Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled off a mini-shock at the US Open this evening, beating John Isner 6-4 3-6 7-5 7-6 to reach the fourth round.
Kohlschreiber, who was giving up a foot in height to his opponent, made the perfect start to the match when he broke in the very first game. The rest of the opening set went with serve, allowing Kohlschreiber to take it 6-4.
Isner's big-hitting service game had reached full flow by the second set and the American was flawless on his own serve. He also managed to break Kohlschreiber in the sixth game to eventually take the set 6-3.
The pair both held serve for the majority of the third set too, but it was the German who picked up the vital break in the final game, converting the second of three set points.
Once again, both players were dominant on their own serve in the fourth set, with the first break point not coming until the ninth game.
The German broke back immediately, though, before losing his serve once more at 5-5. Again, he recovered before taking the tie-break 7-5.
Kohlschreiber will face Rafael Nadal in the next round after the number two seed beat Ivan Dodig in straight sets earlier today.
Barney Corkhill
