American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut staggered off court as darkness fell on Wednesday after taking a chainsaw to the tennis record books on an extraordinary day at Wimbledon.
When darkness interrupted their first-round match for the second consecutive day at 59-59 (yes, fifty nine - fifty nine) in the fifth set they had been hammering away at each other for an unbelievable 10 hours.
In a match of truly freakish proportions, towering 23rd seed Isner could barely stay upright as the crowds on Court 18 and those scrambling for vantage points chanted "We want more".
The two players, providing they can revive themselves, will be back on Thursday to complete a mind-boggling match that brought Wimbledon to a standstill on Day Three and will become one of the great "I was there moments" in sporting folklore.
Until Wednesday the previous longest match was at the French Open in 2004 between Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro -- that duel lasting a mere six hours and 33 minutes, shorter than the fifth set alone in this epic.
Returning to court on a scorching day at Wimbledon delicately poised at two sets apiece after the match had been stopped by fading light on Tuesday, Isner and Mahut became embroiled in a brutal war of attrition.
Mahut, who had to survive the qualifying tournament just to reach the first round, had to serve to stay in the match 55 times before the Frenchman asked to stop.
"I want to play on, but I can't see the ball," he told the umpire, who eventually halted proceedings.
Mahut fended off two match points at 32-33, then survived another one at 58-59 when he fired down his jaw-dropping 94th ace.
Isner sent down 98 aces as both players eclipsed the previous record of 78 by Ivo Karlovic in a Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic last year.
Defending men's champion Roger Federer was shunted off the BBC's live transmission as the drama unfolded on Court 18 as two players who would normally be lucky to make their highlights show unwittingly grabbed the spotlight.
As shadows crept across the court and the sun dipped down the fifth set was finally curtailed after seven hours and six minutes -- the time it takes the International Space Station to orbit Earth four times.
"Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever," American Isner gasped as he and Mahut left the court to a standing ovation.
Players who had already finished their matches switched off the World Cup coverage in the competitors' restaurant and were transfixed by the events taking place on Court 18.
"I walked on court at about 11-all in the fifth and now I'm off and they're still going," Federer told reporters after is second-round win against Ilija Boxoljac.
"This is absolutely amazing. In a way, I wish I was them, in some ways I wish I wasn't them. This is a very special match. I hope somehow this is going to end."
Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23062010/2/tennis-isner-mahut-locked-10-hour-freak-show.html
When darkness interrupted their first-round match for the second consecutive day at 59-59 (yes, fifty nine - fifty nine) in the fifth set they had been hammering away at each other for an unbelievable 10 hours.
In a match of truly freakish proportions, towering 23rd seed Isner could barely stay upright as the crowds on Court 18 and those scrambling for vantage points chanted "We want more".
The two players, providing they can revive themselves, will be back on Thursday to complete a mind-boggling match that brought Wimbledon to a standstill on Day Three and will become one of the great "I was there moments" in sporting folklore.
Until Wednesday the previous longest match was at the French Open in 2004 between Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro -- that duel lasting a mere six hours and 33 minutes, shorter than the fifth set alone in this epic.
Returning to court on a scorching day at Wimbledon delicately poised at two sets apiece after the match had been stopped by fading light on Tuesday, Isner and Mahut became embroiled in a brutal war of attrition.
Mahut, who had to survive the qualifying tournament just to reach the first round, had to serve to stay in the match 55 times before the Frenchman asked to stop.
"I want to play on, but I can't see the ball," he told the umpire, who eventually halted proceedings.
Mahut fended off two match points at 32-33, then survived another one at 58-59 when he fired down his jaw-dropping 94th ace.
Isner sent down 98 aces as both players eclipsed the previous record of 78 by Ivo Karlovic in a Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic last year.
Defending men's champion Roger Federer was shunted off the BBC's live transmission as the drama unfolded on Court 18 as two players who would normally be lucky to make their highlights show unwittingly grabbed the spotlight.
As shadows crept across the court and the sun dipped down the fifth set was finally curtailed after seven hours and six minutes -- the time it takes the International Space Station to orbit Earth four times.
"Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever," American Isner gasped as he and Mahut left the court to a standing ovation.
Players who had already finished their matches switched off the World Cup coverage in the competitors' restaurant and were transfixed by the events taking place on Court 18.
"I walked on court at about 11-all in the fifth and now I'm off and they're still going," Federer told reporters after is second-round win against Ilija Boxoljac.
"This is absolutely amazing. In a way, I wish I was them, in some ways I wish I wasn't them. This is a very special match. I hope somehow this is going to end."
Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23062010/2/tennis-isner-mahut-locked-10-hour-freak-show.html
