Not long after the Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday, there was ATP semifinal action in Newport.
In the first match of the day, Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden defeated Gernamy’s Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The second match was a battle between Americans, with top seed John Isner winning comfortably — 6-2, 6-4 — over world No. 142 Bjorn Fratangelo.
That feeling when you make it to the final. #DellTechOpen pic.twitter.com/D1DFAr7XmP
— International Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) July 22, 2017
Gojowczyk and Ebden exchanged breaks to start their first set. Ebden went on to take a 5-3 lead, breaking on a Gojowczyk double fault. He then held to win it 6-3.
The Aussie extended his streak of games won to five, winning the first two of the second frame. He led for the rest of the set, eventually closing it out 6-3 to make his first ever tour-level final.
In the next match, Fratangelo was serving down 1-2 when he saved a break point with a backhand winner. Later in the same game, Isner got another break point, which he lost by missing a forehand wide. On a third break point, Isner got caught between his baseline and his service line, and Fratangelo forced an error with his forehand. But Isner then earned yet another break point, which he won on an errant Fratangelo forehand.
The Big Man then consolidated for a 4-1 lead. He later broke Fratangelo at love to put himself a set away from his first final since the 2016 Paris Masters.
In the second set, the first nine games stayed on serve. Isner, up 5-4, broke Fratangelo at 15 to win the match.
Isner won both is his previous meetings versus Ebden (his final-round opponent) in straight sets, including a 6-2, 7-6 (8), 6-4 win in the second round of Wimbledon 2015.
Stunningly, Isner has not played a tiebreak all tournament. The 21st-ranked player, at 32 years old, finds himself in a bit of a slump, though, as he has not won a tournament since the Atlanta 250 in 2015.
