Fish outlasts Isner to win Atlanta final

Atlanta :

Mardy Fish won his second straight tournament and 10th straight match, beating John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the final of the Atlanta Tennis Championships on Sunday.

Fish, who won in Newport earlier this month, took the first four points of the tiebreaker. Isner rallied to win the next three points but couldn't pull even.

The match lasted 2 hours, 45 minutes in searing temperatures.

Fish has lost 14 kilograms (30 pounds) since having knee surgery last year, and he credits his newly gained fitness for his winning streak, which is a career record.

Suffering from dehydration, Fish needed medical treatment after the match. He said he "sort of went into a lower body cramp with both legs."

A year ago, he said he'd would have had no chance.

"It's night and day," Fish said. "A year ago I would have fallen over in the second set probably, or probably played a match to where I knew physically I couldn't last so I needed to change my tactics. I just simply don't have to do that anymore."

Isner, who knows all about surviving marathon matches, had no home-state advantage when dealing with the heat.

"The first hour it was the hottest," Isner said. "It took a lot out of both of us. I don't think I've ever played in conditions this hot and humid and rough like this."

Isner gained fame by winning the longest match in history, a three-day, 183-game match at Wimbledon last month. That match led to appearances on TV talk shows, and he says he spent too much time away from the court.

"You want to win this tournament but it was really pivotal I was able to get four matches under my belt," Isner said. "I had other things I was doing because of that stupid Wimbledon match I played."

Isner is 1-3 in finals this season.

"It's disappointing," he said. "I've made four finals this year and I've lost my last three, all in three sets. That's tough to swallow but it hasn't stopped me from progressing."

Fish didn't drop a set in winning his first four matches in Atlanta, including his upset win over top-seeded Andy Roddick in the semifinals. For a change, Fish fell behind when the 6-foot-9 Isner won the opening set.

Fish, who is ranked 49th in the world, rallied against second-seeded Isner. He broke Isner's serve for the first time to win the second set and then broke again for a 3-1 lead in the third set. Isner answered by breaking Fish and then held serve to pull even.