Sunday's final will be a battle of the top seeds after three-time defending champion John Isner and Nick Kyrgios won their respective semi-finals at the Atlanta Open.
In his quest for a fourth successive title in Atlanta, number one seed Isner rallied to beat fellow giant and American Reilly Opelka in three sets on Saturday. Isner dropped the opening-set tie-break but finished strongly, posting a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-2 win after two hours on the hard courts.
For once Isner was not the biggest man on court, coming up against Opelka - the tallest player on the ATP Tour alongside Ivo Karlovic at 2.11metres - but that mattered little for the world number 17, who did not face a break point throughout the match, while converting three of his own.
Isner's serve inspired the victory, as he fired down 22 aces and won 46 of his 50 first serves.
Standing in Isner way is Australian second seed Kyrgios, who overcame Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Contesting his fifth semi-final of the year, Kyrgios was tested but overcame the emerging Japanese star, registering 16 aces and fending off three of four break points faced. Kyrgios now has the chance to claim his second ATP title, having triumphed in Marseille in February.
"It feels good," Kyrgios said post-match. "I knew at the start of the week that I could get this far. It's not really surprising, but it's rewarding for sure."
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