WIMBLEDON, July 13, 2017
Friday’s first semi-final at Wimbledon lasted record-breaking six hours and 35 minutes, when the No. 8 seed faced the No. 9 seed, as Kevin Anderson defeated John Isner 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-4, 26-24.
Anderson, who came into the match after becoming just the fifth player to defeat Roger Federer from 0-2 down finally, broke the 33-year-old US-American in the 49th game of the decider after coming close in a couple of earlier games and held his nerve to serve out in the following.
The second-longest match in #Wimbledon history comes to an end with @KAndersonATP reaching his first #Wimbledon final – becoming the first South African man to do so since Brian Norton in 1921 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/giF4B9vXji
— ITF (@ITF_Tennis) 13. Juli 2018
“I really hope we can look at this and address this because in the end you don’t even feel that great out there,” Anderson was delighted to win but calls for change of the no-tie-break in the fifth set at Wimbledon and other Grand Slams.
“At the end you feel like it’s a draw, but someone has to win. John is a great guy and I really feel for him.”
The encounter beat the 2012 third-round epic at SW19 between Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey, which lasted five hours and 31 minutes and also broke the previous record for the longest semi-final at Wimbledon when Novak Djokovic edged past Juan Martín del Potro in 2013 in four hours and 44 minutes.
Longest matches in #Wimbledon history…
⏱11hrs 5mins – J Isner d. N Mahut (2010)
⏱6hrs 36mins – K Anderson d. J Isner (2018)
⏱6hrs 9mins – M Knowles/ D Nestor d. S Aspelin/ T Perry (2006)#TakeOnHistory pic.twitter.com/fkVljLkcmS— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 13. Juli 2018
Anderson has become the first man from South Africa to advance to the Wimbledon final since Brian Norton in 1921. The 32-year-old, who finished runner-up at last year’s US Open to Rafael Nadal, will either face the Spanish World No. 1 again or Novak Djokovic. Their match was suspended at 11pm local time with the Serbian leading 2-1 in sets.
