Get set for a semi-final shootout as John Isner faces fellow big server Gilles Muller in tonight's Atlanta semi-finals.
Expect a high quality contest tonight as both these guys have been serving huge all week. Isner dispatched Yen-Hsun Lu in just 56 minutes on Friday. Muller has been playing his best tennis for years over the past month, it's his first ATP semi-final for six years. The left-hander has smashed down 36 aces so far this week and he took out second seed Kevin Anderson 7-6, 7-6 in the quarters.
Isner always relishes returning to Atlanta and the crowd support helped him through a pulsating second round clash with James Blake on Wednesday. Fans were treated to a late night thriller as Isner hammered down 30 aces before eventually breaking Blake's resolve deep in the third set. Winning Newport a couple of weeks ago has certainly helped his confidence and that's so crucial in these tight matches which can go either way.
It all looks set for a repeat of last year's Atlanta showdown between the duo, a second round humdinger which saw Isner save multiple match points before clinching it 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(7). Matches like that can change a player's fortunes in a tournament and it certainly spurred Isner on. He ended up making the final, losing the tightest of third set tiebreakers to Mardy Fish.
"There's a good chance we play a tiebreaker or two," Isner said. "This is truly anybody's match."
Prediction: Isner in three.
