Isner and Mahut Set to Resume Epic 10-Plus Hour Wimbledon Match

John Isner and Nicholas Mahut have been playing their second round Wimbledon match for 10-plus hours, over the course of two days …. and it’s not over yet! Ten hours after they began their Wimbledon tennis match Tuesday, the American Isner and Frenchman Mahut were still at it Wednesday evening, going back and fourth, neither one of them giving up their serve in the final set, until finally the sun went down on them once again. The match, was suspended when it became too dark to see the ball, with a 59-all score in the fifth set, and will continue Thursday. Heading into Thursday conclusion (we assume), the two have played 877 points and the current score is 6-4,3-6, 6-7. 7-6, 59-59.

The previous record for longest professional tennis match belonged to Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement in the 2004 French Open. Santoro finally prevailed after 6 hours, 33 minutes, which has already been shattered. Isner and Mahut, also both broke the record for most number of aces served by one player in a men’s singles match. Isner has 98 so far, while Mahut is in second place with 95.

As the fifth set went on late into the night, more and more people gathered on the roof overlooking the court, trying to find the best vantage point. At 59-all, Mahut approached the chair and said simply, "I think we need to stop now,” and it was decided the players would continue Thursday at 10:30 am EST. When the match was finally called for darkness the crowd stood and gave the players a standing ovation, while also chanting "We want more, we want more!"

And when will it end? No one really knows. Wimbledon, like the Australian Open and French Open, does not employ the tiebreaker in the fifth set–although today’s match might create a movement to change that. But for now, we will sit back and enjoy as two great players give everything they have to advance to the second round at Wimbledon. The winner of this match, whenever that happens, will face Thiemo de Bakker.