Harrison, Isner set up All-American Final in Atlanta

Red, white and blue will surely flood the stands Sunday evening in the Peach State, as the BB&T Atlanta Open final will be an all-American matchup, featuring John Isner versus compatriot Ryan Harrison. 

Harrison secured his spot into the final by defeating Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, while earlier in the day, Isner breezed past Gilles Muller, 6-4, 6-2

The night match was the first time that the two seeded players – Harrison No. 4, Edmund No. 5 – had met. Edmund showed his determination in the first set, taking it in a tight tiebreak, 7-5. Harrison fired back in the second set, overpowering Edmund’s ground strokes and wielding his serve to take the set 6-3.

Keeping his momentum up, Harrison broke Edmund at 4-4 in the third set, and through his patient but precise placement at net, prevailed, 6-4. 

Harrison’s spot in the final is another accolade in his already impressive year. The 25-year-old won his first ATP title at the Memphis Open earlier this year, and more recently he proved his mettle on clay, taking the Roland Garros doubles title with Michael Venus. 

Isner has an easier time advancing against the No. 3-seeded Muller. It was Isner’s seventh consecutive win – he won the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I., a  week ago – and advanced him into his seventh final showing at the event. 

The former Georgia Bulldog broker Muller at 1-1 in the first set, holding with his serve to take the Luxembourg native, 6-4. Isner’s serve proved especially devastating in the second set, where he sailed to the final in the last game on four straight first serves. 

Isner held the Atlanta title from 2013-15 before he fell to Australian Nick Kyrgios in 2016.

Joining their fellow Americans in the final round, Bob and Mike Bryan prevailed in two straight sets Saturday against John Millman and Sanchai Ratiwatana, 6-2, 6-3. They are set to face off against Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak on Sunday.