Kei Nishikori vs. John Isner: Score, Reaction from 2015 Citi Open

By Joseph Zucker
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 9, 2015

Kei Nishikori captured the 2015 Citi Open title Sunday following a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over John Isner in Washington, D.C.

For Nishikori, the victory is a small measure of revenge after Isner won 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open back in April.

In the semifinals of the Citi Open, Nishikori was tasked with facing another relatively big server, Marin Cilic, who wins on average 77 percent of his first-serve points and earns just a shade under 12 aces a match.

Nishikori is one of the better returners on the ATP Tour—seventh in first-service return points won (36 percent)—but he admitted that his strategy against Cilic at times relied on blind luck.

"I tried to hit a little more aggressive," he said after the win, per the Associated Press (via USA Today). "Some of the shots I have to close my eyes and just hit the ball."

The No. 5 player in the world would need equal parts luck and aggression in order to topple Isner in the final.

It became readily apparent Isner would be doing his opponent no favors. In the first set, he picked up six aces and won 80 percent of his first-serve points. Not only was Isner getting a ton of power behind his serves, but he was also applying incredible kick and working the angles to keep Nishikori guessing.

Erik Gudris of Tennis Now was particularly impressed with how Isner danced out of danger on serve:

Nishikori was just as good on his first serve, albeit relying more on precision over power. He dropped three of his 16 first-service points across the first set.

However, Nishikori's second serve was much less effective and opened the door for Isner to grab a service break. He nearly did so in the fourth game, with his forehand shot going into the net at break point, per TennisTV:

Isner got another opportunity in the 10th game, this time making the most of...

Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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