He had his chances

Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati

Isner did not take advantage of any of them in the third set to close the match out against [CR9] Andy Murray (GBR), instead he lost in the third set tiebreaker and the match, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-7(2).

[CR14] John Isner (USA) lost the match the moment he lost those break/match opportunities in the twelfth game in the third set. The American could not get over the blown chances and it was reflected in his poor play in the tiebreaker. He spent the entire time castrating himself for missing those opportunities, instead of focusing on the set at hand.

Winning a tennis match is not just about inches, it’s about making your opportunities count when you get them, especially at crucial moments.  It’s doubly hard to swallow when you worked so hard to get an opportunity, only to lose it because of unfocused play.

 

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