MELBOURNE (AFP) – John Isner was toppled by Australian Matthew Ebden to continue the American misery on the opening day of the Australian Open on Monday.
The 16th seed, playing in his 100th Grand Slam match, bowed out 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in just over two hours on Margaret Court Arena.
It was Isner’s first defeat to Ebden in four meetings and follows the shock exits of Americans Venus Williams, US Open champion Sloane Stephens and last year’s semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in the women’s draw.
It is the third time 78th-ranked Ebden has reached the second round at his home major and Isner was the first top-ranked 20 player he had beaten at a Grand Slam.
Ebden, the second-highest ranked Australian behind Nick Kyrgios, will face Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in the second round.
World No. 5 Williams, in her 77th major, struggled against a player who had never before beaten her to go down 6-3, 7-5 and deprive the tournament of one of its biggest names.
It is the first time since 1997 that there will be neither of the Williams sisters in the second round, with Serena not playing after giving birth to her first child.
Also out of the opening Grand Slam of the year is American big-hitter CoCo Vandeweghe, a semifinalist last year at Melbourne Park and Flushing Meadow.
She slumped out to Hungary’s Timea Babos 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
“I’m not going to get too down,” said Stephens after her 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 defeat to Chinese Chinese number two Zhang Shuai.
