Mardy Fish reacts after wining the Trophy

The new, fleet Mardy Fish is doing things the old sluggish Mardy Fish could not dream about. This Mardy Fish moved forward against the legendary John Isner serve. He took the 136 mph serves on the rise and continually pressured the number two seed until Atlanta 2010 Champion finally prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4). He served effectively and tracked down drop shots. Who was that masked man anyway?

In the sweltering heat, one thing was clear. At 172 pounds, Mardy Fish could take the heat. Lean and mean Fish pursued every shot, challenged Isner at the net and eventually wore down his highly ranked friend and opponent.

Fish has now won 10 consecutive matches and has appeared in the finals of three of the last four events he has entered. He improved his lifetime final record to 5-11 and claimed 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and a tidy $95,000 first place check. Not a bad day’s work for a player who wondered if he would ever play again.

Fish swept through the Atlanta field without losing a set. After serving his way through the first set, Isner looked to be in command at 4-4 in the second. But, Fish stepped up to the baseline to return serve and blasted two outright winners to capture the set.

Fish grabbed a quick break in the second set only to be broken back to put the final set on serve wit Isner serving at 2-3. Fish was having difficulty landing first serves, just as he did against Roddick in the semis, but Isner was having his own troubles holding serve.

Fish challenged every shot. When the points played out, Fish was always dictating the flow of play. Isner resorted to attempting several baseline drop shots to change the dynamics but to no avail. Mardy Fish could smell victory.

In the tiebreaker, Fish ran off the first four pints before Isner made a three point run of his own. Fish closed out the tiebreaker on his second match point opportunity and ended a memorable day in Atlanta in two hours and 45 minutes.

To all who watched, Mardy Fish has his day and will be a player to deal with as the Olympus U.S. Open series moves forward.