Alexander Zverev and John Isner will compete in their final robin-round match of Group Guga Kuerten of ATP Finals 2018. The two players are coming in this match on the back of a rocky start in London. In this game, they will be hoping to improve their chances of making it to the semifinals.
The Alexander Zverev v John Isner 2018 ATP Finals robin-round match will be played on Friday, November 16, at 2:00 pm local time (1:00 pm GMT). Watch the Alexander Zverev v John Isner live streaming here.
Zverev v Isner Head to Head
Zverev and Isner have already crossed paths a couple of times this season. They first met in the final of Miami Masters earlier this year, where Isner defeated his German adversary in three sets to lift his first singles title of the year.
A few weeks later, they met in another Masters tournament – this time in the quarterfinal of Madrid Masters. The World No. 5 clearly had the upper hand here as he defeated the American in straight sets to proceed to the next round. They have also had a couple of other encounters in the past seasons and Zverev has dominated on all occasions.
Overall, Zverev leads 4-1 in the head-to-head tally of which, two wins came on the outdoor hard surface.
Isner’s Debut in the ATP Finals
The American No. 1 began his present season outside the top 15 but fought his way into the top 10 after a terrific performance on the tour. In July, he even reached his career-high singles ranking as the World No. 8 after reaching the semifinal at the Wimbledon.
Before coming to London, his win-loss record stood at 34-19 marked by two singles titles. Along with the Miami Masters, he won the ATP Atlanta later in the season, thus re-asserting his dominance on the American circuit. He was also a quarter-finalist at the US Open.
As for his form in London, he has lost both of his matches so far. His opening match in the Finals was against the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The American lost that match in straight sets owing to 26 unforced errors in contrast to Nole’s mere six.
His second match was far more interesting. He was up against the World No. 7 Marin Cilic and that match went on for a little over two hours. Isner won the first set but failed to hold on to that lead. Consequently, the Croatian fought back to win the match with 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4. The match was a close affair but Cilic clearly had the edge at key moments.
The Croatian had a better break point conversion ratio and also kept his unforced errors count on the low side. However, Isner had 17 aces in contrast to Cilic’s six.
Zverev’s Consistency to Stay in the Top
The German has been one of the most hardworking players on the tour this season. The 21-year-old, who is currently ranked at the fifth place in the world, has won a total of three titles this season. His biggest accomplishment is his winning run in the Madrid Masters, along with lifting the ATP Washington and ATP Munich trophies. He was also the finalist in the Miami Masters and Rome Masters.
As for his run in London, he started the tournament on a winning note against Marin Cilic with a straight-set victory. He then moved on to face the World No. 1 Djokovic, where he was routed in straight sets with 6-4, 6-1, in a little over an hour.
While the German was absolutely fantastic in a lot of other aspects – he had nine aces and 20 winners in contrast to Djokovic’s one and 11 respectively, he also committed an astounding number of unforced errors. By the end of the match, the German had made 33 errors in a stark contrast to 13 by his opponents. Had it not been for his errors, Zverev could have very easily delivered an upset here.
Zverev v Isner – Who will win here?
Isner and Zverev are two players who are fairly well matched. Their recent history indicates that Isner is more than capable of beating the German here. However, he is also known to make errors every now and then and given his recent form, it may be a tad bit difficult for him to repeat his Miami Masters’ feat again. Zverev will start this match as the favorite.
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