The British No 1 Kyle Edmund was beaten in two close sets by John Isner in their fourth-round match at the Miami Open, with the climax marred by a fan calling out during a key point.

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Isner claimed the opening set on a tie-break, but Edmund had recovered to force another in the second. However, when serving at 3-5 down, there was a shout of “out” from the crowd following a return from the American down the baseline.

The players continued, Edmund having raised his hand to the chair umpire, who then called a halt a couple of shots later.

The Briton was told by Brazilian Carlos Bernardes: “It is the public … you cannot stop like this, it is the person from the crowd.”

Edmund replied: “I didn’t stop”, then added: “You have no control … they keep shouting at every point … unbelievable.” He was ruled to have lost the point, which left Isner, the world No 9, 6-3 ahead and serving for the match.

Following another heated exchange between Edmund and the umpire, play eventually resumed, Isner produced his 17th ace to seal his place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) win in one hour and 43 minutes, which keeps him on course for a successful title defence.

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There was little sign of the drama to follow as Isner had earlier looked to have taken control of the opening set when a break and then a hold saw him move 5-2 ahead. However, as the sun on the Stadium Court continued to affect serving, Edmund – who beat Milos Raonic in the third round – recovered to break back and level at 5-5 before forcing the tie-break.

The Briton, ranked No 22 in the world, then produced an early mini-break on Isner’s serve to move 3-0 and then 4-1 ahead.

Isner, though, responded to level at 5-5 after two mini-breaks with another handing him a set point which the American confidently dispatched on serve.