American John Isner lost in five sets to compatriot Michael Mmoh 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (7) on Thursday in the second round of the U.S. Open. Here’s what you need to know:
- Mmoh saved two match points in the fifth set en route to victory. Mmoh will make his first third-round appearance at the U.S. Open.
- The match was the last of Isner’s professional singles career as the 38-year-old announced last week on social media that he would retire after the U.S. Open. He is also entered in doubles at the U.S. Open with Jack Sock.
- Mmoh, aiming to reach his first career round of 16 appearance at a slam, will face Jack Draper in the third round.
John Isner’s singles career comes to an end.
And the appreciation was evident on Grandstand. pic.twitter.com/DwyKReOVTE
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2023
Backstory
Isner began his professional career in 2007. He retires as one of the best servers ever on the ATP Tour. As of Aug. 14, Isner had 14,411 aces, the most in ATP Tour history.
Isner has 16 ATP Tour singles titles. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 on July 16, 2018.
Isner’s best result at a slam was at Wimbledon in 2018, when he reached the semifinals. His lone ATP Masters 1000 title came at the 2018 Miami Open, when he beat Alexander Zverev in the final.
Isner has played in a plethora of long matches. He played the longest professional match in tennis history against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, lasting 11 hours and five minutes. His 2018 Wimbledon semifinal against Kevin Anderson went five sets, lasting six hours and 36 minutes. Slams eventually incorporated a fifth-set tiebreaker, marking the end of matches like Isner’s which were “win by two games.”
Required reading
(Photo: Geoff Burke / USA Today)
