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Magill: Ex-Dog wins pro tourney
Georgia’s John Isner is still winning on the pro circuit.
Sunday in Lubbock, Texas, he captured the ATP Challenger, defeating Canadian Davis Cup star Frank Dancevic in the finals, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2.
Incidentally, Dancevic’s sister, Monika, earned All-SEC honors as a sophomore at Georgia last year. She is a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario.
En route to the finals at Lubbock, Isner defeated five top young pros including Ecuadorian star Giovanni Lapentti in the semifinals, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Two former Georgia teammates of Isner also competed in the Lubbock Challenger: Luis Flores and Travis Helgeson. Flores won his first match over Michael McClune, 7-5, 6-3, and then lost to Alex Bogomolov, 6-4, 6-4.
Helgeson lost in the first round to top-seeded Vince Spadea, 6-3, 7-5.Isner and Helgeson lost in the first round of the doubles to Todd Widom and Jesse Witten, 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Isner this week will return to his training base in Tampa, Fla., and then play in Challengers in California (Sacramento and Calabasas).
He’ll play doubles with Rajeev Ram, who won the 2003 NCAA doubles title in Athens as an Illinois freshman.
After leading Georgia to the NCAA team title in 2007, Isner turned pro that summer and his prize money in little more than a year now totals $412,404.
The Greensboro, N.C., native says he plans to play on the pro circuit at least 10 more years.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tagged: pro circuit, georgia tennis letterman, john isner, travis helgeson, atp challenger
