Berrere had failed to defeat a top-50 opponent in 23 attempts. His previous high in his career, No. 1: Isner has fallen one position. 37. 8 in 2016.
In the first round of the ASB Classic in New Zealand, Gregoire Berrere, a French qualifier, defeated John Isner, a two-time champion, by scores of 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), and 6-3. Despite obstacles, Berrere prevailed outside of the courtroom.
As tropical Cyclone Hale pounded Auckland with gale-force winds and rain on Tuesday, matches were moved inside. Because he prefers indoor hardcourts, Berrere was pleased with the decision. The competition is a buildup to the Australian Open, which is coming up.
Berrere also had to put up with the brutal American serves. Berrere prevailed despite the fact that Isner had 28 aces. Isner became the first player in ATP Tour and Grand Slam history to serve 14,000 aces with just 12 games remaining.
Berrere had failed to defeat a top-50 opponent in 23 attempts. His previous high in his career, No. 1: Isner has fallen one position. 37. 8 in 2016.
Berrere stated, “I’m feeling good, actually I’m feeling great.” Because I lost in the first round of my previous tournament, I tried to get ready for this one by training a lot the week before.
“I accept that I played well overall and am satisfied here. When I learned this morning that we would be playing indoors, I was happy to play Isner, who I knew served very well. I was eager to play him because I was aware that this was my best court.
Berrere prepared himself for the challenge of playing Isner by focusing on his serve return. In the deciding set, he won the match with a cross-court winner from Isner’s second serve, making the score 5-3. In just over two hours, Berrere won the match with a straightforward hold of serve.
Berrere stated, “I think I did a pretty good match, despite the fact that I broke only once in the third set.” When you play against Isner’s powerful serving, it can be very frustrating. He is, however, engaged in a game; I’m ready to play; I must concentrate on improving my service if I accept it. In the second round, Berrere will face fellow Canadian Constant Lestienne. In a qualifying match, American Chris Eubanks defeated defending champion Ugo Umbert 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).
Before taking a decisive 6-1 lead early in the tiebreaker for the second set, the 26-year-old Eubanks fought through a close match with Humbert. Additionally, Eubanks does a great job. Eubanks stated, “I think just being comfortable playing a lot of tiebreakers based on my game.” I played some pretty good ball throughout the entire game. I was able to get that done today with some success. Earlier, American Marcos Giron defeated Argentinean Federico Coria by winning 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5 after rallying from a set down.