J.J. Wolf entered the Dallas Open at a profession excessive of World No. 43. Now into his second-career ATP Tour semi-final, the American is up even larger at No. 37 within the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
The 24-year-old upset second seed Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Friday’s quarter-finals, incomes one of the best win of his profession by measure of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
After dropping serve twice on 9 break possibilities for Tiafoe within the opening set, the sixth-seeded Wolf didn’t face one other break level till he served out the match. Down 15/40, he used an ace and a line-clipping inside-out forehand to power deuce, then completed the job together with his eleventh ace on his second match level.
“I usually don’t think about the outcome, so I was just feeding off the energy of the fans and playing every point as hard as I could,” Wolf mentioned of his methodical comeback, donning a Southern Methodist University cap for his post-match interview in honour of the event’s host website.
The American completed the match with 26 winners and 10 unforced errors, tightening up his sport within the second and third units.
While Wolf was out-aced by Tiafoe, 14 to 11, the previous Ohio State star gained 82 per cent of his first-serve factors, seven share factors larger than his opponent’s mark. Wolf made 60 per cent of his first serves within the contest, at instances buying and selling energy for placement.
“I’ve just tried to create a little more consistency,” he mentioned of his serve. “The fans might not like it when I’m not putting up 140 [mph] serves, but my coaches like it.”
Wolf will meet one other countryman within the semi-finals, with fifth seed John Isner awaiting after his 7-6(8), 7-5 win in opposition to Ecuador’s Emilio Gomez.
Isner saved a set level at 6/7 within the first-set tie-break with a second-serve ace down the T, then clinched victory with the primary break for both man within the match’s ultimate sport. The American saved 4 break factors, escaping a 15/40 gap as soon as in every set.
In returning to the Dallas semi-finals for the second straight yr, Isner additionally made some private historical past: He gained the five hundredth tie-break of his profession, bettering his tie-break file to 500-319. Those 500 wins are essentially the most within the Open Era, with Roger Federer’s 466 second on the checklist.
Gomez, the son of former World No. 4 Andres Gomez, was taking part in in his first tour-level quarter-final.
Source web site: www.atptour.com
