Isner falls to Youzhny in third round under the lights

NEW YORK (AP)?John Isner?s trip to the U.S. Open ended in the third round and included none of the drama or history he created at Wimbledon.
The 18th-seeded American lost to No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5), 6-4 Sunday night, then said he didn?t think he paid any price physically at Flushing Meadows for all the wear-and-tear his body took at the All England Club during the longest match in tennis history.
?I don?t think tonight had anything to do with that match, I would say,? Isner said.
At Wimbledon in June, Isner won a 70-68 fifth set over Nicolas Mahut in the first round, a match that lasted 183 games over 11 hours, 5 minutes. He played a total of 116 games and 8 hours, 12 minutes in New York.
?I?m not the fastest guy out there, but I didn?t feel as explosive. My legs I think just didn?t have the bend that I needed to on my serve, on my groundstrokes,? he said. ?I mean, I wasn?t dealt the greatest hand coming into this tournament with really no preparation. So that maybe had something to do with it.?
The 6-foot-9 (2.06-meter) Isner lost Sunday despite pounding 33 aces at up to 144 mph. His biggest problem: 61 unforced errors, 25 more than Youzhny, who reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since he was a semifinalist in 2006.
Isner, never past the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament, got broken four times?in the opening game of the match, twice in the second set, and once in the fourth.
?I was playing from behind pretty much a lot of that match,? he said.
After trailing 5-1 in the second set, he made things interesting by breaking Youzhny for the only two times in the match to force a tiebreaker. Motioning between points to the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to make more noise, Isner steadily picked up momentum and evened the match at a set apiece by converting his fifth set point on a service winner.
?You would think from there I would have all the momentum,? Isner said. ?He just keeps with it. That?s a big credit to him. I mean, I definitely did have the momentum, but he just stayed steady and, you know, just outplayed me a little bit.?
The third set also went to a tiebreaker, and Isner went ahead 4-3 with his 23rd ace, at 122 mph. But Youzhny collected four of the next five points, ending the set with the fourth of his five aces.
Youzhny now faces 41st-ranked Tommy Robredo of Spain in the fourth round. Robredo?s last two opponents retired during the match, including Michael Llodra on Sunday.

wimbledon championship wimbledon championship tennis wimbledon championships wimbledon draw wimbledon final