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Isner loses to Opelka in tallest ever Grand Slam match

Melbourne - American No 1 and ninth seed John Isner was knocked out of the Australian Open on Monday in one of the biggest shocks of the first round.

The 6-foot-10 (2.08m) Isner was beaten by 6-foot-11 (2.11m) fellow American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) in a battle of the giants.

No fewer than 87 aces were powered down between the big-serving pair in what is the tallest match in Grand Slam history. There was just one break apiece registered in the fourth set of a match that lasted 2 hours and 58 minutes.

Isner, 33, had not lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as No 97 Opelka, who is 12 years his junior, since retiring due to a foot injury while trailing 106th-ranked Martin Klizan in the first round at Melbourne in 2014.

Opelka has never before reached the second round of a Grand Slam and will next face Italy's world No 102 Thomas Fabbiano, who beat Australian wildcard Jason Kubler 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-3.

Results from Day 1 of the Australian Open on Monday:

Men

Round 1

Radu Albot (MDA) bt Michael Mmoh (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x26) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-3

Karen Khachanov (RUS x10) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x14) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

Stefano Travaglia (ITA) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x19) bt Christopher Eubanks (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Daniel Evans (GBR) bt Tatsuma Ito (JPN) 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8)

Kevin Anderson (RSA x5) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1

Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-3

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x20) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4

Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1

Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) bt Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-3

Reilly Opelka (USA) bt John Isner (USA x9) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5)

Robin Haase (NED) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 7-5, 6-4, 7-5

Diego Schwartzman (ARG x18) bt Rudolf Molleker (GER) 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0

Alex De Minaur (AUS x27) bt Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 6-3, 7-5

Women

Round 1

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE x32) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1)

Lesya Tsurenko (UKR x24) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4

Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6)

Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x11) bt Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) 6-1, 6-4

Wang Yafan (CHN) bt Ellen Perez (AUS) 6-4, 6-0

Astra Sharma (AUS) bt Priscilla Hon (AUS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1

Maria Sakkari (GRE) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x22) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

Maria Sharapova (RUS x30) bt Harriet Dart (GBR) 6-0, 6-0

Rebecca Peterson (SWE) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 6-4, 6-1

Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Vera Lapko (BLR) 7-6 (7/5), 3-0 retired

Sloane Stephens (USA x5) bt Taylor Townsend (USA) 6-4, 6-2

Tímea Babos (HUN) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3)

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-3, 6-2

Petra Martic (CRO x31) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-1, 6-2

Anett Kontaveit (EST x20) bt Sara Sorribes (ESP) 6-3, 6-2

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 6-3

Kiki Bertens (NED x9) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-3, 6-3

Danielle Collins (USA) bt Julia Georges (GER x14) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Sachia Vickery (USA) bt Ysaline Bonaventure (BEL) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Zoe Hives (AUS) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-1, 6-2

Caroline Garcia (FRA x19) bt Jessika Ponchet (FRA) 6-2, 6-3

Donna Vekic (CRO x29) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-2, 6-4

Kimberly Birrell (AUS) bt Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-4, 6-2

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Angelique Kerber (GER x2) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-2

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