John Isner wins Atlanta Open for 5th time in 6 years

John Isner poses with the trophy after winning the BB&T Atlanta Open tennis tournament by defeating Ryan Harrison, Sunday, July 29, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

ATLANTA  — John Isner won the BB&T Atlanta Open for the fifth time in six years Sunday, beating fellow American Ryan Harrison in the final for the second straight year.

The top-seeded Isner beat the eighth-seeded Harrison 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 at Atlantic Station to join Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras as the only Americans to win an ATP Tour event five times or more.

“I’m very comfortable here,” said Isner, the 6-foot-10 former University of Georgia star. “I make breakfast in my own room, I go to the Publix next door, it really feels like I’m at home, and that helps so much.”

Isner improved to 31-4 in the event, winning four matches in Atlanta after a 6-hour, 36-minute loss — with a 26-24 fifth set — to Kevin Anderson in the Wimbledon semifinals. Isner won three straight titles from 2013-15, and lost the 2016 final to Nick Kyrgios.

Isner has 14 ATP Tour titles, also winning the Miami Open in April.

“I realize I was fortunate today,” Isner said. “I’ve been on the other end where you have four or five chances to put your stamp on the match and you don’t get it, and I just had one chance, and played a good point, and was able to win the second set, and had one chance in the third and got up early. That’s how our sport goes sometimes, and I was very fortunate today.”