NEW YORK—The tie breaker was a heart breaker for John Isner.
Kyle Edmund downsized the 20th-seeded Isner, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5), to advance to the US Open fourth round for the first time.
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It marked the fourth time in the last five years Isner has lost in the Flushing Meadows third round.
"It was just a struggle out there a little bit," said Isner, who swept Edmund at Roland Garros in May. "Kind of the whole tournament. Nothing really felt great the whole tournament. But credit to Kyle. I thought he played well. Certainly played better than I did in the big moments, so hats off to him.
"It's a little disappointing for sure. I'll get back to the drawing board. Obviously, I don't know what the right word is, disappointed for sure right now. Have to hit the 'delete' button, watch some football, and hopefully that will clear me up."
Isner's departure came hours after compatriot Ryan Harrison lost to Marcos Baghdatis on Court 17 and the night after Steve Johnson bowed to Juan Martin del Potro leaving Jack Sock, who upset 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic on Armstrong earlier today, and Jared Donaldson as the lone American men still standing.
The 21-year-old Briton, who knocked off 13th-seeded Richard Gasquet in the first round, basically beat Isner at his own game on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
"It has been a great tournament so far," Edmund said. "Maybe it wasn't a result you guys wanted, but chances don't come very often so you've got to capitalize when they come. I think I played big points well especially in the tie break. I knew it was gonna come down to one or two points. I was just pleased I came out on top tonight."
Hammering heavy forehands into the corners, Edmund made the American No. 1 chase at times. Edmund denied six of seven break points he faced.
Once a tie break titan, Isner has struggled in breakers this season. He took the court with a 26-27 tie break record this season; a critical lapse in judgement proved costly in the fourth-set tie break tonight.
Trailing 3-5, Isner opted to stop play and challenge an Edmund shot. Hawk-Eye replay showed the ball touched the back edge of the baseline giving Edmund three match points as Isner dropped his head in dismay.
The American No. 1 saved a pair of match points but Edmund smacked an inside-out forehand to end it. Isner, who rallied from a two-set deficit to beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe in round one, looked depleted in the final moments tonight.
"I think certainly you want to save your energy at a Grand Slam," Isner said. "That match took some out of me; my second-round match took some out of me. Maybe I came into this match at a little bit of a deficit, but that's not why I lost. At a certain point adrenaline takes over, and it did in that match out there. I just wasn't better than my opponent. Simple as that."
The 84th-ranked Edmund's reward for the win is a date with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who held a held a 4-2 lead over Mikhail Youzhny when the two-time former semifinalist retired with a left hamstring strain after just 31 minutes of play.
Photo credit: US Open/USTA