Tennis: Isner's weapon of choice

Isner defeats Clement to win the Open title. Photo / Getty Images

Tennis is a game of weapons. The more you have, the better you are.

John Isner's booming serve won him yesterday's Heineken Open title. It was his first ATP Tour title and, given his exponential rise up the rankings in the past two years, it could be the first of many.

Yesterday he sent down 22 aces on his way to a 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-2) victory.

That took his tally for the tournament to 78, more than triple the next best, Jurgen Melzer's 24.

Many more of Isner's serves yesterday were unreturnable. When he got his first serve in, which was 73 per cent of the time, he won 81 per cent of points.

"It's one of the best serves [on tour], for sure," the defeated Arnaud Clement lamented. "Karlovic, Isner, Roddick. It's very, very impressive to serve like this all match."

To say Isner is a one-trick pony is a little unkind. Maybe two tricks. He has a powerful forehand and moves reasonably well for someone who stands 2.06m tall.

But he has the type of game that will trouble many in tennis' elite and it's easy to see why his ranking has skyrocketed from 839 two years ago to 33. He certainly looms as a dangerous opponent at the Australian Open, which begins tomorrow.

"I think it can take me really far," Isner said. "This is the start of my third full year on the tour. I'm going to be in the top 30 and, with a weapon like my serve and as long as I improve other areas of my game, I can see myself getting in the top 20 and even better than that."

Yesterday was not a classic final - there were too many unforced errors for that - but it was tense and lasted a crowd-pleasing two hours and 19 minutes.

It was only as Isner romped away with the third-set tiebreaker 7-2 that it was apparent who would win the match.

Clement had one match point at 6-5 in the third set but Isner, predictably, got out of trouble with another cannon of a serve.

"It's awesome," Isner said of his win in typically American fashion.

"I'm really happy it came here. This is one of my favourite tournaments. It's definitely my favourite outside the States.

"I really wanted to come back after playing here last year. A few people wanted me to play Sydney but I said no. I thought I had a legitimate shot of being one of the contenders here and it proved the case."

Isner immediately donated US$5000 of his US$64,250 winner's cheque to the Red Cross for victims of the Haiti earthquake. He also plans to make a similar gesture from his Australian Open winnings.

"It was really something I felt like I could easily do and it's something I plan to do in Australia," he said.

"With everything going on over there, it makes you realise how lucky we are. If I can help out in any way I can, I'm glad to do it."

Clement was glad he accepted a last-minute entry to play as well. The Frenchman was preparing to play qualifiers for the Sydney tournament when he was offered a place in the Heineken Open because of the late withdrawal of former world No 3 and Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian.

"At the time I didn't think I was a lucky guy because I was supposed to play in Sydney and had to come here and take another flight," Clement said.

"Finally I am a lucky guy because I played very, very good tennis. Maybe in Sydney it wouldn't have been the same. I am very happy to play this tournament for the first time.

"Yes, it was tough [to lose]. I was close to winning the match and I am very disappointed but I had a good week and I was against a good player."

Clement, though, is coming to the end of his career. At 32 and with talk in the locker room he might be entering his last year on tour, he won't have many more chances to add to his four career titles.

The world No 67 last won a tournament in 2006, and his last final before yesterday was 2007.

Isner is at the opposite end of his career. The 24-year-old has promised to return to Auckland every year and, if he can recapture the form of last week, there's no reason he won't win the Heineken Open again.