'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match details
Fixture: John Isner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Date: 25 August 2020
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020
Round: Round of 16
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $4,674,780
Match timing: 5.30 pm EDT, 3 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Sony Ten 2
John Isner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview
A mouthwatering match awaits all fans in the third round of the 2020 Western & Southern Open as Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on the big-serving American John Isner.
The two men had pretty contrasting second round matches. While Tsitsipas breezed to a victory over Kevin Anderson, Isner labored to a three-set win over John Millman.
For the 35-year-old, John Isner this foray into the last 16 is already quite commendable. He had to overcome not only Millman in the second round, but also the young firebrand Hubert Hurkacz in the first.
Tsitsipas however is one of the players who’d be looking to at least go deep into the tournament, if not win it. Going into this match he’ll probably be under more pressure than John Isner, who has nothing to lose. That said, the Greek will be buoyed by his sublime striking against Anderson, where he hit the ball cleanly and accurately for most of the match.
Isner sent down a whopping 35 aces against Millman but at the same time failed to break his opponent's serve in nearly three hours of tennis. It was a typical Isner win going by his career record, and he’’ll surely attempt to try the same against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
John Isner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas head-to-head
John Isner leads Stefanos Tsitsipas in the head-to-head by a margin of 2-1. They have played each other once each in Shanghai (2017), Wimbledon (2018) and Beijing (2019).
Both the matches in China were of course played on hardcourt, and the spoils in that department were shared between Isner and Tsitsipas. The most recent encounter in Beijing was won by the Greek in straight sets, and he’ll be looking to take confidence from that victory.
One can expect at least one set to go to a tiebreak, as five of the seven sets played between them have required one.
John Isner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas prediction
John Isner has always managed to trouble Stefanos Tsitsipas, who generally finds the going tough against big servers. And Isner is as big as big can get.
The Greek will be expected to make some tactical changes ahead of this match to trouble the American, who is a bit limited in his skill-set.
It will be interesting to see how well Tsitsipas returns against Isner. He could try to trouble the American by hitting on the rise; Isner is not renowned for his speed and footwork, and could easily be left bamboozled by Tsitsipas’ dexterity.
John Isner is serving well and could take a set off Tsitsipas, but the latter will likely prevail due to his superior all-round ability.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.
