2019 Cincinnati Masters – Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

Where is Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner taking place? Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason

When is Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner on and what time does it start? Tuesday 13^th August, 2019, 01:30 (UK)

What is the expected weather for Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner? Cloudy with a temperature around 27c

What channel is Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner on? This match will not be televised live in the UK

Where can I stream Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream the match live va their platform

Where can I get tickets for Pablo Carreno Busta vs John Isner? https://www.wsopen.com/Tickets/

THE LOWDOWN

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: N/A

JOHN ISNER

• Hard-court specialist John Isner is seeded 13^th at this year’s Cincinnati Masters and overcame Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in three sets to progress to the second round
• The 34-year-old has fit five hard-court tournaments, including this one, into his schedule between Wimbledon and the US Open and won his first at the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island before three consecutive early exits.
• World number 16 Isner lost in the finals of this tournament to Rafael Nadal back in 2013 and more recently reached the semi-finals in 2017 where he lost to a peak Grigor Dimitrov.

PABLO CARRENO BUSTA

• Pablo Carreno Busta came through the qualifiers to beat Gilles Simon in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in straight sets.
• Carreno Busta reached a career-high 10^th in the ATP world rankings back in 2017 but has since dropped back to 53^rd with a 12-13 record to show for his 2019 season so far.
• 28-year-old Carreno Busta has fared well at this tournament in the past, reaching the round of 16 in 2017 where he lost to compatriot David Ferrer and going one better last year in a quarter-final loss to Marin Cilic.

THE PREDICTION

John Isner’s form has peaked and troughed over the last couple of years but he has struggled with injury and did well to win a title this year in Rhode Island. The result of this match depends on his rhythm; if his serving is up to scratch he has all the tools needed to dispatch Carreno Busta, but the Spaniard is typically nimble for a clay-court aficionado and can cause havoc on a second serve. A first serve percentage of 74% against Lajovic in the first round, and 27 aces, suggests the American is winding up well, but that 35% second-serve win percentage is there to be exploited. Isner, however, should get past the Spaniard.