Wimbledon match: 10 hours and counting

On and on and on, and on some more, they played — best than anyone anytime had before. And still there was no winner.

John Isner of United States and Nicolas Mahut of France were angry at 59-59 in the fifth set at Wimbledon afterwards absolutely 10 hours of activity back comedy was abeyant because of black on Wednesday night. It is by far the longest bout in agreement of amateur or time in the century-plus history of tennis.

"Nothing like this will anytime appear again. Ever," Isner said.

The first-round bout already had been abeyant because of crumbling ablaze Tuesday night afterwards the fourth set.

The 23rd-seeded Isner and the 148th-ranked Mahut, who bare to authorize to get into the tournament, aggregate a cloister for 7 hours, 6 account in Wednesday's fifth set alone, abundant to breach the full-match almanac of 6:33, set at the 2004 French Open.

Never afore in the history of Wimbledon, which aboriginal was contested in 1877, had any bout — singles or doubles, men or women — lasted added than 112 games, a mark set in 1969. Isner and Mahut played added amateur than that in aloof the fifth set, and still did not actuate a victor, although the American came close: He had four bout credibility — four affairs to end things by acceptable the abutting point — but Mahut adored anniversary one.

"He's confined fantastic. I'm confined fantastic. That's absolutely all there is to it," Isner said. "I'd like to see the stats and see what the ace calculation looks like for both of us."

Well, actuality they are: Isner hit 98 aces, Mahut 95 — both eclipsing the antecedent aerial in a bout at any tournament, 78. All the numbers were absolutely astounding: They played 881 credibility (Mahut took 452, Isner 429), 612 in the fifth set (315 for Mahut, 297 for Isner).

Isner aggregate 218 winners, Mahut 217. Isner fabricated alone 44 autogenetic errors, Mahut 37.

There were aught account break in the fifth set, which is why the end never accustomed on Wednesday.

Even a courtside cyberbanking scoreboard couldn't accumulate up, accepting ashore at 47-47 back the account absolutely had risen to 48-48, again eventually activity aphotic entirely.