| GEO Sports | | Isner, Mahut locked in 10-hour freak show | Updated at: 1125 PST, Thursday, June 24, 2010
LONDON: American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut staggered off court as darkness fell on Wednesday after taking a chainsaw to the tennis record books on an unforgettable day at Wimbledon.
When darkness interrupted their first-round match for the second consecutive day with the score at 59-59 (yes, fifty nine- fifty nine) in the fifth set they had been hammering away a teach other for an unbelievable 10 hours.
In a match of truly freakish proportions, towering 23rd seed Isner could barely stay upright as the crowds on Court 18 and those scrambling for every available vantage point chanted: "We want more...we want more".
The two players, providing they can revive themselves, will be back on Thursday to complete a mind-boggling match that brought Wimbledon to a standstill on Day Three and will become one of the great "I was there moments" in sporting folklore.
Until Wednesday the longest match occurred at the French Open in 2004 between Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro -- that duel lasting a mere six hours and 33 minutes.
The fifth set alone of this mesmerising epic has lasted seven hours and six minutes and the way both players were serving suggested it might not even be concluded by close of play on Thursday.
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