Two weeks ago, John Isner was doubtful to play the US Open, but through treatment, he was able to play the US Open, and got through two rounds.  Youzhny was going to be a tough guy.  While Isner can hit good shots, his movement has always been a big suspect, partly a curse of being a big guy.  Isner is often mentioned in the same breath as Sam Querrey, but Sam’s movement is superior.  Nonetheless, Isner is a dogged opponent who wins matches out of sheer will.

Isner lost his serve early in the first set and it was enough for Youzhny to win the first set.  Then, it looked like Youzhny would take over.  He got up two breaks and a 5-2 lead, only to see Isner not just break back once, but twice, and then push it to a tiebreak where he dominated and knotted the set at one apiece.

Neither player broke in the third set, so this went to a tiebreak, but Youzhny won that 7 points to 5.  In the fourth set, Youzhny broke early again, and held that break to win the match.

Isner’s main problem was dealing with Youzhny’s pace of shot.  His solution, other than hit aces, was to approach the net, and sometimes it worked, and sometimes Youzhny got a good pass.  In the end, Isner found it harder and harder to run down Youzhny’s shots.  Isner was partly saved with Youzhny making errors, netting shots that he probably shouldn’t have.  Youzhny also did a better job than most players picking up the Isner serve.

Youzhny will now take on Tommy Robredo.  Robredo has been a bit lucky.  He hasn’t played good tennis in quite some time, although he generally plays well at the US Open.  He played a qualifier in the first round, then had two opponents retire in the second and third round (two Frenchman: Benneteau and Llodra).  Youzhny should prove too much for Robredo.

Robredo actually leads the head-to-head 2-1, but the two haven’t played in four years.  Youzhny reached the semis in 2006, but he says that was long ago.  Since Murray lost, it opens up this section with Querrey also a potential beneficiary of this loss (though Wawrinka will be tough to handle).

Isner did pretty well all things considered, but better footwork should be a priority for him.