Longest debut in French Open's history
This young lad from the United States created history at these years French Open but still did not win the match. Seems like quite a paradox but it is interesting enough to make headlines nonetheless. The young qualifier from the United States; Michael Yani played his debut match at Roland Garros, which was his first and last apparance at this years championship but somehow it seemed endless. The reason being that this gruelling marathon began Sunday but actually ended on a Monday, with the total time he took to lose was four hours and fifty-six minutes of actual playing time. That is the time Yani took to make a mark on the red dirt.
Yani was up against Lukas Lako of Slovakia in a match the he lost 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5) with the final set going up to twelve games to ten. The total amount of games played were seventy one, equalling a record of most games in a singles match ever since the inception of a tie break in 1973. Previously there have been three other occasions in the past that seventy-one games have been played in a match. However the longest match was played back in 1957, when there was no concept of a tiebreak and a match would go one till either player had a one game advantage in the final set. The record set in 1957 was eighty-three games played in a single match.
Gasping for breath, Yani was more exasperated about the fact that he had never reached the fifth set in a match before. However he had wished he were able to close out the match. But that was not so. Even though Yani may have lost, he has certainly put his name in the record books. His name will forever be synonymous with the most games played in a singles match. His loss in this match led him to his seventh successive loss in his career. Yet it was a great feat for this young American from Durham, North Carolina to feature in such a prestigious event and then go out in style.
Yani is still hopeful that with time his game is bound to improve and he will have even more chances in the future to prove his mettle and make a big splash on the men’s circuit. While talking about the duration of the match, Yani felt that time was not a factor when on court; all a player thinks about is winning every point and going with the flow. The adrenalin keeps pumping after each point, wanting to go after a stray ball and just focus on the game.
However it was not possible for this epic battle to continue and meet its end on Sunday, as the duration of the match went beyond the standard time. Darkness was beginning to creep overhead and visibility became low. Thus with the match tied at two sets a piece and eight all in the final fifth set, the match was suspended, only to be played the next day. Exhaustion had taken over Yani, who complained of being sore when he woke up the next morning, nervous yet eager that he must finish off what he left behind the evening before. The game began and quickly raced to ten games apiece.
The deadlock still remained even though Yani had broken Lacko in the first game but could not consolidate. There were chances for the American but Lacko did not let Yani convert the thirteen break points on offer. Then finally the Slovack prevailed winning the final set 12-10. Neither man had played in the French Open before but making their way into the record books was just commendable on his own. The road of young Yani ended but Lacko has made it to the second round and will face eleventh seed Mikhail Youhzny.
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