Top seed Isner was seeking a fourth consecutive title in the Georgia event, but the tall American fell short in his historic quest in a battle of big servers.
Second seed Kyrgios overcame a love-40 deficit in his first service game, with both players holding serve throughout the match.
“Returning is very crucial against John,” said Kyrgios. “That serve is world-class. It would have been a completely different story if he got me there.”
Kyrgios, 21, for all his undoubted talent, has made as many headlines for his off-court antics as for his tennis during his turbulent career.
He was in the headlines again recently when he pulled out of the Rio Olympics after a public spat with the Australian chef de mission Kitty Chiller, who said that some of Kyrgios’s social media posts suggested that “he doesn’t really understand what it means to be an Australian Olympian.”
Kyrgios responded to Chiller’s comments by announcing he would skip Rio.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Rex Gowar)
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