Top Seed Isner Secures QF Spot In Memphis

© Memphis Tennis/A. SmithJohn Isner met Mrs. Europe International Anastasia Domashova Wiseman after his round two win Thursday.

Top seed John Isner advanced to the Memphis quarter-finals, defeating compatriot Donald Young 7-6(3), 6-4 in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Thursday.

The World No. 13, who captured the Newport title last year in his only other outing as a No. 1 seed, won 72 per cent of his first serve points, firing 22 aces. "Yeah, it was a tricky match," said Isner. "I wasn't playing my best at the beginning but I competed well and that helped me out a lot. From that I was able to win a very close first set and play better in the second set. So I was very happy."

The one hour and 42 minute victory also marked Isner's sixth win of the season and his second win in as many meetings against Young. He now faces Jurgen Melzer for a place in the semi-finals.

For a second straight day, Austrian Melzer rallied from a set down to prevail in a third set tie-break, defeating Croatia's Ivan Dodig 2-6, 6-3,
7-6(5) in two hours and nine minutes.

Big-serving Canadian No. 4 seed Milos Raonic reached his third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, winning 94 per cent of points on first serve and saving both break points he faced in his 6-4, 6-4 win over Ukranian Sergiy Stakhovsky in 72 minutes.

World No. 35 Raonic, finalist in 2011 (l. to Roddick), takes a 13-1 mark on the season into the quarter-finals having already picked up titles in Chennai (d. Tipsarevic) and last week defending his San Jose crown (d. Istomin). "I feel like I'm just getting better this week," said Raonic. "I felt last week I played really good tennis and I'm happy that this week I'm backing it up."

The first two-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season now faces Olivier Rochus for a place in the semi-finals.

No. 3 seed, and 2009 runner-up, Radek Stepanek also progressed after he edged American Ryan Sweeting 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). The 33-year-old Stepanek took 82 per cent of points on his first serve to win in two hours and 21 minutes and now faces another American, Sam Querrey, in the final eight.

Querrey reached his first quarter-final of the season as he knocked out No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson 7-6(4), 6-4. Querrey, the 2010 Memphis singles and doubles champion, won 85 per cent of his first serve points and broke Anderson twice to improve to a 5-1 record against the South African.

In an unseeded encounter, Germany's Benjamin Becker defeated Belgian Xavier Malisse 7-6(4), 6-4 for a place in the quarter-finals in the pair's first FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Meeting.

World No. 284 Becker won 75 per cent of first service points and hit eleven aces past Malisse, converting three of his 12 break point opportunities, for victory in one hour and 35 minutes. He now faces Poland's Lukasz Kubot, who beat German Philipp Petzschner for the first time in three meetings, 7-6(5), 6-2, to reach his first quarter-final since last July at Stuttgart.

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