By Joe McGovern
HOUSTON ' It was a championship match between two buddies in Houston as Juan Monaco persevered over John Isner, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win his first title ever on American soil and his fifth overall. It was a particularly sweet day for the two tour friends, who have bonded over their love for American football. Isner, despite his loss in the US Men's Clay Court Championship final, has moved into No. 9 in the rankings, positioning him as the number one ranked American, while Monaco's victory moves him up to No. 14, matching his career best.
'It was a great final, great final,' said Monaco. 'The third set was like a battle. We both fought until the last point and we both played a really good final.'
'I'm very happy for Pico,' said Isner. 'He's had a very good year, and so have I. We're both winning a lot of matches this year and he was just a little bit better than me today.'
Monaco had 15 break point chances on Isner's serve during the match, converting three of them'the only breaks the 6'9' American suffered over the course of his four matches at River Oaks. 'You can sometimes make the opportunities against Johnny, but it's very tough to convert them.'
Monaco departed Houston within an hour of the match's conclusion for an overnight flight to Europe. He starts play at the Masters series tournament in Monte Carlo on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after his title bout in Texas.
'It sounds absolutely miserable,' said Isner of Monaco's itinerary. 'But that's the life of a tennis player and sometimes you just have to do it.'
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