Muller’s one of those players that had potential when he was a junior.  One of the rare players from Luxembourg, Muller has had random success.  He was the last player, other than Federer, to beat Nadal at Wimbledon (well, prior to this year).  He beat Andy Roddick during the “mojo” year at the US Open when American Express built a huge campaign only to see Roddick lose early to Muller.

Since then, Muller has had some mixed success.  He gave Nadal a little bit of a challenge at Wimbledon. Muller is the only non-American in the Atlanta semis.

Today, Muller met John Isner in the semifinals.  Muller has a big lefty serve and plays a standard lefty game.  He can be a tricky player because he has decent power and takes his chances.

However, Isner had his big serve working.  Like Karlovic and Roddick, Isner not only serves big but serves at a high percentage, making his serve that much tougher to handle.  Nevertheless, the two kept even in the first set, until a late break by Isner gave him the first set.

The two stayed on serve into the second set tiebreak, one won by Muller.  It seemed the third set might go the distance, but Isner secured a break early on which seemed to deflate Muller’s balloon.  Muller had not broken Isner all match, and would soon get broken again.  Isner is coming off a title at Newport, his first of the year, and a win that has jumpstarted his confidence.

Final score: 7-5, 6-7, 6-1

Tonight, Ryan Harrison hopes to upset a repeat of last year’s final that featured Isner and Fish.  Harrison beat Rajeev Ram in a third set tiebreak.  This is Harrison’s first semifinal at an ATP level tournament.

Harrison is looking to upset Mardy Fish.  It will be a tall order, but it’s generally easier for a countryman to beat one another (think of Roddick getting upset by Isner and Querrey a few years ago).  Fish is in the top ten for the first time, but he’s not Nadal or anything.  Even so, his confidence and Harrison’s erratic results should be enough for Fish to win.

Over in Hamburg, Gilles Simon had to face Mikhail Youzhny for the ninth time.  On the downside, in the previous 8 meetings, Simon had only won once.  On the upside, Simon won their last match in Dubai, so maybe he was switching the trend.  Youzhny won the first set, but Simon was able to up the tempo of his ground game, moving Youzhny around, and take the next two sets.  Final score: 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

In the other semi, two Spaniards were facing each other: Verdasco and Almagro.  Almagro had a relatively easy 4 and 1 win.  Verdasco has been an inconsistent player until he made his semifinal run in the 2009 Australian Open upsetting Murray en route and giving all Nadal could handle.  Verdasco continued his good play until about 2010 clay circuit when he overplayed too many tournaments (playing five clay court events prior to the French) and was not the same player the rest of the year.  Verdasco did OK at the start of the year, but lost twice to Milos Raonic, once in the finals of San Jose and once in the following opening round of a tournament.  Even so, 2011 seems a bit better for Verdasco than the end of 2010.

Gilles Simon will play Nicolas Almagro in the finals of Hamburg.  The two have only met twice, splitting the two wins.