Leave it to John Isner to keep the American flag flying at Roland Garros. Isner barged into the second round of the 2017 French Open with a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Jordan Thompson on Tuesday. It was a resounding performance from Isner who needed two hours and 37 minutes to oust the Australian.
Key to Isner’s impressive victory was his towering serve. He converted 67 percent of his first serves against Thompson with the American winning 68 of his 86 first serve points (79 percent success rate). Isner also finished the match with a whopping 31 aces. He’s second to none in this tournament when it comes to that particular department.
The American will need to bring that killer serve this coming Thursday if he is beat Paolo Lorenzi. He leads the ATP Tour in serve rating with an incredible 318.4 clip. Isner’s success will largely depend on his first serve. The world no. 22 leads the ATP Tour in first serve percentage with a solid 70.3 percent clip. If Isner’s first serve is right on target in the second round, it’s going to be a long afternoon for Lorenzi.
What makes Isner so tough to beat nowadays, though, is his ever-improving return. He proved that in the opening match against Thompson, converting all three of his break point opportunities. That will serve him in good stead against Lorenzi who is 10-9 on clay this year.
Paolo Lorenzi moved into the second round of the 2017 French Open with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 win over Ricardas Berankis on Tuesday. It was a fantastic performance by Lorenzi who needed just one hour and 47 minutes to record the straight-sets win. With the victory, Lorenzi advanced past the first round of the French Open for the first time in his career.
Waiting in the next round for Lorenzi is the big-serving John Isner. This will be the first meeting between Lorenzi and Isner in the ATP Tour. For Lorenzi to record the all-important victory, he needs to continue his excellent return play and put pressure on Isner’s serve. Lorenzi won 51 percent of his receiving points against Berankis with the Italian converting six of his 13 break point chances. Lorenzi will have no problem duplicating that feat, especially if he can sustain his highly-efficient play. He committed just eight unforced errors in his first-round win against Berankis.
