Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 5, 2018. John Isner of the U.S. celebrates winning his second round match against Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
July 5, 2018
By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) – John Isner said he had slept badly after tossing away a two-set lead in his second-round match against Ruben Bemelmans before rain intervened at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
When he returned a day later he spared himself another nightmare by saving two match points on his way to securing a 6-1 6-4 6-7(6) 6-7(3) 7-5 victory.
The American had led by two sets and 4-0 in the third-set tiebreaker then missed a match point before rain intervened on Wednesday with the players locked at two sets apiece.
On the resumption on Thursday, Isner found himself staring down the barrel in the 10th game of the decider but he served two of his 64 booming aces to save two match points before taking the next two games to reach the third round.
Isner had got into a furious argument with umpire Mohamed Lahyani the previous evening after Belgian Bemelmans twice got the benefit of Hawkeye decisions that left Isner questioning whether the line-calling technology had malfunctioned.
He is no stranger to drama at Wimbledon having played for 11 hours and five minutes over three days to beat Nicolas Mahut in 2010 — the longest match in tennis history.
The trauma of this one hardly compared to that but Isner was mightily relieved to scrape through to face Moldovan Radu Albot — a match that offers an enticing opportunity for the 33-year-old to finally reach the last 16 here.
“It was a tough match. I have of course been in this situation before where the match has not finished, and I’m not just talking about 2010,” Isner told reporters.
“It’s not all that uncommon with how it can rain and whatnot. But I certainly didn’t sleep like a baby last night. When you’re up two sets and 4-0 in the third-set tiebreaker and you let that slip through, it’s tough.
“A lot of stuff goes through your head. I’m half asleep, I’m not really asleep. We’ve all been there when you have something weighing on you.”
Isner’s hopes were hanging by a thread when he trailed 4-5 15-40 on his serve against the 104th-ranked Bemelmans.
He responded by slamming down four successive aces.
It was a punch in the stomach for Bemelmans who double-faulted on his way to gifting Isner the break in the next game.
Isner then completed an eventful victory with the help of another couple of aces.
While Isner needs one more win to post his best Wimbledon run, compatriot Frances Tiafoe reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time when he beat French veteran Julien Benneteau in four sets.
Americans Sam Querrey and Mackenzie McDonald are also still alive in the top half of the draw.
Asked about a theoretical semi-final clash with Querrey, Isner quickly poured cold water on the reporter’s enquiry.
“Isn’t Roger (Federer) in the draw?,” he joked.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
