Tennis: Isner battles back for dogged win

John Isner will face David Nalbandian in the next round. Photo / Dean Purcell

Defending champion John Isner struggled mightily but kept his Heineken Open title defence alive with a dogged victory over Dutchman Robin Haase last night.

Isner was well off his game in the opening set, producing a flood of unforced errors and losing 6-3.

He wasn't much better in the second, but survived the intense pressure Haase placed on his serve to take the set in a tiebreak.

The giant American may have been the man with the big cannon, but Haase outmatched him on serve for most of the match.

While Isner was forced to fend off 10 break points to stay in the match, Haase at one stage dropped only one point on serve over a run of seven games.

Isner didn't force a single break point until the final point of the match, but when his chance game he grabbed it to close out the match 7-5 in the third.

"It definitely wasn't pretty," Isner said after the game. "But to be able to gut one out like that is big for me."

With the classy David Nalbandian now standing in his way, Isner will need to improve dramatically if he is to stay in the tournament.

"Getting that first match under my belt was huge," Isner said. "I will play better [today], whether or not I win."

Earlier in the day, second seed Nicolas Almagro ended a five-year wait and showed Auckland tennis fans what he can do at his best.

The Spanish world No 15 has started his season in Auckland every year since 2007, but during that time has produced only brief flashes of his undoubted talent. More often he has appeared indifferent.

Last year, when he slumped to a 0-6 3-6 defeat to Frenchman Marc Gicquel in 59 minutes, that indifference had reached a lamentable level.

But that version of Almagro bore no resemblance to the vein-bulging, eye-popping ball of fire that exploded on centre court yesterday to ruin Victor Hanescu's day.

Almagro capped the whopping of the Romanian with a double fist-clenched rebel yell. He might just have won Wimbledon, such was his level of exaltation.

When he navigated a post-match press conference that tried to delve into last year's shenanigans with a broad smile and something approaching charm, it begged the question, "who are you and what have you done with the real Nicolas Almagro?"

It was probably better to ask a player who has never won consecutive matches in Auckland whether he fancied sticking around for the week.

"Of course, I want to win the tournament," Almagro said.

Melbourne was not already on his mind, he said.

"We are here to prepare for the first grand slam of the season but this tournament is important too. All the players want to win the tournament and we are fighting for it."

In fairness to Almagro, last year's curious showing came after he injured his wrist playing doubles - although he then had a run to last 16 in Melbourne that included three five-set classics.

But after the tenacity and intensity he displayed yesterday, the Auckland tennis public seems to have given Almagro the benefit of any doubts.

"All in life happens for something - if I broke my hand here last year maybe this year I can win the tournament," he said.

Top seed David Ferrer was pushed all the way in his opening match against the highly promising young German Tobias Kamke before triumphing in three sets.

That 2hr 29min effort would tax many players but Ferrer's game is based on his fitness and he expected to be in top shape for today's quarterfinal against eighth seed Phillipp Kohlschrieber.

"Now I'm tired of course because I have run a lot and played a lot of rallies," Ferrer said. "But my game is very physical. Every match is similar."

Fourth seed Albert Montanes was the major casualty. The Spanish clay court specialist was beaten in three sets by Colombian Santiago Giraldo in three sets.

Giraldo now faces Brazilian seventh seed Thomaz Bellucci, who also needed three sets to get past Tommy Robredo.