<
        >

          ICYMI at Wimbledon: A looooong semifinal and unfinished business highlight wild day

          • Victoria Monk, ESPNJul 13, 2018, 09:00 AM ET

          LONDON -- Wow. We were exhausted just watching. Six-and-a-half hours after Kevin Anderson and John Isner stepped out onto Centre Court, they finally finished. The mammoth match, which Anderson won 26-24 in the fifth set, broke a few Wimbledon records along the way.

          This was the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history. The previous record was 4 hours, 44 minutes in 2013 when Novak Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro.

          For perspective, the longest MLB game this season lasted 5 hours, 48 minutes. The Athletics beat the White Sox 12-11 in 14 innings on April 18.

          Isner now holds the record for the two longest matches ever played at Wimbledon -- this one second only to the American's epic 11-hour, 5-minute classic against Nicolas Mahut in 2010.

          Isner's 214 aces were the most ever in one Wimbledon, surpassing Goran Ivanisevic's 213 in 2001.

          When Anderson finally broke Isner, he halted the American's streak of 110 consecutive holds at Wimbledon.

          This coming after they had already set the record for the tallest combined major matchup in the quarterfinals or later in the Open era.

          It's also the longest match of Anderson's career in terms of total time on court.

          We could go on, but we'll stop there and give you a taste of the social media reaction to the game instead.

          Anderson's opponent is ...

          TBD. Yes, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did not finish their semifinal, with the Serb up two sets to one.

          They played until approximately 11 p.m. local time under the roof, when play was suspended.

          Which means not only will they not have a day off, but the start time of the Serena Williams-Angelique Kerber women's final could be pushed to much later in the day. Sigh.

          How did fans feel about that. Have a look at the responses here, but please we warn you: Keep the children away.

          Meanwhile ...

          While the Isner-Anderson marathon was taking place on Centre Court, there was another epic match being played under the radar over on Court 3.

          Great Britain's Jack Draper, 16, battled to victory in an incredible boys' singles semifinal that lasted 4 hours, 23 minutes, defeating Colombia's Nicolas Mejia on the 10th match point, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 19-17.

          Draper is the first British boy to reach the singles final at Wimbledon since 2011 and is aiming to be the first British boys' champion since Stanley Matthews in 1962.

          The ultimate matchup?

          In a column in the London Evening Standard, nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova said her "dream match" would have been on Centre Court against Serena Williams.

          Williams will claim an eighth singles crown at the All England Club if she beats Kerber on Saturday, and despite approaching the age of 37, Williams looks capable of matching or even surpassing Navratilova's record haul.

          "It would have been the dream match for me to test my serve and volley against her power game, although it would never have been enough to just serve and volley as she loves a target," Navratilova wrote.

          "The only answer is to try to mix it up, but the power she possesses is something to contend with. For me, it would have been an interesting match-up and the competitor in me would have fancied my chances!"

          Boy, would we have loved to see that!

          Elsewhere in the royal box ...

          Joining Sir David Attenborough in the Royal Box for the men's semifinals were a few other famous faces.

          Five-time Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg enjoyed the Isner-Anderson contest with wife Patricia Östfeld. The couple have a son who is currently the highest-ranked 14-year-old in Sweden.

          Leicester Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs traded his rugby kit for a smart shirt and blazer for a day out at SW19.