Kevin Anderson beats John Isner after more than 6hrs of tennis to book Wimbledon Open final
John Isner found himself involved in another record-breaking Wimbledon epic as his men’s semi-final with Kevin Anderson became the second-longest singles match in Wimbledon history.
World number 10 Isner is best known to many fans, particularly in Great Britain, for his astonishing contest with Nicolas Mahut on Court 18 at Wimbledon in 2010. That match spanned 11 hours and five minutes, with Isner eventually triumphing 70-68 in an astoundingly long final set.
On Friday, the American became embroiled in another marathon contest, he and fellow big-server Anderson – who sensationally beat defending champion Roger Federer 13-11 in a fifth set on Wednesday – trading ace after ace in search of a place in the final at the All England Club.
It is common to hear the call of 15-all in tennis, but, in this instance, that was the score in games at one stage in the fifth set as both players continued to resolutely hold serve.
As Isner served for a 16-15 lead, the match became the second-longest Wimbledon singles clash at just over five and a half hours. However, it was still only half as long as the absurd contest between Isner and Mahut.
Spare a thought for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who were still waiting to begin their semi-final and surely hoping someone could finally break serve!
Kevin Anderson vs John Isner. Officially the second longest singles match in Championships history.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/fGGHRQaqz7
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2018
Of course, it’s still only half the length of John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut.
HALF. #Wimbledon
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2018
The US Open is the only Grand Slam that uses a tiebreaker for the fifth set.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/sFq7iHXIa1
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 13, 2018
