JOHN ISNER, IS AGAIN, THE LAST AMERICAN STANDING — THIS TIME AT THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS 2016 IN PARIS BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 27th May 2016

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

JOHN ISNER, IS AGAIN, THE LAST AMERICAN STANDING -- THIS TIME AT THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS 2016 IN PARIS BY RICKY DIMON

epa05332258 John Isner of the USA in action against Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia during their men's single third round match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 27 May 2016.??? EPA/Caroline Blumberg |

If America is to be made great again in the department of men’s tennis, at least anytime in the near future, it’s up to John Isner.

Despite receiving company from whole host of talented up-and-comers, Isner continues to carry the load. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Jared Donaldson, and Tommy Paul are on the rise but the entire quartet has just barley scratched the surface of Grand Slam relevancy. Jack Sock has plateaued for the moment between 20th and 30th in the rankings, while Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson are toiling outside the top 30.

As such, it should come as no surprise to see Isner as the last American man standing at the French Open. And that’s despite his borderline non-existent preparation for the season’s second major, which featured nothing more than a semifinal showing in Houston (where he fell to Sock) and an opening loss in Geneva to Lukas Rosol. The world No. 17 generally rises to the occasion at slams, at least relative to his countrymen, and that is exactly what he is doing this fortnight.

Crucially managing to conserve energy by avoiding five-setters with John Millman (four sets) and Kyle Edmund (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) in the first two rounds, Isner took the court on Friday with his tank on full. But the United States’ gas level was teetering on empty when Sock wrapped up his 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Albert Ramos-Vinolas while Isner was warming up on the adjacent court.

“When I went out, when my match was called, [Sock] was down 5-4 in the third; [Ramos] was serving for it,” Isner explained. “(I) got on the court–obviously I can hear it, it’s right next door; I was pretty certain I heard Ramos won the match. I guess I knew as I was warming up I was the last American guy left.”

That status almost evaporated into the Parisian air three hours later, when Teymuraz Gabashvili broke the 15th seed’s serve for a 2-0 lead in the fifth set.

John Isner of the USA in action against Kyle Edmund of Britain during their men’s single second round match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 25 May 2016. EPA/Christophe Petit Tesson

It proved to be nothing more than a wakeup call for Isner, who shockingly reeled off six straight games to take the match 7-6(7), 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Having previously broken Gabashvili once in the entirety of four sets, the former University of Georgia star did so on three consecutive occasions to claw his way back from the brink of defeat.

“I’m still alive and I’m happy about that,” Isner assured.

But he would have preferred to have Sock with him.

“I think I have been in this position a few times before,” Isner said of being the last American in a Grand Slam draw. “(I) really would have liked Jack to get through. I think I saw some stat (that) it’s been a long time since two Americans have made the round of 16 (here). Unfortunately, (it) did not happen this year.”

What can still happen, though, is an American man making his way to the 2016 French Open quarterfinals–and beyond. Isner will contest his fourth-round match on Sunday against Andy Murray, who has been playing with fire this week. The world No. 2 needed five sets to slip past Radek Stepanek and Mathias Bourgue before finally picking up the pace to beat Ivo Karlovic in straights on Friday. Isner is 0-5 lifetime against Murray, but only two of the meetings have ended in straight sets and all five have featured at least one tiebreaker.

So you’re telling me there’s a chance?

A better chance than any other American would have. That’s for sure.

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

Topics: 10sballs.com, 2016 French Open, American Tennis, ATP Paris, French Open Tennis, John Isner, RG16, Ricky Dimon, Roland Garros, Sports, Tennis News

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rosselle1995 says:

May 27, 2016 at 7:52 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@JohnIsner, Is Again, The Last American Standing, This Time At The #FrenchOpen #Tennis 2016
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