An absolutely epic Wimbledon men's doubles final was eventually won by Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal as Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin were defeated after almost five hours on Centre Court.
After the opening four sets all went to tie-breaks, Colombian duo Farah and Cabal gained an advantage in the fifth and ultimately prevailed 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
The match lasted four hours and 57 minutes while there was a delay when the roof was closed prior to the deciding set, and a finish of around 21:00 local time meant the scheduled women's doubles final had to be postponed until Sunday, after Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer's men's singles showdown.
READ: Dominant Halep beats Serena for maiden Wimbledon title
Defeat will bring back painful memories for Mahut, who famously lost 70-68 to John Isner in the final set of his first-round singles encounter at the All England Club in 2010 – the longest match in the sport's history.
His partner Roger-Vasselin was in tears at the end and Mahut will be hurting in more ways than one after being struck three times during Saturday's absorbing final in front of a captivated crowd.
READ | Djokovic: I won't complain about Wimbledon crowd
The Frenchman required lengthy treatment after taking a blow to the forehead early in proceedings and was hit twice in successive points in the final set – once in the neck and then again in a more sensitive area.
And he was unable to console himself with victory as Farah and Cabal became the first men from their country to win a grand slam doubles crown, both collapsing to the turf in delight as the championship point – the 419th point of the match – went their way.
Comments
SHARE