ATLANTA-----Former Georgia tennis standout John Isner rallied to beat Kevin Anderson 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 7-6(2) to win his first BB&T Atlanta Open title at Atlantic Station Sunday afternoon.
For top-seeded Isner, it was his seventh career ATP Tour title and second this year after winning the U.S. Clay Court Championship in April. He had previously reached the BB&T Atlanta Open final in 2010 and 2011.
Incidentally,
Isner and
Anderson squared off in the 2007 NCAA team final in Athens between Georgia and Illinois. Isner won the match at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 7-6(1) and the Bulldogs claimed the national championship with a 4-0 win. There were no breaks of serves in Sunday's match, and Isner saved 11 break points, including seven in the third set.
Isner, who entered the match ranked No. 22 in the ATP World Rankings, was a four-time All-American at UGA from 2004-07 and helped lead the Bulldogs to a perfect 32-0 record as a senior. He holds the school record for wins in both singles and doubles.
With his win on Sunday, Isner will crack the top-20 of the new ATP rankings to be released on Monday.
