By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 14, 2017
Playing his first ATP tournament on clay, Ernesto Escobedo edged John Isner, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, to reach his first ATP semifinal in Houston.
Photo credit: U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship
The 5-6 career clay-court record Ernesto Escobedo carried into Houston hardly suggested the 20-year-old American was poised for a break-out performance in his first career ATP event on dirt.
The 35 aces John Isner buzzed off the back wall and six match points that slipped from the wild card’s grip were major obstacles too.
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None of that mattered much to Escobedo, who stared down all the question marks then threw down an exclamation point to close a career-best victory.
Slashing an ace wide, Escobedo converted his seventh match point edging Isner, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), advancing to his first career ATP semifinal at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.
Both men saved seven of eight break points in a grinding three hour, two-minute match.
Contesting his first career ATP quarterfinal, Escobedo is the youngest Houston semifinalist since a 19-year-old Andy Roddick beat Guillermo Coria and Pete Sampras in succession to take the 2002 Houston title.
Reaching the semifinals in just his ninth ATP-level tournament left an emotional Escobedo in a bit of disbelief.
“I can’t believe it,” Escbobedo told Wayne Bryan afterward. “I can’t believe I won. To do it here in Houston, it’s amazing. (It’s) such a relief, past years I’ve been training so hard and now it’s paying off. I can’t believe I won.”
The 91st-ranked Californian is projected to rise to a career-high rank of No. 72 when the new ATP rankings are released on Monday.
Escobedo will play either Brazilian left-hander Thomaz Bellucci or compatriot Sam Querrey for a spot in Sunday’s final.
Five Americans were still standing as play began today. The last time five American men made the last eight came in 2002 when Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, James Blake and Todd Martin were quarterfinalists.
Credit a weary Isner, who was hit with a time violation warning before one of the match points, for extending the battle.
Serving at 5-6 in the final set, Isner denied three more match points, serving-and-volleying at times, then thumped an ace to force the final tie break.
Dancing around his backhand, Escobedo was nearly in the front row of the stands when he drilled a forehand return winner down line for the mini break and a 2-0 lead. Anticipating the wide serve, Escobedo was all over a 141 mph serve blasting a backhand return winner crosscourt for 4-2. Squeezing another forehand winner down the line, the world No. 91 earned three more match points.
The 2013 champion fired successive aces to close to 5-6 before Escobedo cracked his 10th ace into the corner to end it.
"After the second set, I just refocused and told myself to keep on going, be patient and it’s gonna happen," Escobedo said.