Full Match Video: Isner vs. Tiafoe, 2016 US Open

With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York. 

Watch on YouTube: John Isner vs. Frances Tiafoe, 2016 US Open - Round 1

John Isner and Frances Tiafoe provided a grand opening for the new Grandstand in 2016, battling for five sets in an all-American classic to mark the first match on the US Open's new show court.

An 18-year-old Tiafoe, then ranked No. 125 on the ATP Tour, was seeking his first career Grand Slam main-draw victory. The youngster had not won a set in his previous two major appearances—at the 2015 French Open and US Open—but he quickly rectified that by racing to a two-set lead against his countryman.

One year later, a rising Tiafoe burst into the international consciousness by taking Roger Federer to a fifth set in an opening-round encounter in Arthur Ashe Stadium. But against Isner, at 5-all in the third-set tiebreak, he was two points away from a statement victory in 2016.

Isner, who would go on to reach a career high of world No. 8 in 2018, used his veteran experience to methodically battle back. The US Open is the only Slam he has never missed in his pro career, the big man registering 13 consecutive main-draw appearances since 2008. A quarterfinalist in 2011 and 2018, Isner had his work cut out to avoid his second career first-round defeat in New York.

A fifth-set tiebreak was a fitting end to the first act on New York's newest stage. After sharing in this historic occasion, the competitors shared a warm post-match embrace at the net.

Fans can now watch all five sets of the Isner-Tiafoe duel on our USTA YouTube channel, or below.