GALLERY: Returnbot Diego Schwartzman & servebot John Isner win team debut in Rome
The all-Fila pair played to each of their strengths in advancing Monday at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
ROME—Coming into the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, John Isner had just reached the doubles semifinals of Madrid alongside Hubert Hurkacz—his Miami Open-winning partner.
This week, the American once again entered doubles but opted to mix it up as one half of a highly anticipated duo. One of the ATP’s ‘servebots’, 6'10" Isner joined forces with 5'7" Diego Schwartzman, a perennial ‘returnbot’, for the first time in Rome.
Owning contrasting builds and strengths, the combination of differences resulted in a winning debut Monday at the Foro Italico. After a slow start, Isner and Schwartzman pulled away to defeat Andres Molteni and Santiago Gonzalez, 5-7, 6-3 [10-1].
The victory marked Isner’s 20th on the doubles court this season. He and Schwartzman—who like Isner is also a Fila ambassador—await Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul or fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.