Rafael Nadal vs. John Isner

Can John Isner win this match?  Here are his positives:

• Isner has reached 16 tournament finals in his career, and 14 of these tournaments were held in the United States.  He plays better in the US than anywhere else and last time I checked Cincinnati/Mason is part of the US even if Ohio has a non-rectangular flag.
• Isner is serving huge, and the court is playing fast.
• Isner would have won their match at the French Open if it had been 2 out of 3 sets.  This match will be 2 out of 3 sets.
• Isner will not really play points that let Rafa get into any sort of rhythm.
• At 6’10” Rafa’s topspin should not bounce too high to bother him.
• He could always threaten to play nude after the ESPN The Magazine bodies photo shoot.

Here is what Nadal has going for him:

• Rafa is playing his best hard court tennis since the 2010 US Open.
• Rafa has more confidence than anyone on tour at the moment.
• Rafa is better than Isner at every aspect of tennis except for the serve.

I actually think this will be a reasonably close match.  So long as Isner is not nervous and throws in an early clunker of a service game, the Georgia Bulldog is likely to hold serve at least 4 times per set.  Isner won Atlanta, was runner-up in DC and now is in the final of Cincinnati.  If anyone has the confidence to match Rafa’s roll from Montreal it is Isner.  Also, Isner has nothing to lose.  He already survived a match point in this tournament and he’s an underdog.  So maybe he just lets it fly.  His serve is also a big eraser.  I am picking Rafa to win, but I don’t see this as a total demolition.  My prediction: Rafal Nadal d. John Isner 6-4, 7-6.

Once again Cincinnati has to be happy about the match.  They get the hottest member of the big 4 vs. the top ranked US player after having a Fedal showdown and Isner clip #1 Novak Djokovic in the quarters.