The two most important British tennis stars Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu have been eliminated from Wimbledon in the second round.
Two-time champion Murray lost in four sets when he was stunned by the great American John Isner on the center court.
Isner won his match 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4, aided by 36 aces.
It was the first time Murray hadn’t reached the third round in SW19, as the 6-foot, 10-inch American player got his first win of his career over him in the ninth attempt.
British fans had suffered a double disappointment in a quick succession after Raducanu was previously eliminated on the same track in the women’s singles.
The 19-year-old U.S. Open champion, whose Wimbledon preparations were severely interrupted by side tension, was defeated by Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia who won in sets followed by 6-3 6- 3.
But there was better news for British men’s number one Cameron Norrie after the ninth seed reserved his place in the third round with a 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-0 6-2 victory on the Spanish Jaume Munar.
6ft 3in Murray, who currently ranks 52nd in the world, had threatened another of his epic nightly comebacks from two sets below when he won a third-set tie-break.
But this time he could not dive into that seemingly endless pit of reserves as the world number 24 clung to victory.
The 35-year-old Scot managed to win just 15 points against Isner’s relentless first serve.
But there was much more to the 20th seed’s triumph, with a lot of neat fall shots and skillful touches on the net that stunned the center court.
Image: Murray lost to John Isner on center field. Image: AP
The roof closed at the end of the fourth set due to poor light with Isner, 37, leading 4-2.
The Briton’s preparations for this year’s Wimbledon had not been ideal after he suffered abdominal distension a fortnight ago.
And the former world number one had faced a time trial race to recover from injury.
Murray lamented what he could have been, saying, “I could have had a good career here. One of the reasons you improve your standings and try to be a series leader is important (is to avoid) playing with the best players. and with dangerous guys like this one at the beginning of the tournaments.
“It’s one of those games that, if it had happened, who knows what would have happened.”
Image: Cameron Norrie has advanced to the third round
After their defeat, 10th seed, Raducanu, said: “I’ve played seven hours of tennis in a month. Even competing with these girls at that level and winning a round I think is a good success.
“Obviously it’s hard to lose any game, but I think Caroline played a great game. She’s a great player. I’ve struggled to find a way to get over it today.
“But it’s okay because, going into that, I didn’t really have high expectations of myself. Going back to playing on the center court was a very positive experience for me.”
Meanwhile, after his big summer on the pitch, Britain’s Ryan Peniston lost to American Steve Johnson who triumphed in the second round by 6-3 6-2 6-4.
But Harriet Dart won her delayed first-round match, becoming the 10th Briton to advance to the second round, the best league start for local players since 1984.
On Thursday, Dart will play with eighth seed, American Jessica Pegula, while Britain’s Katie Boulter will play with sixth seed, Czech Karolina Pliskova on the center court in her second-round clash.
Image: Harriet Dart won her delayed first-round match
Heather Watson resumes her second-round match against China’s Qiang Wang, with Britain leading 7-5 5-4.
Among the British men in the second round, Jack Draper will face 19th seed Alex De Minaur of Australia, while Liam Broady will face Argentine Diego Schwartzman, 12th seed, and Alastair Gray s ‘will face 11th seed, American Taylor Fritz.