John Isner

Thiem earned his first tour-level win in 14 months by downing Emil Ruusuvuori on his Bastad debut, before reaching his first quarter-final of the season by overcoming Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday.

The Austrian battled to a 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4 victory over the fourth-seeded Bautista Agut, picking up his first top-20 win since beating Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals in 2020.

Sebastian Baez, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, awaits in the next round and former world number three Thiem is ready for the task.

"The win against Emil gave me confidence that I can compete against the best players in the world and today against Roberto," said Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion.

"He is always such a tough opponent. I was expecting and hoping it would be a close match. Then when I won the first set in the tie-break I said 'Hey, I can win today.' 

"I had the belief until the end of the match and the third set was really good. It is a process. I beat Ruusuvuori and today I beat Bautista Agut.

"Two really top opponents, so if I can beat them I am definitely back. I am into the quarters of a really strong tournament, so I am happy. It is a process, but I am going the right way."

Second seed Andrey Rublev was made to work for his 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-2) victory over Federico Coria and will meet Laslo Djere, who defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime resumed his match with Jason Kubler in Newport that was suspended due to bad light on Wednesday with a slight advantage but fell to a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) second-round loss.

That marked a first top-10 victory for Kubler, continuing his fine 2022 season that saw him achieve his best major result at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round at the All England Club.

Fourth seed Maxime Cressy is yet to drop his serve at the tournament but needed to survive a first-set scare against fellow American Steve Johnson to triumph 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4.

Second favourite John Isner will meet Cressy in the semi-finals after battling past fifth seed Benjamin Bonzi 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5).

After passing up match points in the third and fourth sets, home favourite Kyrgios came out on top in the longest match of his career by beating Khachanov 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (6-8) 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-8) at a raucous Melbourne Arena in four hours, 26 minutes.

Top seed Nadal beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-2 6-4 in one hour, 38 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, while US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev overcame Alexei Popyrin 6-4 6-3 6-2 and will face Stan Wawrinka in the last 16.

The Swiss advanced after John Isner retired while 6-4 4-1 down, with Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Gael Monfils joining him in round round four.

CROCKED KYRGIOS CLINGS ON

Kyrgios started confidently against Khachanov and, despite taking a medical time-out at 5-2 up in the first set, managed to edge a second-set tie-break while continuing to grip at the back of his leg.

However, he was unable to repeat the trick at the second time of asking and became increasingly frustrated as the Russian wrested control of the match away from him.

Kyrgios appeared to be struggling for motivation at points and became increasingly vocal, but he hung in to take the victory to the delight of his fervent supporters.

The Australian has a strained relationship with Nadal, who he described as "salty" after their meeting at last year's Mexican Open and impersonated after being called for a time violation while serving against Gilles Simon in round two.

Asked about going up against the 19-time major champion in his on-court interview, Kyrgios said: "Whatever happened between us he's an amazing player. I'm not even thinking about that right now, I'm thinking about my legs and getting them in an ice bath and getting some food."

NO STOPPING NADAL

Nadal was at his imperious best against Carreno Busta, winning 87 per cent and 78 per cent of points behind his first and second serve respectively, while also smashing 41 winners – twice as many as his opponent.

"It was my best match of the tournament so far, without a doubt. Big difference between today and the previous days. I have been serving well, starting to create damage with the forehand," said Nadal.

"Every day is a different story. But, of course, it's important to make steps forward. It's clear that today I made an important one."

Asked if he likes Kyrgios, Nadal said: "I don't know. I don't know him personally, honestly, to have a clear opinion."

RUBLEV ROLLS ON

Rublev started 2020 with titles at the Qatar Open and Brisbane International and has continued his fine form at Melbourne Park.

The world number 16's 2-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) triumph over David Goffin was his 15th match win in succession, four of which came in the Davis Cup Finals.

Rublev had wobbles after taking big leads in both tie-breaks, but Goffin made 27 unforced errors in the last two sets to help the Russian progress to a meeting with Zverev.

Seventh seed Zverev is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park after overcoming Fernando Verdasco 6-2 6-2 6-4.

"IT'S A DISGRACE"

After beating qualifier Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-3 to set up a fourth-round meeting with Dominic Thiem – who overcame 29th seed Taylor Fritz 6-2 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 – Monfils refuted a report claiming excessively playing video games led to him suffering a hand injury.

"You know, as I say, it's misunderstanding with people. I say this in a funny way, to be honest, but it's a disgrace, to be honest with you, because I'm fine," Monfils told reporters in a news conference.

"I'm in the second week, playing great tennis. I think it's just someone who, I don't know, try to — you know, I played ATP Cup, was fine. I practiced here for one month. I was really fine.

"I never said I was hurt. Somehow, you know, playing PlayStation, this? Come on. And it's easy, because I think I'm a good name to make up good story like that. Now you know."

French qualifier Barrere and US veteran Isner were forced indoors by the adverse weather threat in New Zealand, with the entire Tuesday schedule taking place on inside courts and without spectators.

Despite Isner rifling down 28 aces to move 10 away from becoming the first man to post 14,000 in ATP tour and grand slam events, Barrere stuck with him and pulled off a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory.

He snatched the only break of the match in game eight of the deciding set, before serving out for victory, with the world number 88 firing down 10 aces himself across the contest.

Argentine seventh seed Sebastian Baez also fell at the last-32 stage, bowing out 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 to American wildcard Ben Shelton.

Serbian Laslo Djere set up a second-round clash with top seed Casper Ruud by edging out Spain's Jaume Munar 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4), while Czech Jiri Lehecka will face second seed Cameron Norrie next after sinking Brazilian fellow qualifier Thiago Monteiro 6-3 7-5.

Ruud and Norrie received first-round byes.

At Adelaide International 2, American eighth seed Tommy Paul battled past Australian Christopher O'Connell 6-4 7-5, setting up an appetising second-round clash with Britain's Jack Draper, who won through on Monday.

There was a home success for the Australian crowd to cheer, though, as qualifier John Millman, who beat Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open, this time dug deep for a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) win against Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The Italian sixth seed had to fight from 2-5 down in the second set and saved three set points, before powering through to triumph 6-4 7-5 over Lloyd Harris.

"I got a little bit nervous," Berrettini said post-match. “I didn’t like how I handled the start of the second set. I let the anger get out a little bit, which helped. I found the right balance in order to break him in the important moment and then I had the momentum.”

The world number six found another level in reeling off five straight games, and will now face unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic, who accounted for Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(6-3) 7-5.

Taylor Fritz was also pushed by Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar, taking a third-set tiebreaker to progress to the fourth round.

The 20th-seeded was made to work for it in a match that lasted just under three hours, but Munar feel short in the clutch, with two unforced forehand errors in the closing tiebreak to give Fritz a three-point gap.

In Tuesday's last game, Andrey Rublev showed rare composure to progress past Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4. 

Neither got off to the best of starts, with Rublev and Tiafoe sharing service breaks in the opening four games of the first set. The characteristically volatile Rublev managed to regroup, though, and stayed calm even when Tiafoe got his home crowd on side. 

Despite a low 67 percent on first serve, Rublev won 83 percent of those points, while Tiafoe did himself no favours with an even lower 58 percent first-serve rate.

Last-year’s semi-finalist will face 29th-seeded Alex de Minaur, who defeated Tommy Paul 7-6(6-2) 6-4.

The Australian world no. 31 faced immediate difficulty on service, with only his second service game going to eight consecutive deuces, after five saved break points. He eventually saw the match through, after breaking for 4-3 in the second set.

Fellow seeds Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov both went through relatively unscathed, with respective wins over Steve Johnson and Alexander Bublik.

Dimitrov will face John Isner, who saw past Diego Schwartzman 7-5 6-3 in Tuesday’s other result.

Federico Coria, seeded sixth, overcame reigning champion and 2021 runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 7-6 (7-2) after over two-and-a-half hours of action.

The world number 67, who is into his second ATP Tour-level final and is set to rise into the top 50 of the rankings, has dropped just a single set in the tournament.

Sebastian Baez, eight years Coria's junior, is aiming for his second title after winning in Estoril last year.

The 22-year-old fourth seed defeated Hugo Dellien 6-4 6-4.

This will be the fourth singles final of Baez's career, though his first on home soil.

"It means a lot, but [it brings] confidence," said Baez.

"I have my people here, my friends, my family, everything, so that is a big motivation for me."

While Coria and Baez have just five previous final appearances between them, John Isner advanced to a 31st Tour-level showdown of his career as he beat fellow American J.J. Wolff at the Dallas Open.

Playing in his home city, 37-year-old Isner came from behind to prevail 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4).

Isner offered up eight break points, but saved seven of them to frustrate Wolff.

"I saved a lot of break points with unreturnable serves," Isner said. "Without that I would have been dusted off the court 6-3, 6-4. I'm of course very fortunate to have that weapon in my pocket, and I needed every bit of it today.

"It was an absolute battle, so I'm pretty tired. But I'm absolutely ecstatic to be in the final tomorrow here in Dallas."

Asked how he was faring up after his long tussle with Wolff, Isner quipped: "Truthfully, it feels terrible right now. I'm 38 in April. It's not getting any easier. I started off a little slow, a little sluggish, but in the third set I actually felt the best I felt the whole match.

"I had a lot of adrenaline there at the end and I was able to hold my nerve and win. Right now the name of the game is recovery."

Isner will be the favourite in the final, after top seed Fritz surrendered a lead in a 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4 loss to Wu Yibing.

Cressy will play his third championship match of the year on Sunday following a 6-2 4-6 6-3 defeat of his fellow American in Newport.

The 25-year-old fired down 22 aces and won 82 per cent of points behind his first serve, breaking three times to move into the final.

Cressy had a stroke of luck for the only break of the deciding set, when he lobbed a shot just over the net and it bounced back onto his side to leave Isner 5-3 down. He then served out the match to end Isner's 10-match winning run in this event.

Bublik sealed his place in the final with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Jason Kubler.

Third seed Bublik did not face a break point and broke the Australian three times, sealing his victory in an hour and nine minutes.

There will be an all-Argentinian final at the Swedish Open between Francisco Cerundolo and Sebastian Baez.

Baez produced an upset, securing his first win against a top-10 opponent with a 6-2 6-4 defeat of second seed Andrey Rublev in Bastad.

Cerundolo got the better of Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2, ensuring he will face his compatriot for the first time at tour-level.

The Serbian, who has not played since the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo, made a slow start, falling 1-3 behind in the first set, but recovered to take the first match.

Moutet could not regain his level, and Djokovic dropped only one set as he cruised through the second match to advance after one hour and 26 minutes.

Djokovic, a six-time champion in Rome, will take on Alejandro Tabilo in the third round after the Chilean beat Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Data Debrief: Still on top

Djokovic now has 23 wins in ATP-1000 events since turning 35. He eclipses John Isner (22) for the outright second most wins in such tournaments since the introduction of the format in 1990; only Federer, with 51, has more.

The Serbian will have the opportunity to clinch his 1100th match win in the third round as he chases his first trophy of the season. 

World number one Djokovic, who has not declared his COVID-19 vaccination status, seemed set to play in this month's Australian Open after he was granted a medical exemption by tournament organisers.

That was required for any player who has not been fully vaccinated. One theory that has been widely suggested is that Djokovic may have been entitled to an exemption after a positive test for COVID-19 in the past six months, although he has not confirmed he has recently had the virus.

However, Djokovic is now set to spend the weekend in a Melbourne detention hotel in which refugees and asylum seekers are also being kept, after Australian Border Force's decision to cancel his visa application.

A court hearing on Monday should provide a resolution to the saga, with Djokovic's legal team set to battle for his right to enter the country and play in the season's first grand slam, at which he would be bidding to win a record 21st men's singles major title. The Australian Open gets under way on January 17.

Becker coached Djokovic for three seasons, from 2014 to 2016, and told the Daily Mail the 34-year-old Serbian is "making a big mistake in not getting vaccinated".

The German said the decision "is one that threatens what remains of his career and his chance to cement himself as the greatest player of all time".

Becker, a six-time grand slam winner, said: "The same incredible determination which I saw win so many close matches can be a vulnerability with his stubbornness.

"It is not just about Australia. The fact is that we are living in a different world and he is going to find it very hard to live the life of a professional tennis player travelling around without the vaccination.

"Maybe one day we will get back to a more normal situation, but at 34 he does not have much time left to pursue his goals."

There have been protests on the streets of Melbourne and Belgrade, with arrests made by police in the Victorian capital, while Djokovic found some support from within the tennis fraternity on Friday, as American John Isner backed his case.

Isner wrote on Twitter: "What Novak is going through right now is not right. There’s no justification for the treatment he’s receiving. He followed the rules, was allowed to enter Australia, and now he’s being detained against his own will. This is such a shame. #IStandWithNovak".

Nick Kyrgios, who has had his run-ins with Djokovic in the past, labelled Australia's handling of the situation "really bad", while former world number one Andy Roddick also appears to be in Djokovic's corner.

Yet Australia's home affairs minister Karen Andrews rejected any idea that Djokovic was being "held captive".

Andrews told the ABC: "Can I say, firstly, that Mr Djokovic is not being held captive in Australia. He is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and Border Force will actually facilitate that.

"Yes, there was a visa issued – that is actually not the issue. It is the second part of that process, which is the specific entry requirements to be able to cross Australia's border and to enter Australia lawfully."

She said Djokovic was not the only tennis case that was under investigation by Australian authorities. A player and an official are reported to be under scrutiny.

"I'm aware of investigations in relation to two individuals by the Australian Border Force," Andrews said. "They're going through their processes of investigation.

"And at some time, they will brief me, but all I can absolutely assure you and the rest of Australia of is that the Australian Border Force will take absolutely the appropriate action."

In a statement posted on social media, Federer confirmed his "bittersweet decision" to call time on his top-level tennis career after next week's Laver Cup in London.

Federer won 20 grand slam titles across a legendary 24-year career, a trophy tally in majors that only Novak Djokovic (21) and Nadal (22) can better.

The 41-year-old has not competed since Wimbledon 2021, after which he underwent a third knee operation, but Nadal had hoped his fellow great would never retire.

"Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come. It's a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world," Nadal posted on his Twitter account.

"It's been a pleasure but also an honour and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court."

Nadal, who will team up with Federer and Djokovic as part of Team Europe's all-star cast at the Laver Cup, added: "We will have many more moments to share together.

"There are still lots of things to do together, we know that. For now, I truly wish you all the happiness with your wife, Mirka, your kids, your family and enjoy what's ahead of you."

Federer has spent 750 weeks in the top 10 of the men's singles rankings, an undefeated number for a male player since they were first published in 1973.

The Swiss has also won more men's singles main draw matches in grand slam tournaments than any other player in the Open Era (369).

As he brings down the curtain on his remarkable career, several other players paid their respects to one of the sport's all-time greats. 

"Some of Fed’s numbers are laughably impossible to top (23 straight slam semi-finals, for instance)," John Isner posted on Twitter. 

"But his impact on tennis far exceeds what he accomplished on court. Thanks for everything, RF."

Seven-time grand slam winner Petra Kvitova added: "Roger, you have always been such a huge inspiration to me. Your elegance, your grace, your beautiful game. 

"I have always held you in the highest regard and want to congratulate you for an amazing career. Tennis won’t be the same without you! Thank you."

Competing in just his third grand slam singles match since the 2019 Australian Open due to hip surgery and the coronavirus pandemic, Murray could not live with the 2015 winner.

Wawrinka held serve throughout to prevail 6-1 6-3 6-2 in a time of one hour and 37 minutes as he set up a meeting with Dominik Koepfer in the second round.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Italian teenager Jannik Sinner eliminated 11th seed David Goffin and British number one Dan Evans lost to Kei Nishikori in five sets.

Lethargic Murray falls at first hurdle

Grand slam winners Murray and Wawrinka served up a treat when they met in the semi-finals here in 2017, but there was far less drama involved in this latest clash.

Wildcard entrant Murray lacked any sort of spark and looked subdued for the duration of the one-sided match as he failed to break his opponent's service game.

Wawrinka, who has himself slipped down the rankings, broke Murray in the third, fifth and seventh games as he eased into a one-set lead.

It was a similar case in the second set, with the Swiss continuing to dominate and earning an all-important break in the sixth game to leave Murray on the ropes.

And any hope of a fightback from Murray, as was the case in last month's five-set victory over Yoshihito Nishioka in the US Open first round, were soon ended for good.

Murray squandered three break points in the second game of the final set and Wawrinka did not look back, seeing out the game with an ace in an easier victory that expected.

Sinner stuns Goffin 

Sinner caught the eye when becoming the first Italian to win the Next Gen ATP Finals 10 months ago and he is now making his mark in majors.

The 19-year-old won 11 games in a row en route to a convincing 7-5 6-0 6-3 victory and will now take on French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi in the next round.

"He maybe didn't feel that well on court," Sinner said in his post-match interview. "I felt well. I have just been trying to be focused."

Nishikori sees off Evans in five sets 

British number one Evans was seeking his first win at Roland Garros but, dealt a tough hand against former world number four Nishikori, it was a fourth first-round exit in five years.

After a sluggish start that saw him drop the first set, Nishikori soon recovered and took a 2-1 lead in the contest, only for Evans to show good fighting spirit in the fourth set.

Despite battling back from 0-3 in the deciding set, Evans' revival was short-lived as he went down 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 1-6 6-4 in three hours and 49 minutes.

"The end result was that I lost," Evans said. "I lost another first round which is a little disappointing and now I get ready for the indoor hardcourts."

Isner sails through, Coric falls

World number 23 John Isner made light work of Elliot Benchetrit, holding serve throughout in a routine 6-4 6-1 6-3 victory to set up a meeting with Sebastian Korda.

Borna Coric had less success against Norbert Gombos, though, the 24th seed exiting the tournament with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat.

The US Open quarter-finalist lost serve in a gruelling third game and that was a sign of things to come against his stubborn opponent.

Gombos, who reached round three in 2017, recovered after losing the second set to get over the line and produce a big upset on an eventful opening day in Paris.

Fritz, who reached last week's Los Cabos Open semi-finals and is currently ranked 36th in the world, edged out Opelka 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) in just under three hours.

The pair sent down a combined 48 aces, with Fritz claiming 25 of them, with all sets going to tiebreakers, with no breaks of serve.

Third seed Cameron Norrie was bundled out by Finnish world number 78 Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets.

Norrie, who won last week's Los Cabos Open for his maiden ATP Tour title, was beaten 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 by the Finn.

Ruusuvuori will take on teenager Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals, after the American – who was runner-up to Norrie in Los Cabos - beat Jordan Thompson 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.

Sixth seed John Isner sent down 30 aces as he got past Australian qualifier Chris O'Connell 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.

Fritz was among the seeds to progress, alongside Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Francis Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

The third seed lost the opening set in 29 minutes but rallied back to win 3-6 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 49 minutes over the big-serving world number 38 Isner.

Fritz claimed his first break of the match in the 17th game before levelling things up at one set each, before breaking Isner at 4-4 in the third and serving out for victory.

The win means Fritz will take on Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the second round after he beat Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets, with the American looking to go one better after being runner-up in Acapulco in 2020.

Second seed Ruud found himself in an almighty battle with Argentina's Guido Andreozzi and eventually prevailed 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-2).

World number four Ruud, ranked 338 places above his opponent, was broken in the first game of each set but dug deep to get the job done in a little under three hours. 

Fourth seed Rune got past 2023 Australian Open quarter-finalist Ben Shelton 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-2.

Sixth seed Tiafoe overcame Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 while 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Paul beat Emilio Gomez 6-1 7-6 (7-4).

Defending champion Pedro Martinez was bundled out of the Chile Open in the first round after losing 6-2 6-0 to German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

Jaume Munar progressed to set up a second-round clash with top seed Lorenzo Musetti after winning 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) against Alejandro Tabilo.

Fresh off his maiden ATP 1000 title at Indian Wells and fourth-round run in Miami, the American world number 13 needed just 62 minutes to win in straight sets, in his first clay court match for the season.

Fritz's serve was not particularly secure, though, with the unseeded Tabilo converting on only one of six break point attempts. Fritz was more efficient and assertive when opportunities presented on the other hand, taking two of three break point chances on Tabilo's serve while winning 12 out of 19 points returning on his second serve.

Despite the Chilean world number 100 fighting back to 4-4 from 3-0 down in the second set, Fritz steadied to close out the match.

"I felt like tonight was going to be a really tough match, given he's done really well on clay," Fritz said post-match. "It was my first match [on clay]. I'm pretty happy with how I played. I can't complain, I got out of that pretty solid."

Fritz will now face another Chilean, fifth seed and defending champion Cristian Garin, who came back from a set down to defeat Jordan Thompson 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Entering the Houston event on a five-match losing streak, Garin has come from behind in back-to-back matches to win.

Sixth seed Frances Tiafoe also went the distance on Thursday, earning a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-4) win over Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas.

With neither garnering break point chances in the third set, Tiafoe finally created breathing room by winning four straight points at 2-2 in the deciding tie-break, before closing out the match.

It sets up an all-American quarter-final with John Isner, who defeated Steve Johnson 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in Thursday's final game.

Big-serving American Isner overcame Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 and will face either Cameron Norrie or Kwon Soon-woo in the round of 32.

Isner is joined in the next round by Evans, who eased past Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-4 to set up a last-32 meeting with either Roberto Bautista Agut or Jenson Brooksby.

Fellow Briton Jack Draper also enjoyed a straight-sets victory, edging out Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-3 to book a clash with number six seed Andrey Rublev, who received a bye.

Monday's action will see wildcard Andy Murray face Dominic Thiem and 10th seed Jannik Sinner take on Tommy Paul.

Isner, who had won five of the past seven Atlanta Opens held, triumphed 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes.

The victory is world number 35 Isner's 16th ATP Tour career title. It is also 36-year-old Isner's first title since 2018.

Isner sent down 21 aces on route to the win, where his serve was not broken once with Nakashima unable to convert any of his three break points.

The 208cm American broke for the first time in the crucial game, deciding the contest with Nakashima dishing up a double fault on match point.

Nakashima had beaten Isner in last week's Los Cabos Open semi-finals but the veteran has made the Atlanta court his own.

The 19-year-old had one set point in the first set tiebreaker which he failed to convert before Isner capitalized with his third, winning 10-8.

Isner's dominance was on his serve, winning 81 per cent of first serve points, which he landed 58 of 77, with break points rare until the final three games.

The big American had three break points at 5-4 in the second set but Nakashima saved them all, before the teenager let slip two break points in the next game.

Isner converted a single break point in the 12th game of the second set to salute.

Isner defeated Tayor Fritz 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-3 on Saturday to reach his first ATP Tour final this year after losing in the semis three times. 

One of those semi-final setbacks came last week in Los Cabos to Brandon Nakashima, who will be Isner's opponent Sunday. 

The 19-year-old Californian, ranked a career-best 115th, rallied to beat Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the other semi. 

Nakashima defeated top seed Milos Raonic earlier this week and is riding high as he looks for his first ATP title. 

He is the first US teenager to reach the final in consecutive weeks since 18-year-old Andy Roddick won his first two ATP tournaments at Atlanta and Houston in the spring of 2001. 

Roddick's maiden title came in an earlier version of the Atlanta event. Since it was revived in 2010, Isner has won five of the 10 titles, with the first coming in 2013 about a week before Nakashima's 12th birthday.

"I didn’t know much about [Nakashima] prior to last week," Isner told the ATP's website. "But he kicked my ass last week, so we’ll see what I can do tomorrow.

"He’s 19 years old, that’s crazy. I was fishing on a boat when I was 19, here he is in the final of an ATP event.”

World number 35 Isner was dominant on his first serve, winning 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 to claim a spot in the second round where he will face Jack Sock who beat Ricardas Berankis in three.

Isner's 36 aces equaled the previous Atlanta Open record set by Sam Querrey on Monday in his three-set win over Peter Gojowczyk.

American fifth seed Taylor Fritz also progressed on Tuesday with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Russian Evgeny Donskoy.

French seventh seed Benoit Paire got past Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-4, while enigmatic Australian Nick Kyrgios beat South African Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

Teenage American talent Brandon Nakashima knocked out Trent Bryde, while Australian Chris O'Connell beat Denis Kudla and Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori got past Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.

Nakashima, who got a special exemption entry into the Atlanta Open, next takes on top seed Milos Raonic.

Isner, 37, relied as he usually does on his trusty serve to get the job done in tiebreakers, winning the match despite not breaking Shelton's serve a single time.

The second seed won 85 per cent (60-of-71) of his successful first serves, while Shelton was similarly stout, converting 83 per cent (50-of-60).

Isner will meet fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the quarter-finals after he came back from an early break to defeat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-4.

The biggest differentiating factor between the two players was Brooksby's effectiveness off his second serve, winning 61 per cent (14-of-23) of those opportunities compared to just 22 per cent (four-of-18) from McDonald.

Fourth seed Alex de Minaur defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth 6-4 6-4 in a competitive match, but De Minaur simply created more chances for himself, with five break point opportunities while Duckworth had two.

De Minaur will play France's Adrian Mannarino after he defeated American Andres Martin 7-5 6-3.

Mannarino's main advantage was with his return game, securing four breaks of serve while dropping his own serve only once.

Kubler and Verdasco endured a 71-minute first-set tussle, which the Australian edged 9-7 in a tie-break before dominating the second frame, dishing out a bagel in 29 minutes to win 7-6 (9-7) 6-0.

World number 71 Kubler progressed to the second round where he will take on Colombia's Daniel Elahi Galan who defeated China's Zhang Zhizhen 6-2 6-3.

Johnson set up a second-round clash with American compatriot and top seed Frances Tiafoe after getting the better of Facundo Bagnis 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-1 in one hour and 55 minutes.

USA's Kudla also progressed with a hard-fought 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory over Australia's Aleksandar Vukic in just under two hours.

Dutchman Gijs Brouwer won 6-4 6-4 over Aleksandar Kovacevic, setting up a meeting with big-serving fourth seed John Isner.

Kyrgios beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in Brisbane, sending down 20 aces after his pledge to give 200 Australian dollars to the bushfires effort for each service winner he hits in January.

Alex de Minaur – Kyrgios' team-mate at the event, who impressively came from a set down to defeat an ill-tempered Alex Zverev 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 – followed suit after Kyrgios tweeted his intention to help, while stars from other sports have also joined in.

Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn struck three sixes as he top-scored in his team's win over Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League on Friday, with each maximum worth $250 to the recovery effort.

"I don't really care about the praise too much. I just think we've got the ability and platform to do something like that," Kyrgios told Amazon Prime when asked about the movement he inadvertently started.

"My home town is Canberra and we've got the most toxic air in the world at the moment, so it is pretty sad. It's tough."

Having appeared choked up at that point, Kyrgios added: "I just chucked up a tweet and everyone got behind it. It is bigger than tennis.

"It's going to all the families, firefighters, animals, everyone who is losing homes, losing families. It's a real thing.

Australia completed a 3-0 Group F win after Chris Guccione and John Peers beat German doubles pair Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-3 6-4.

In the section's other match, Canada were similarly emphatic against Greece, with Denis Shapovalov winning a pair of tie-breaks to best Stefanos Tsitsipas after Felix Auger-Aliassime demolished Michail Pervolarakis 6-1 6-3.

Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov then combined to win the doubles rubber against the same opponents, prevailing 6-2 6-3.

Great Britain and the United States both allowed leads to slip against Bulgaria and Norway respectively.

In Group C, Cameron Norrie beat world number 423 Dimitar Kuzmanov in three sets and Dan Evans made a fast start against Grigor Dimitrov to go a set up.

But Dimitrov prevailed 2-6 6-4 6-1 and he and Alexandar Lazarov triumphed after three tie-breaks against Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury in the small hours of the Sydney morning.

Taylor Fritz beat Viktor Durasovic 6-2 6-2 and John Isner had the USA in charge of the second singles rubber when he took the opening tie break versus Casper Ruud, only for two match points and a second breaker to go against him. He eventually lost, going down 7-5 in the deciding set.

Ruud and Durasovic then recovered from dropping the first set to beat Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 10-5 in a match tie-break in Perth.

Steve Darcis and David Goffin inspired Belgium to a 3-0 Group C win over Moldova, while Daniil Medvedev's 1-6 6-1-6-3 victory against Fabio Fognini helped clinch a 3-0 victory for Russia against Italy in Group D.