Mardy Fish won his second straight tournament and 10th straight match, beating John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the final of the Atlanta Tennis Championships Sunday. Fish, who won in Newport earlier this month, took the first four points of the tiebreaker. Isner rallied to win the next three points but couldn't pull even. The match lasted 2 hours, 45 minutes in searing temperatures. Fish has lost 14 kgs since having knee surgery last year, and he credits his newly gained fitness for his winning streak, which is a career record. Suffering from dehydration, Fish needed medical treatment after the match. He said he “sort of went into a lower body cramp with both legs.” A year ago, he said he'd would have had no chance. “It's night and day,” Fish said. “A year ago I would have fallen over in the second set probably, or probably played a match to where I knew physically I couldn't last so I needed to change my tactics. I just simply don't have to do that anymore.” Isner, who knows all about surviving marathon matches, had no home-state advantage when dealing with the heat. “The first hour it was the hottest,” Isner said. “It took a lot out of both of us. I don't think I've ever played in conditions this hot and humid and rough like this.” Isner gained fame by winning the longest match in history, a three-day, 183-game match at Wimbledon last month. That match led to appearances on TV talk shows, and he says he spent too much time away from the court. “You want to win this tournament but it was really pivotal I was able to get four matches under my belt,” Isner said.
