Late Wednesday afternoon, anyone who has ever dismissed tennis as a game for wimps was forced to recant—and to go on recanting until darkness fell.

John Isner of the US and Nicolas Mahut of France were the men who captured the crowd on Court 18. They played, battled, and finally staggered through the longest match in history at Wimbledon. And they are not finished yet.

Because of bad light at 9 p.m., their epic contest was suspended with the score tied at two sets all and a stratospheric 59-59 in the fifth and final set. The pair will have to resume on Thursday, taking their match into a third day.

They have smashed record upon record in doing so. They have played for 10 hours so far. At seven hours, six minutes, and counting, the fifth set is already longer than any previous complete match. And they have both broken the record for most service aces in a contest: Isner walloping down 98 and Mahut catching up fast on 95.

(article source: The Financial Times, photo source: CBC)