GOFFIN’S WINNING STREAK ENDS IN WINSTON-SALEM, ISNER WITHDRAWS BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 21st August 2014

GOFFIN'S WINNING STREAK ENDS IN WINSTON-SALEM, ISNER WITHDRAWS BY RICKY DIMON

epa04114845 David Goffin from Belgium returns to Nikolay Davydenko from Russia during their men's single match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 07 March 2014. EPA/MICHAEL NELSON |

David Goffin saw his 25-match winning streak come to end at the hands of Jerzy Janowicz in the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. Goffin, coming off three Challenger titles and his first ATP triumph in Kitzbuhel, succumbed to Janowicz 6-4, 6-4 after one hour and 17 minutes.

“It’s not easy to play against that kind of player,” the Pole assured. “I knew about his winning streak. I was playing from the baseline really huge. I was trying to put pressure on him and it worked.”

Janowicz is joined in the semifinals by Yen-Hsun Lu, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Andreas Seppi. Lu, currently the highest-ranked man to be unseeded at the U.S. Open, is coming off a third-round performance in Cincinnati.

The disappointing news of the day–especially for fans on site–came when No. 1 seed and hometown favorite John Isner withdrew prior to his quarterfinal match against Lukas Rosol. Isner, a two-time champion in Winston-Salem with a perfect 12-0 lifetime record at the event, reportedly sustained an ankle injury during his straight-set win over Mikhail Kukushkin on Wednesday evening.

“I am extremely disappointed to have to withdraw from the Winston-Salem Open, one of my favorite stops of the year,” read a statement made by Isner. “It is extra disappointing for me given that it is my hometown tournament. I would have loved to continue to chase my third title here in Winston-Salem in front of these great fans, my friends, and family.”

“We’re very disappointed that John is not going to be able to play today, but we understand that his health is of primary importance,” tournament director Bill Oakes lamented. “We wish him the best of luck in his recovery and look forward to seeing him in Winston-Salem again soon.”

Isner’s withdrawal means Milos Raonic has clinched the U.S. Open Series title. Raonic won the Washington, D.C. title, reached the quarterfinals in Toronto, and made a semifinal run in Cincinnati.

“It is very exciting to win the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge before heading into the U.S. Open,” Raonic said. “To be a North American, winning it is a huge honor for me since one of my results came in my hometown of Toronto. It’s a great place to be and now I’m setting my sights on having a great tournament next week in New York. It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point and I’m looking to keep improving my results at the Open.”

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Atp, David Goffin, Jerzy Janowicz, John Isner, Lukas Rosol, milos raonic, Ricky Dimon, Tennis, US Open, Winston-Salem

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10sBalls_com says:

August 21, 2014 at 9:29 pm

@David__Goffin’s WINNING STREAK ENDS IN #WinstonSalem, @JohnIsner #WITHDRAWS BY @RD_Tennistalk- http://t.co/LI6xbH8hRf #tennis
RD_Tennistalk says:

August 21, 2014 at 9:47 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: @David__Goffin’s WINNING STREAK ENDS IN #WinstonSalem, @JohnIsner #WITHDRAWS BY @RD_Tennistalk- http://t.co/LI6xbH8hRf #t…