Tennis News: Infosys Hall of Fame Open - John Isner beats Benjamin Bonzi

    World No. 22 John Isner won against fifth seed Benjamin Bonzi of France 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 7-6(5) in a thrilling quarterfinal match at the Infosys Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 14

    John Isner John Isner

    All three sets of the tightly contested match went into a tie-break. Both players struggled to find their rhythm in the opening set. The first set went into a tie-break after four breaks of service resulted in neither player being able to take control of the serve.

    John Isner carried on with the momentum in the second set, but Benjamin Bonzi fought back to force the set into a tie-break. Due to rainy weather, John Isner raced to a 4/2 lead in the second set tie-break before the match had to be stopped. The 26-year-old man pulled off a reversal after returning to court to win the second set 6-7(6), sending the match into a decider.

    Both players failed to get a breakpoint as they exchanged point for point to send the quarterfinal thriller into another tie-break in the final set. John Isner got a quick 6/1 lead, but Benjamin Bonzi won four consecutive points, including an excellent backhand pass at 4/6 to make it ⅚. John Isner maintained his composure and secured his victory on the eighth match point after two hours and 47 minutes of play.

    The victory improved the win-loss record of John Isner in Newport to 25-5 and extended his winning streak at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open to 10 matches. The 37-year-old American aims to win his fifth title at the Infosys Hall of Fame. If he wins the next match, Isner will enter the World Top 20 for the first time since February 2020.

    All three sets of the tightly contested match went into a tie-break. Both players struggled to find their rhythm in the opening set. The first set went into a tie-break after four breaks of service resulted in neither player being able to take control of the serve. John Isner pushed forth and got a decisive break to clinch the opening set.

    In an on-court interview, John Isner said, “I got off to a good start in the final tie-break, and I needed every single bit of it, obviously. Eventually, I was able to win. That was a crazy match, for sure.”

    John Isner will lock horns with fellow American Maxime Cressy in a semifinal faceoff on July 16. The 25-year-old American player advanced to the Last four after a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over compatriot Steve Johnson.