderstood,” Isner said. “He’s had controversies certainly follow him over the last couple years. For whatever reason, I’ve always gotten along with him. He’s a good guy. I think the most important thing is he’s good for the sport. I like him; he’s a good dude.”