Henman humbled by rookie

Henman: Early exit

To come up short is very frustrating.

Tim Henman
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Tim Henman lost to tour rookie John Isner to fall at the first hurdle in the Legg Mason Classic.

American Isner, making his ATP hardcourt debut, held his nerve in a third set tie-break to seal easily the biggest win of his career so far.

Henman came in to the tournament in Washington with good memories after lifting the title there in 2003.

However, after winning in the opening round of the doubles on Monday, the British number two was sent packing by a player ranked 416 in the world.

He served five double faults, including one on match point, to slip to a 10th loss of the season.

The 32-year-old will now play in Cincinnati and New Haven before the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.

Frustrating

"To come up short is very frustrating," Henman said.

"It's tough when you lose by just a few points to a guy of that nature."

Isner, who had lost his previous ATP contest at Newport earlier this month, will meet German Benjamin Becker in the next round.

"To come up with a win against a player like Tim is awesome," said the wild card entrant.

"It's kind of surreal for me. It is like a dream come true."

The 22-year-old was only playing in the event after Fernando Gonzalez was forced to pull out due to injury.