Dustin Brown stuns top-seeded John Isner in Houston for first top 10 win

After beating John Isner in Houston, Dustin Brown may finish the week with a career-high ranking. (Bob Levey/AP)
No. 101-ranked Dustin Brown scored the first top-10 win of his career, upsetting top seed and defending champion John Isner 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4) in the second round of the Men's Clay Court Championships.
Isner went 0-for-9 on break point chances and double-faulted at 4-5 in a third-set tiebreaker to give Brown his third match point, which he converted. It was a narrow escape for Brown, who threw down a horrible double-fault on match point in the second set tiebreaker -- trying to go for the ace on second serve and missing -- and let Isner come back to force the final set. Isner will fall out of the top 10 after the loss, while Brown could finish the week at a new career-high inside the top 90.
"It feels unbelievable," Brown said. "It’s my first year in Houston and I’m really enjoying it." He'll face another American, Sam Querrey, in the quarterfinals. Querrey defeated Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-4 to advance.
Brown celebrated his big win over Isner by taking a celebratory dip in the River Oaks pool:
Jumping in the River Oaks pool, a tradition for champions and guys who lose bets...@DreddyTennis pic.twitter.com/jyOH80r9rN
— Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Clay (@mensclaycourt) April 10, 2014
The 29-year-old German has spent most of his career ranked outside the top 100 and toiling away on the ATP's Challenger circuit. It's a shame, too. He's gifted with incredible touch, athleticism and an easy style that makes him a crowd favorite. Brown once drove around Europe in a Volkswagen camper van to play tournaments and wore his Twitter handle (@DreddyTennis) on his shirt during Wimbledon last year. Think of him as a smoother, more net-minded version of Gael Monfils and you're on the right track.
Watch a collection of some of Brown's greatest hits below. How can you not love this guy?
The sliding no-look lob winner:
http://youtu.be/2aDB5M-OUUI
The between-the-legs forehand winner:
http://youtu.be/tuzrMsveess
The casual tweener-lob:
http://youtu.be/1fh5jJetseo
The diving volley winner:
http://youtu.be/FMzETqGPA3E
The behind-the-back return:
http://youtu.be/Bc_Jgw-C5lw
The no-look scoop winner:
http://youtu.be/QU7kszegp8M
Human highlight reel:

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.