New record set for longest match

22 May 2015 09:04

A new French Open record has been set for the longest ever qualification match after Italy's Andrea Arnaboldi beat France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 3-6 27-25.

Arnaboldi, ranked 188th in the world, came through the 52-game decider on Court Seven at Roland Garros to seal a victory that took four hours and 26 minutes.

The result breaks the record for the most number of games played in a French Open qualifier, which previously stood at Daniel Nestor's 4-6 6-3 22-20 victory over Thierry Guardiola in 1996.

It is not the first titanic battle at this year's tournament after another Italian, Luca Vanni, overcame Romanian Adrian Ungur 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 16-14 in the first qualification round on Tuesday.

Arnaboldi and Herbert had met twice before in their careers and both times the match went to a final set, with the pair claiming one victory apiece.

There is little time to recover for Arnaboldi, who will have to beat Argentina's Marco Trungelliti in the final qualifying round on Friday to seal his place in the main draw.

Source: PA