Newport, RI – Top seed John Isner defeated wild card Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 on Sunday to capture his second consecutive title at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The 6-foot-9 Isner smacked 16 aces in getting past the Aussie Hewitt on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 27-year-old became the first repeat champion since France's Fabrice Santoro in 2008.
"It feels very good," said Isner. "It's never easy coming to a tournament where in a previous year you won it. There's a lot of pressure on you. You don't do well, your ranking's going to drop.
"I did well, I defended those points and I kept my ranking where it's at. More importantly than that, I gained a lot of confidence from this week just as I did last year. I had a great, great summer last year. I hope to have much of the same this year."
Isner beat diminutive Belgian Olivier Rochus in last year's Newport finale.
For Hewitt, it was his first final appearance in more than two years. The 31- year-old former world No. 1 and two-time major titlist was gunning for his 29th career title.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.