Isner too tall a task for Ireland's Sorensen

Irishman Louk Sorensen showed fighting spirit but ultimately saw his Australian Open fairytale ended by American John Isner. Sorensen - ranked 287 in the world - became the first Irishman to win a grand slam match in 25 years by beating Yen-Hsun Lu 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-1 in the first round. However, he faced a taller task in the second round against the 6ft 9in American 33rd-seed Isner and was eventually ousted 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-5. After battling his way through the qualifiers, the Ireland Davis Cup player maintained his startling progress by beating Lu yesterday to delight his countrymen back home. With Sorensen having played mostly in Challenger and Futures events, the chief executive of Tennis Ireland yesterday hailed that achievement as "life-changing". A win over Isner would have been momentous and the Stuttgart-based Sorensen — where he plays for TC Doggenburg in the third tier of the German league system when he is not on the road — put up an impressive fight against the American. Despite losing the first set limply, he fought back hard in the second to force a tie-break in which Isner asserted his authority. The third was neck-and-neck throughout and Sorensen threatened to carry the fight even further despite failing to convert any of his three break points in the match. However, Isner's power was proving too much for the Irishman to handle as the American, who smashed down 21 aces in total, finally took control to take victory in the third.

* PA Sport