Tennis

Isner-Nadal showdown nixed after American upset in 3rd

John Isner and American men’s tennis died at dusk at the U.S. Open on Armstrong Stadium yesterday.

The 13th-seeded Isner — America’s best hope in the men’s draw — is out of the Open in the third round. The upset squashed the hyped-up potential Round of 16 showdown with Rafael Nadal and sent the U.S. men to another new low.

In a rematch of his third-round meltdown to the German in last year’s Open, Isner was upset again by Philipp Kohlschreiber, who posted a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory.

With and Isner’s and Jack Sock’s defeat yesterday, that left one American left in the draw — 109th-ranked Tim Smyczek. Who?
The unsung Smyczek will be a heavy underdog in today’s third-round matchup against 43rd-ranked Marcel Granollers of Spain on the grandstand.
With a Smyczek loss, it will mark the first time no American man will have reached the fourth round of a major in a given year.

It will also mark the second straight year no American male has been to any of the four Grand Slam tournament’s quarterfinals. Before 2012, that never had happened.

“I don’t care,’’ Isner said of the stats. “I’m going to watch football for a while. I’m happy for Tim, but I’m not going to watch his match.’’

The Isner-Kohlschreiber battle was a replay of last year’s battle in which the 6-foot-9 American melted down in an early-morning battle over a foot fault. His lack of composure cost him the match.

Yesterday, Isner said he expended too much energy in the muggy conditions trying to hype up the crowd late in the fourth set after breaking the German to go up 6-5. Isner served for the set and a chance to take it to five. He got broken to force a tiebreaker and got crushed.

Isner called it “a fatigue thing.’’

“I felt I wore myself out getting charged up out there,’’ he said. “It was stupid on my part. I was pretty gassed. I don’t know if you saw it, but getting myself fired up, I didn’t have much left. Had I kept it calm, I could still be out there right now.’’

Ironically, Isner had criticized the fans cheering on his last opponent, Frenchman Gael Monfils in his last match, feeling the American should be the crowd favorite in Flushing.

Isner had no complaints about the fan noise yesterday.

“I had a feeling the crowd would be on my side, the crowd was fantastic,’’ Isner said.

Isner made 40 unforced errors, including a weak backhand into the net that gave the German break point at 6-5 in the fourth set. It seemd at that juncture, with Andy Roddick retired,that the pressure of being the American in the spotlight had gotten to him.

“I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of alleviating pressure on myself,’’ Isner said. “I do want to get back into the top 10.’’

As Nadal spoke in the interview room early last night, Isner was on the monitor, battling Kohlschreiber. Nadal cruised at Ashe Stadium an hour earlier, beating Ivan Kodig, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, safely into the fourth round, awaiting Isner. It won’t happen now.

It’s too bad.

Nadal and Isner had faced each other two weeks ago in Cincy, with the Spanish bulldog winning in three sets, all tiebreakers, never getting a break point against the American’s serve.

“Obviously very different matches with Isner and Kohlschreiber,’’ Nadal said in Spanish. “Isner is very good with his serve and Kohlschreiber very good with the backhand.’’

“It’s great news for me to be in the fourth round without losing a set. I hope to be ready for both of them.’’

With Isner ousted, it increased the likelihood of the potential first-ever Open bout between Nadal-Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Isner may not watch that one either.