Dallas tennis legend John Isner has already made headlines going into the Australian Open after an overhead smash clipped the ear of an 11-year-old sitting in the second row at the ASB Classic in Auckland last night. He quickly made amends, offering up some wristbands as a souvenir. The two-time Auckland champion will take on lefty Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the semis tonight. Then he’s off to Melbourne where he’ll play Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the first round of the Australian Open.
It's not all bad being on the wrong end of a @JohnIsner smash… John meets the injured party after the match đź‘Ź#ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/P2ZbvXtcYF
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 16, 2020
For action closer to home, the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas return to T Bar M Racquet Club February 3–9. Last year’s star-studded doubles lineup included Isner, Alex Kuznetsov, Ryan Harrison, and Nick Kyrgios. This year, RBC has announced that the singles lineup is one to watch, with Americans Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, and Fort Worth native Mitchell Krueger. If Luka is Zac’s son, then Jack is mine. Here’s a highlight reel from my scrapbook.