South African netter Kevin Anderson lifted himself from the jaws of defeat to advance into the championship round of the Wimbledon on Friday.
The 6-foot-8 Anderson escaped American John Isner 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 in a match that lasted for six hours and 36 minutes. Both players duke it out in 99 games that included three tiebreakers over the course of five sets. It was also the longest match in the checkered history of the Centre Court.
"That definitely brings a smile to my face. At that stage, you're just trying to fight in every single moment, and I was like, 'Just get up!''' Anderson said during the post-match interview.
Anderson established control when he took the opening set before Isner answered by winning the next two sets for a 2-1 lead. However, Anderson kept his composure as he took the fourth set before escaping Isner 26-24 in the decider.
The 99 games between Anderson and Isner also beat out the previous record of 90 set by Tony Roche and Rod Laver in the Australian Open in 1969. With the victory, Anderson will be entering his second Grand Slam final. The eighth-seed Anderson also became the first South African male to make it through the Wimbledon final since 1921.
Historic Wimbledon Game
On the other hand, Isner also made a history of his own as he scored 53 aces against Anderson to bring his total to 214, hence beating the record set by champion Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Meanwhile, Anderson tallied 49 aces.
Isner was hoping to put a stop to the longest major title drought for U.S. Men in the history of tennis. The last American male to capture a Grand Slam singles crown was Andy Roddick, who won in the 2003 U.S. Open.
Prior to the game, Isner also set the record for the longest match in any competition when he beat Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set last 2010. The heated battle between Isner and Anderson was also the first match since the 2013 French Open to go past 6-all in the deciding set. The victory guaranteed Anderson with a $1.5 million payday, while Isner did not go empty-handed, as he pocketed $743,322.
Tough Test For Anderson
Anderson will face an acid test in the championship round as he takes on the winner of the Novak Djokovic-Nadal match. Both Nadal and Djokovic have been a force to be reckoned with in the world of tennis, with the former winning 17 major titles and the latter grabbing 12 Grand Slam trophies.
The South African will also seek for revenge after failing to make the most of his championship opportunities in last year's U.S. Open. It can be brought to mind that Anderson made it through the finals before succumbing to Nadal.
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