Isner hits 17 aces in victory

Isner serves during his victory against Burgos.

If all else fails, John Isner knows he can count on his serve to help him out, especially on hard courts.
The 6-foot-10 American hit 17 aces and won 37 of 40 first-serve points on Wednesday to move into the third round of the Citi Open by beating Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Isner, seeded eighth at the hard-court tuneup for the US Open, never faced a break point, powering serves that regularly topped 130 mph. The American compiled a 26-9 edge in winners.
The runner-up in Washington in 2007 and 2013, Isner had his left leg massaged by a trainer late in the second set, then was two points from being pushed to a third when the 51st-ranked Estrella Burgos took a 5-4 lead in the tiebreaker. But Isner took the final three points - delivering a 139 mph service winner and a 125 mph ace, then watching as Estrella Burgos pushed a forehand wide on match point.
Over and over, Isner would smack a high-bouncing serve that rose out of reach for the 5-8 Estrella Burgos. Trailing 5-4 but on serve in the second set, Isner fell behind love-15 by dumping a forehand into the net. That put Estrella Burgos three points from taking the set. How did Isner respond? By reeling off the next four points with the help of serves at 131, 134, 126 and 122 mph.
Isner is coming off his third consecutive title in Atlanta, also on hard courts. He received a first-round bye at the Citi Open and now will face 12th-seeded Vasek Pospisil of Canada, who lost in last year's final.