Kevin Anderson must be riding a wave of momentum following a terrific win over Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Now, he’ll have to prepare for John Isner, a hard-serving giant just like the South African. Read on for a preview of this matchup below.
Talk about a stunner. Kevin Anderson delivered a huge upset that sent shockwaves across the tennis universe by ousting Roger Federer in the quarterfinals with a 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 come-from-behind victory. Anderson dug deep in order to get himself back in the thick of things after losing the first set against the greatest ever in the sport. Instead of folding, Anderson relied on his powerful serves to generate 28 aces and 65 winners. He also capitalized in his break chances, converting four of seven break point opportunities against Federer. His fantastic service game also manifested in his 76 percent scoring rate on his first serves. Isner is a hard-server just like Anderson, but beating an all-time great in the quarterfinals may just be the extra bump in confidence Anderson needs to conquer the American after losing to Isner in each of their five meetings.
Betting on John Isner (-115 Moneyline)
Isner didn’t have to beat someone who will probably have a stadium named after him in the future to get himself into the semifinals, but he still defeated a very solid player in Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 6-3. As good as Anderson’s serve has been in this tournament, Isner has been better. In fact, Isner has never been broken in the tournament so far. Against Raonic, he put 73 percent of his first serves in and scored a point on 90 percent of them. He also converted three of his six break point chances against Raonic. Isner should also come to his match against Anderson with fresher legs, as the former disposed of Raonic in four sets, while the latter had to go through a tiring five-setter of a marathon against Federer. Isner is 8-3 all-time against Anderson, which includes one grass-match victory in 2008 at Queen’s.
Writer’s Prediction
Isner keeps the American dream alive with a four-set win over Anderson in the semifinals.
