Isner falls to Youzhny in heart breaker

The big American fought back in the second set, but he faltered in the pivotal third-set tiebreak and dropped his third-round match to No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny. Youzhny, a 2006 semifinalist here, took the 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win and moves on to face Tommy Robredo in a wide-open quarter of the draw.

For Isner, an ankle injury was too much to overcome from a fitness standpoint. He came back from 5-1 down in the second and took the tiebreak; the big-serving Isner then had a couple loose points in a third-set tiebreak, and it was Youzhny who put the exclamation point on that set with an ace at 6-5 in the tiebreak.

Isner was broken for the fourth time in the match early in the fourth and could not get back in it.