Dudi Sela finished runner-up at the Atlanta Open, going down to defending champion Jon Isner 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

Playing in only his second ATP final, Sela, 29, was looking to become the first Israeli to win a major men’s singles title since Amos Mansdorf in 1993, but he was blown away by the world no. 12 who is more than a foot taller.

"Losing the first game on serve against Isner made a huge difference,” said Sela. “It changed my strategy and it changed his and he went for his shots and played more freely."

Sela rose six places in the ATP rankings to 88 after three victories in Atlanta, including wins over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil (36) in the quarter-final and Germany’s Benjamin Becker (56) in the semi-final.