And There There Were None

Big John Isner battled bravely, but was outplayed and ousted from the tournament by Feliciano Lopez in yet another five-setter.  There are now zero American men alive in the Australian Open.  This is the first time in the Open Era it has happened before the Fourth Round.  It's a bit sad.  But, I'm resisting the urge to panic, and brushing it off to a bad trip to the other side of the world.  I suspect the narrative will be significantly different in the Spring, on the home courts of Indian Wells and Miami.