The longest tennis match in history - John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut over three days in Wimbledon classic

Sport360 staff 09:27 28/11/2017
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  • 70-68! A fifth set scoreline we'll probably never see again.

    Three days.

    11 hours.

    Five minutes.

    Yes, that’s right – a tennis match lasted that long.

    Back in the first round of Wimbledon in 2010, big-server John Isner overcome gutsy baseliner Nicolas Mahut in a five-set thriller, with the decider stretching to an incredible 70-68 scoreline.

    The match began on the famous Court 18 on Tuesday June 22 at 6:13pm, but due to fading light, play was suspended at two sets apiece before the start of the fifth at 9.07pm.

    The following day, play resumed, at 2:05pm – with the record for the longest match being broken a few hours later at 5:45pm. Yet, still, the American-France duel couldn’t be settled as play was called off once again due to the ailing sun, at 9:09pm, with the final set tied at 59 games all.

    That meant the drama extended to Thursday, June 24, at 3:40pm – with Isner finally breaking serve and then holding to win at 4:47pm (11 hours, five minutes).

    Incredibly, the final set lasted eight hours, eleven minutes, while numerous other records were broken, such as a record 183 games being played in total and each player rattling down over a 100 aces.

    It went down in the history books as the “eventual match”, with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club commemorating the encounter with a plaque beside the court.

    LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: A Wimbledon official points out the plague that is on the outside of Court 18 to commemorate the longest match which was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010 on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 28, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

    Simply an epic: The commemorative plaque at SW19.

    Octo Finissimo Automatic A Third World Record for Bulgari

    Bulgari is once again the spotlight, proudly presenting its third successive world record.

    The Octo Finissimo Automatic is the slimmest ultra-thin self-winding watch on the market to date.

    After introducing its Tourbillon in 2014 and the Minute Repeater in 2016, the Maison unveils its new creation featuring a total thickness of just 5.15mm, while its self-winding movement is just 2.23mm thick for a 40mm diameter.

    The iconic Octo is once again pushing the boundaries of watchmaking feasibility.

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