John Isner fends off Rinky Hijikata, sets Stefanos Tsitsipas clash in Los Cabos

Los Cabos [Mexico] August 1 (ANI): John Isner held firm against Rinky Hijikata to kick-start his 2023 campaign at the Mifel Tennis Open with a 6-2, 7-6(4) victory in Los Cabos.
In their first ATP Head2Head meeting, the big-serving Isner led Hijikata 6-2, 5-3 at the ATP 250 on hard courts before the Australian upped the ante by requiring a second-set tie-break.
Then Hijikata took an early 3-0 lead to increase his prospects of forcing a decisive set on the Pacific coast of Mexico, but Isner won seven of the last eight points to win in an hour and 54 minutes.
“It’s a lot of relief. I felt like the match could have been a little bit easier at the end, but my opponent started to play a bit better. He made me play and I got a little tight. That’s what happens in tennis. I’m happy to win," ATP.com quoted Isner as saying in his on-court interview. 
“We have played each other a bunch. I think I won the first couple of times and he’s won the last five, so I’m going to try to turn that around," said Isner, when asked about the Tsitsipas clash. 
“He’s an incredible player, obviously. You don’t get to No. 3 in the world without being really good, so it’s going to be a big challenge. I will definitely have to play my best, because if I don’t I have no chance of winning," he added. 
Isner won on a hard court for the 350th time, with 31 wins and 19 aces. The 16-time tour-level champion, who is currently 8-11 for the 2023 campaign, will next take on first seed Stefanos Tsitsipas at a competition where he advanced to the semifinals in 2021.
On the other hand, Aleksandar Kovacevic, an Isner countryman, also won Monday in straight sets. To confront the second seed, Cameron Norrie, the world no. 129 defeated qualifier Omni Kumar 6-2, 7-5. Felipe Meligeni Alves, the third seed, will face Tommy Paul in the opening round after the Brazilian defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-4. (ANI)