Rafael Nadal beat John Isner 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) to claim his first Cincinnati Masters title.
That Nadal should beat the ATP tiebreak leader in two sums the man up. Isner had beaten Gasquet, Raonic, Djokovic, and Del Potro on his way to the final. Were he to get Nadal to a tiebreak, one would imagine, considering his form and the confidence he must have in tiebreakers, he would be able to win one.
Isner did get Nadal to a tiebreak in the first set, holding serve without facing a break point the entire match. The American also got his first serve in 77% of the time, winning 74% of the time. Nadal though pulled up a pretty impressive service performance of his own. The Spaniard had a first serve percentage of 73% and won 84% of his first serves. That was not the only service statistic in which he outdid the game’s most successful big server. On second serves, Nadal won 79% of points while Isner won 72%. Small margins but when a match is being decided on breakers, small margins are what make the difference.
At 3-4, Isner hit a kick serve on the second serve. Nadal hit it back deep on his forehand to Isner’s, the American’s weapon on the ground, which gleaned him 21 winners; however it also missed the mark 21 times and this happened to be one of them, an unfortunate time, in the heart of the tiebreak. On the next point, another second serve, the kick serve bit harder, drawing the short return and the forehand found the open court. Then, Nadal made an error on the forehand, one of only seven on that side, to hand back the mini-break.
With both men’s weapons buckling under the pressure, the tiebreak was there for the man who held together a splitting bag the better. Nadal got in his second serve out wide and spinning out of the reach of the Isner forehand to keep his end of the bargain and get his first set point. Isner saved it with a service winner. Then he reached his own set point, his third of the set, surviving a long baseline rally with Nadal to come out on top with a forehand down the line winner, but the American failed to convert, hitting a backhand error.
7-7, the Nadal forehand held up, the Spaniard striking it down the line and sending it up high, forcing an error from Isner. Nadal had his second set point, but on the Isner serve. An ace and it was 8-8. Isner served, move forward to volley but Nadal’s passing shot was as good as ever and Isner, who had left the court open, was caught out of position, netting the volley to give Nadal another set point, and on his serve, as good as it gets against the giant American.
Nadal did not get in the first serve but the second one was good enough, short and into the body, a service winner. He had gone into his opponent’s territory and claimed it, roaring with appropriate passion.
The second set, high in quality, the match’s winner count exceeding the errors, went into a tiebreak, too. With Isner’s tiebreak record being over 70% in his favor, if the match went to two more breakers, in all probability the title would be his. But Nadal makes opponent’s suffer where they are most comfortable. See his Wimbledon ’08 and Melbourne ’09 defeats of Federer for reference. He was quick to do it in the breaker, sliced a short forehand return that drew Isner in and drew an error from him, the surprise element of the shot his undoing.
The mini-break his, his opponent’s strength disarmed, Nadal’s confidence abounded, his own strength the forehand now doing as he bid it, cutting and opening up the court, a drop shot the final blow to lead 4-1. The peak of Nadal’s forehand skills fell in with the fall of Isner’s, a forehand into the net gifting Nadal another mini-break and a commanding 5-1 lead. It did not completely collapse though, holding up in the next point and drawing an error from Nadal’s. And the American had not lost his fight, too, getting one of the mini-breaks back when a Nadal backhand volley went wide. Another opportunity came his way on the next point, a short Nadal second serve but Isner could not capitalize, his forehand return down the line landing in the net.
Nadal had two match points, both on Isner’s serve. Nadal got a look at a second serve to his forehand. The American moved forward hitting the approach shot back to the forehand, back into the Spaniard’s strength. Nadal could not have asked for more. He struck a winning forehand passing shot down the line to win his first Cincinnati Masters.
It was his 26th Masters 1000, his 15th consecutive hard court victory, and his third Hard court Masters of the year, with two more won on the Clay. The numbers speak loud and clear. His game speaks even louder. It’s a sound his opponent’s hope will be silenced come the US Open. Nadal likes it silent though; the more uncomfortable the better.
thetennisreview 
Leave a comment