Tennis: US hit 103-year Wimbledon low as Isner goes out

LONDON (REUTERS) - John Isner's defeat against Spain's Feliciano Lopez at Wimbledon on Monday left the United States with no survivors in the fourth round of the men's or women's singles for the first time since 1911.

Despite blasting down 52 aces, the American went down 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in a third-round match that was stopped on Saturday because of heavy rain.

Earlier, teenager Madison Keys was forced to withdraw from her third-round match against Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova with a leg injury, having trailed 6-7, 6-6 when play was suspended because of poor light on Saturday evening.

World No. 1 Serena Williams was unexpectedly beaten in the third round by Frenchwoman Alize Cornet on Saturday - the American five-time champion's earliest exit since 2005.

While Williams has enjoyed plenty of Grand Slam success in the past decade, the men have struggled to make an impact in the wake of the retirements of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Andy Roddick's 2003 triumph at the US Open is the last major success for US men's tennis.

Last year was the first time in 101 years that no American man reached Wimbledon's third round.

Isner, at least, avoided a repeat of that sorry statistic.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.