News-Record.com

Here are some eye-opening stats on John Isner from the folks in media relations for the ATP.

1) Isner cranked out 144 aces in his six matches at the Legg Mason Classic. That's the highest total in a non-grand slam (where you have the potential to play seven matches) since the ATP started keeping serve stats in 1991.

2) It's the highest total in any tournament since Mark Philippoussis (yes, the guy in Age of Love) pounded 178 aces at Wimbledon in 2003.

3) It's also the eighth highest total in any tournament, period, since 1991. The three highest totals were all compiled by "Never Borin'" Goran Ivanisevic, at Wimbledon. In 2001, Goran hit a mind-blowing 212 aces at Wimbledon. Kinda makes you wonder what The Is will do once he hits those slick lawns in south London, doesn't it?

4) ATP info guy Greg Sharko has searched through all the files, and as far as he can tell, no other player has ever won five straight matches in third-set tiebreakers, as Isner did at the Legg Mason tournament.

Isner's first-round opponent tomorrow at the ATP Masters tournament in Cincinnati is David Ferrer, the No. 16 player in the world. Obviously, given what we've seen from Isner, I think he has a shot at the upset, but the courts at Cincy are supposed to be a little slower than the surface in D.C. Will that make a big difference on Isner's serve? I kinda doubt it.

Another thing that I think plays in Isner's favor is the curious playing schedule Ferrer has followed. This will be his first tournament on hard courts since March. Since that time, he's played all his matches on clay, except for Wimbledon. That gives me the impression that Ferrer is a guy is much more comfortable on clay, like most Europeans, and would rather stay in Europe and keep his rankings up on the slower clay than take a chance playing in the U.S. on the faster hard courts. Now, though, he's back on hard courts as preparation for the U.S. Open. I would imagine this will be a bit of a shock to Ferrer's system, playing his first hard court match in five months against a guy with Isner's serving power.

Still, at some point Isner will need to break Ferrer's serve, which means outrallying a guy who's got the definite advantage in ground strokes. Either that, or it's play for the tiebreaks and hope Isner's success in those moments continues.