Tenth-seeded John Isner advanced to the second round in New York with a 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.  He will face Hyeon Chung in the second round of the US Open.

While it was not his best performance, it was a strong, workmanlike effort as he rode his big serve, firing 22 aces and winning 80 percent of his first service points. Herbert was only able to come up with one service break in the match.

Isner must like his chances to go deep into the draw this season with the absence of 5 players (due to injuries) who are currently ranked higher.  And the American has traditionally enjoyed the home cooking of the North American hard courts. He has also enjoyed his best stretch of tennis this season since Wimbledon where he won back-to-back titles in Newport and Atlanta and had a strong run to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters where he lost to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov.  The veteran has made it known that the US Open is his favorite major tournament and he enjoyed his best grand slam success here when he advanced to the quarterfinals in 2011.

Not too long ago, it appeared that the 32-year old, who has consistently held the mantle of American number one for many years, would make way for a younger group of Americans who temporarily took their turns as top-American. Jack Sock and Steve Johnson were a couple who recently held the honor but Isner quickly showed he was having none of that as he has launched himself to the doorstep of the top-10 once more.  A strong run in New York could land him squarely back into the top-10 and allow for a shot to surpass his career high ranking of world no. 9, which he held in 2012.

To achieve that, Isner will have to navigate through a portion of the draw that includes fellow-American Sam Querrey. If the favorites advance, he would meet Querrey in the fourth-round and could see Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, but Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson hope to have something to say about that.

Nonetheless, it is great to see Isner as a factor in New York once again. He has joined the group of 30-something’s who are not ready to succumb to the tide of “Next Generation” players who are chomping at the bit to move up the ladder.

Isner will meet Chung on Wednesday.