N.C.'s John Isner, Berdych pull out of Winston-Salem open

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Two-time defending champ John Isner and 2012 runner-up Tomas Berdych each pulled out of the Winston-Salem Monday.

Isner, a Greensboro, N.C. native and local favorite, cited a hip injury, while the Czech Republic's Berdych retired with right shoulder pain.

The absence of the third-seeded Isner breaks his recent string of successes in the run-up to the Wake Forest University event, including a title in Atlanta and a runner-up finish last week against world No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.

The 6-foot-9 Isner was also a hard court runner-up in Washington this month.

He bested Berdych in the finals of last year's U.S. Open tune-up at Winston-Salem.