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A great serve against a great return

Isner had a tough start against Stepanek here, and despite losing a break in both sets, he managed to win 2-0. He scored 33 aces and confirmed he's feeling good here, but the same goes for Berankis. The talented Lithuanian got two convincing wins against home players and his fantastic return makes him a dangerous threat

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It's common knowledge that the Americans play best in America, and John Isner is the best example. 50% of the points Big John wins during the season are from the home courts, and it seems this one won't be an exception. He played Miami final in the first part of this season, and now the second half of the season is beginning, with the expectations being even bigger.

For starters, he came to Atlanta, the place he always felt well in. In five times he played here, he got two finals, a semifinal, and he won the title in the last two years. Also, he's the first seed this year, and with all of that combined, he's the main favorite for the title, but there's still a long road to go before that.

He was free in the first round, so he had a tough start against Stepanek. He lost to Stepanek four times in the past, which definitely doesn't make him an opponent you'd want in your first match of the tournament, especially after not playing the court for four months beforehand.

None of that distracted Isner from getting even for those past defeats. He won in two tie-breaks, but both sets had some breaks that show Stepanek can have his regrets. He was the one to get a break first both times, but couldn't keep them. Isner resisted the dangerous offensive hits, and he helped himself with his serve. He scored 33 aces, and what's interesting is that he won almost the same percentage of points on the second serve as the first (70% compared to 72%). That was the key advantage to his new win in Atlanta.

Many probably wished he'd face Johnson, another American, in the quarterfinal, but that didn't happen. It's Berankis' fault. He finally got a good form and now reminds us of what he's capable of. He used to be the first junior of the world, but completely let everyone down on clay. He played better on the grass, but missed his chances, and it seems that coming to the hardcourt put things into place. He started with a challenger final in Recanati last week, and now got two new wins at this tournament.

He beat two Americans, Smyczek and Johnson. After beating Smyczek without losing his serve, he slipped once against Johnson, but won in an even more convincing way. The key was his return, known as his best weapon. Johnson got a chance to see it for himself. Berankis reduced him to only 50% first serve points, while he himself had 75%. He was better with aces, too (10-8).

All in all, Berankis gave an impressive performance, and is now challenging the first seed. What he showed so far deserves every praise, and he obviously likes players like Isner. Even though he lost the only match the two of them played, he won a set, and we should remember that he also beat Raonic in straight sets last year.