American giant John Isner unleashed his “animal” serve to power the US to a 3-0 Hopman Cup triumph over Spain in Monday’s clash at Perth Arena.
Journeyman Daniel Munoz-De La Nava had no answers to Isner’s bullets, with the 208cm American regularly serving at speeds in excess of 210km/h on the way to the 6-3 6-4 triumph.
Munoz-De La Nava battled valiantly, but said Isner’s serve was simply too much to handle.
“It’s pretty tough because he’s serving like an animal,” Munoz-De La Nava said.
“He’s changing the serve all the time. All directions.
“It’s tough to return. I tried my best.
“But if you lose your serve against John, it’s impossible to win.”
Isner said he didn’t feel sympathy for any opponents who struggled to counter his serve.
“I don’t feel sorry for them. I just feel very fortunate that I’ve got that weapon on my side,” he said with a smile.
Earlier, world No.12 Sloane Stephens recorded a 6-3 6-1 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues, before the US won the dead rubber mixed doubles 4-6 6-0 10-4 (match tiebreak).
The US are attempting to win the Hopman Cup for a record seventh time.
Isner won the mixed-teams event while partnering Bethanie Mattek-Sands in 2011.
The 28-year-old, who has won seven singles titles but is yet to reach a semi-final at a major, said winning the Hopman Cup held a special place in his heart.
“That was one of the best moments of my career actually,” Isner said.
“I remember playing in that final – it came down to the mixed doubles and it was a lot of fun.”
The US will face France (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/Alize Cornet) and the Czech Republic (Radek Stepanek/Petra Kvitova) in their remaining two ties.
Medina Garrigues struggled with sore knees on the way to a 6-1 6-0 loss to Kvitova on Sunday.
The 31-year-old felt much better after receiving two anti-inflammatory injections over the next 24 hours, but she was still no match for Stephens’ power game.
After Medina Garrigues tied up the first set at 3-3, Stephens lost just one more game for the match as she raced to victory in 76 minutes.
“I felt good,” said Stephens, who famously beat Serena Williams at the 2013 Australian Open.
