Roger Federer

New York: It was great fun for a while in the US Open here on Saturday afternoon, with newcomer John Isner playing Roger Federer on centre court before more than 23,000 people.

Then Goliath slew David.

The reality was that neither a 140-mph serve nor a lethal slingshot could change the outcome of this third-round match. Isner may be 6 feet 9, may have a serve that would dent a Brinks truck, may have youth and enthusiasm and promise and the collective karma of United States tennis fans on his side.

But you can’t out-paint Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Federer has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, has spent 187 consecutive weeks at No. 1 — the longest streak by any tennis player, male or female — and is attempting to become the first since Bill Tilden to win four straight US Open titles, his three coming on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he played Isner. Tilden won his fourth in 1923 and also won the next two years.

Federer is three major titles away from matching Pete Sampras’ record and he has already won the Australian and Wimbledon this year.

Saturday’s face-off with Federer was Isner’s 14th match in the main draw of a main tour event. It was No. 662 for Federer. Still, a good time was had by all. “I did [enjoy it],” Federer said. “I think he enjoyed it, too.”

Isner, at 22 only four years younger than Federer, said, “Yeah. It was amazing. . . obviously, the most fun I’ve had playing a tennis match.”

The best time for the Isner camp and the US fans was the first set, when Isner showed his potential and Federer showed glimpses of being mortal. Isner got the first break point at 2-2, and never faced a break point on his serve, sending the set into a tie-breaker from 5-6 and 30-all with a 136-mph ace and a 128-mph ace.

Then, in the tie-breaker, with the stadium rocking, Isner cranked aces of 129 mph and 136 mph and nearly knocked the racket out of Federer’s hand with a 134-mph bomb. Moments later he had a 5-4 lead, with two serves coming. The first offering was 134 mph and Federer got a portion of his racket on it, but not enough to get it in play. Then, on set point the serve came at Federer at 124 mph and was not returned.

Isner turned and pumped his fist. For the two-minute break before the second set began, there was an actual buzz: Can he really do it?

Isner said afterward that, at that point, even he believed, at least a little. “I did,” he said. “Then again, I knew he was going to step his game up. That’s what he does, every time he loses a set.”

Through the post-first-set celebration, Federer sat quietly, expression never changing, kind of like a paid assassin about to pull the trigger.

Minutes later, everybody knew. Federer pressed Isner in the first service game, got it to love-40, shrugged off a 133-mph ace and then accepted a double fault, only Isner’s third of the match, for his first breakthrough.

Soon after, it was 4-0. Clearly, Federer had figured it out and the match had become the essence of that old-time newspaper sports story lead: John Isner drew first blood and then had it spilled all over him.

Isner avoided an 0, 0 and 0 finish, competing well enough to lose the last three sets 6-2, 6-4 and 6-2, and ending up with 18 aces and 49 winners — most of them on aces and service winners.