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Isner defeats Mahut in longest tennis match in history

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Isner defeats Mahut in longest tennis match in history

It was more a war of attrition than a tennis match in the end, but the titanic struggle between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut that commenced on Tuesday afternoon, spanned three days, 11 hours and five minutes and 183 games has finally been decided in Isner’s favour.

Isner can now call himself the winner of the longest tennis match in history after securing the 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 victory, though this will be a match remembered more for the epic battle it took to find a victor rather than for the victor himself.

The marathon first round Wimbledon match has obliterated the previous record of six hours and 33 minutes that was set by Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement at the 2004 French Open, a match which Santoro won 6–4, 6–3, 6–7, 3–6, 16-14.

The match also broke a Wimbledon record that had stood for more than 30 years – that of the most games played in a match. From 1969 until June 23rd 2010 it had stood at 112, which was the number of games it took Pancho Gonzalez to defeat Charlie Pasarell in the first round 41 years ago, before tiebreaks were introduced at the grass court Grand Slam. Gozalez won that one 22–24, 1–6, 16–14, 6–3, 11–9.

Needless to say then, this match also eclipses the record set by Mark Philippoussis and Sheng Schalken in the third round at the All England Club in 2000 for the most number of games played in a match at Wimbledon since the introduction of the tiebreak. Philippoussis won that match 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 20-18 after a total of 83 games – 100 less than Isner and Mahut played in their opening match this year.

With aces and unreturnables the order of the day, John Isner now holds the record for delivering more of them in a tennis match than any other player, surpassing Ivo Karlovic’s previous mark of 78. Isner ultimately smacked 112 aces at his 149th ranked opponent, with Mahut responding in kind with 103 aces of his own.

The eight hour and 11 minute fifth set, which took place over two days, was also the longest set that has been recorded in a tennis match.

Play had initially been suspended with scores at two sets apiece on Tuesday night, with each player having been broken just once to that point.

In what became a battle of the wills on their second day on court, only five break point opportunities presented themselves in 118 games of play, and every one of them was saved, as each player’s serve proved just too strong.

Play recommenced on the third day with the scores locked at 59-59 in the deciding set. Isner opened with a double fault, but with the game at deuce, produced his 100th ace of the match to serve himself out of trouble. Mahut responded by holding serve to love, and so it began again.

In the end, however, it took just one match point on the third day of the match for Isner to break the deadlock, that opportunity coming with the American leading 69-68. Mahut failed to serve his way out of trouble in what proved to be the deciding point of the match, with Isner putting away the passing shot to win the longest match tennis has ever seen, and is ever likely to see.

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