LONDON, June 24 (UPI) -- John Isner came away the winner Thursday over Nicolas Mahut in their record-setting Wimbledon first-round match.
The match was twice -- first Tuesday and then Wednesday -- suspended because of darkness and finished Thursday when Isner got his second service break of the match and took a 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68 decision.
The match set records for time at 11 hours, 5 minutes and games with 183. The previous marks were 6 hours, 33 minutes for time and 112 for games. The Isner-Mahut fifth set last 8 hours, 11 minutes.
Isner, the No. 23 seed, ended with the record for aces in a match -- 112 -- but Mahut is second on the list with his 103 against Isner. The previous mark there was 78. Isner had 84 and Mahut 77 aces in the fifth set alone.
Mahut had an impressive 39 unforced errors -- very low considering how fatigued the players must have been -- and actually won more points (502-478) than Isner in the match.
But Mahut only managed three break-point chances and converted one -- way back in the second set. Isner got his second break of the match on his 14th break-point opportunity. His other break was in the first set Tuesday.
Isner advances to a second-round match Friday against Thiemo De Bakker, whose first-round match Wednesday ended in a 16-14 fifth set.
