Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 August-10 September |
Coverage: Daily live text and radio commentaries across the BBC Sport website, app, BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra |
John Isner brought the curtain down on his professional singles career as the American veteran lost a five-set thriller to compatriot Michael Mmoh in the US Open second round.
Isner, 38, lost 3-6 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 7-6 (10-7) as Mmoh fought back from match point down to win a tense fifth-set tie-break.
The crowd were on their feet at the end of the match, with Isner struggling to hold back the tears.
“It’s tough,” he said.
“You know I like to think I work as hard as I can. This is why I’ve worked as hard as I have my whole life, to play in atmospheres like this.
“Of course I don’t win them all, as we know. Just like today, to play in front of this crowd, to have the support I have, is pretty special. So thank you.”
Isner has not quite played his last match at the US Open as he prepares to take part in the doubles with Jack Sock later on Thursday when they play Albano Olivetti and Robert Galloway.
Elsewhere, Italian Matteo Berrettini is out after retiring when trailing 6-4 5-3 to France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
The former semi-finalist badly twisted his ankle chasing down the ball as Rinderknech served for the set and, after a long period on the floor in clear pain, decided he could not continue.
Meanwhile, compatriot Jannik Sinner, who is seeded sixth, eased through with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego.
German 12th seed Alexander Zverev, the 2020 finalist, set up an eye-catching meeting with Andy Murray’s victor Grigor Dimitrov by battling past Daniel Altmaier in four sets.
Isner bows out with records to his name
It was perhaps fitting that Isner, who won the longest match in professional tennis history against Nicolas Mahut in 2010, finished with another five-set epic.
Defeat by Mmoh lasted three hours 57 minutes, seven hours and eight minutes less than his win at Wimbledon, as he was beaten despite taking a two-set lead.
The 6ft 10in big-server, who turned professional in 2007, reached eighth in the rankings and won 16 singles titles, served another 48 aces to extend his record.
He retires with 14,470 to his name, more than 700 more than anyone else.
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