Once again, John Isner's trip to Flushing Meadows ended in the third round. Once again, it happened with a loss to Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber at that stage.

And once again, there are zero American men in the US Open's round of 16 - something that had never happened until last year at the country's tennis championship, which was first played in 1881.

On a windy, cloudy evening, the 13th-seeded Isner hit 42 aces, saved all five break points he faced - and yet it was not enough. Unable to capitalize on plenty of openings and surprisingly outplayed in a trio of tiebreakers, Isner lost to the 22nd-seeded Kohlschreiber 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

"It's disappointing for me personally - not for America as a whole," Isner said. "It's disappointing to go out in the third round three years in a row to the same guy.

"America as a whole, that's not for me to worry about."

Isner, however, was in no mood to parse the state of American men's tennis.

Plenty of hand-wringing will ensue however, with Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open triumph marking the last time an American man hoisted a Grand Slam trophy.

For the third straight year Kohlschreiber eliminated Isner at the same stage at Flushing Meadows, a coincidence Isner called "a very weird situation".

"I never expected I could see him again this year in that round," said Isner, who was grasping for an explanation.

"You tell me going into the match I'm not going to lose my serve, you'd think I'd win the match," Isner said.

Isner, the 13th seed and the highest-ranked American man at No 15, and Sam Querrey were the only US men to make it to the third round.

Only three American men, from 12 home-grown contenders, had made it to the second round, the fewest in US Open history.

Tim Smyczek was beaten in the round of 64 by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut and before Isner took the court, top-seeded Novak Djokovic easily neutralized Querrey's big serve to dispatch the 57th-ranked American 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

(China Daily 09/01/2014 page24)