No marathon tennis match this time. John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6 (5) Monday at the Hopman Cup in the first rematch since their 11-hour epic at Wimbledon. Isner overcame Mahut in 90 minutes to give the U.S. an insurmountable 2-0 lead over France. The match lasted 9½ hours and 161 games less than their previous record-breaking encounter. The Wimbledon match, the longest in professional tennis history, stretched over three days and finished at 70-68 in the fifth set. The 19th-ranked Isner started strong, breaking Mahut immediately and holding firm to take the first set. Mahut, who replaced the injured Gael Monfils, improved in the second, hitting just four unforced errors to the American's 20. But he could not make any inroads on Isner's serve. In the tiebreaker, Isner converted his opportunity. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=5983516
