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John Isner loses in longest Wimbledon semifinal ever

By Juliakate E Culpepper and
July 13, 2018

Former Georgia Bulldog John Isner played another marathon match at Wimbledon, but lost Friday in the semifinals to Kevin Anderson.

Anderson won 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24 in a match that lasted six hours and 36 minutes — the longest Wimbledon semifinals match and Center Court match in history. The previous longest semifinals match was 4:44.

ESPN News will replay the fifth set of the match overnight Friday morning. The telecast is scheduled to begin at 1 a.m.

Isner is no stranger to long matches.

On the first day at Wimbledon in 2010, Isner started a match against Nicolas Mahut that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and stretched over three days. Isner prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

Isner played at Georgia from 2004-07 and was a four-time All-American. Isner holds the UGA record for career singles (138), doubles (138), and combined (276) wins.

Anderson advances to the final, scheduled for 9 a.m. ET Sunday. He will face the winner of the other semifinal, which features Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal on Friday afternoon.

About the Authors

Juliakate E Culpepper

David Wellham has worked as an editor and content producer at the AJC since 2006, but his knowledge of sports in metro Atlanta and Georgia dates to much earlier. He uses his institutional knowledge to help the AJC provide in-depth coverage of area sports and sports teams. David can be reached at 404-526-5424 and dwellham@ajc.com.

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