Juan Martin del Potro missed the qualification for the ATP finals in London. The Argentinean lost his quarter-finals at the Masters in Paris against John Isner 4:6,7:6 (5), 4:6 and now has no chance for the year-end tournament.
Del Potro was negligent against the service giant Isner, especially at the Big Points. The 29-year-old only allowed for two break chances on his own serve, but Isner was able to turn them both.
The American did not have to defend a single break point over the entire match. While Isner was already two points from victory in the tiebreak of the second set, del Potro was able to save himself in a third set. In this match Isner, who served 15 aces in the match, managed to break early to the 2:1, which he did not lose until the end.
The third game in the last set seemed to be safe for del Potro: at 40:15 the tower from Tandil served an alleged ace, but a challenge from Isner revealed the wrong decision. Del Potro made some minor mistakes, which caused him to lose his serve.
Del Potro could not crown a brilliant race to catch up in the ranking. Not until 28. August del Potro was still in 47th position in the Race to London. With a strong record of 20-4 victories since the US Open, del Potro even managed to get into the discussion for the starting positions for London.
John Isner now has the opportunity to secure his first-ever participation in the finals by winning a tournament in Paris. The Masters in France’s capital city seems to be Isner, he reached the final last year, but in the year before it was enough for a quarter-finals.
With his defeat, del Potro missed his fifth participation in the World Tour Finals, his first since 2013. With a victory over Isner, del Potro would have qualified for the first place, but now he is missing 20 world ranking points on the currently eighth place Pablo Carreno Busta.