Longest Tennis Match Ever

Isner Defeats Mahut 70-68 in the 5th

In the longest, most drawn out battle in tennis history, #19 in the world American John Isner finally wins the match on his 5th match point against the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, ranked outside the top 100 at the time. John says while the two "had barely spoken 10 words to each other prior to this match," they will now be "linked forever" thanks to this epic, historic match.

ESPN Video - John Isner Defeats Nicolas Mahut in Longest Match Ever

2nd Round: John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut

The frenchman takes on our big American John Isner in what initially appeared to be a somewhat routine match. Yesterday that is. The match was extended to today - in what would turn out to be a record breaking event.

59-59 in the 5th? Are you Kidding Me?

John and Nicolas battled it out today, all day, and all in the 5th set. If you saw the scoreline 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 59-59 you'd probably think there was a typo or a glitch on the screen. But it's no joke - the longest match in the Open Era was created today amidst a blizzard of aces by Mahut and Isner.

And the match length wasn't the only record broken. Longest set, most number of games, and most number of aces hit. Each player beating their own records as they battle it out into the sunset. Which means, you guessed it. Play, uninterrupted by weather, has been extended again.

Tune back in tomorrow to read about the exciting finish to this epic, historical battle. And of course, if you can, don't miss the live action on TV! Meanwhile, you can read more about the ground-breaking match in its entirety in this detailed article describing the longest tennis match ever.