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It’s a battle of the big servers today as American John Isner squares off against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the Australia Open third round. Join The Roar for live scores from 12:30pm AEDT.
Lopez is coming off an epic five-set victory over Guido Pella in the second round and will once again need to brace himself for another long tussle against Isner.
It took the Spaniard over four hours to defeat Pella in an Australian Open classic and it remains to be seen if he has what it takes to go the distance yet again.
Isner meanwhile also had a tough encounter against Spaniard Marcel Granollers, but showed enough class in the end to get the job done in three tight sets.
The extra recovery time for Isner may very well do the trick against an opponent who fought tooth and nail in the last round to progress.
With that said, there is very little separating Lopez and Isner today. Both possess terrific serves that are very difficult to break down, so we should expect numerous tiebreakers today.
Although the head-to-head ledger is squared at three wins apiece, Lopez has won two of the past three matches but Isner did win their most recent contest in Queen’s Club last year.
As expected, that match went to three tiebreakers, showing just how difficult it is for either player to break the other player’s serve.
Isner is the more aggressive player from the back of the court and will hurt Lopez if this contest ends up being a shot-making affair from the baseline. He is also adept at playing a serve and volley game.
The Spaniard meanwhile also likes to serve and volley frequently to finish points off and also possesses a strong one-handed backhand that can do significant damage if he finds his range.
With both players evenly matched, another five setter could eventuate but Isner’s extended recovery time may be the defining factor in allowing the American to progress to the fourth round.
Prediction: Isner in five sets.
Join The Roar for live scores from 12:30pm AEDT.