Record Set Takes 3-Plus Hours, 2 More For Rain

In the longest set in Australian Open history, the final set of a doubles match Wednesday was won 29-27 by Australians Wayne Arthurs and Jon Ireland.

The entire match lasted 4 hours, 36 minutes, with the third set taking 3 hours, 21 minutes. And that doesn’t include a rain delay of more than 2 hours with the score 25-25.

In beating Italians Cristian Brandi and Filippo Messori in the first round, the Aussie pair won 6-3, 3-6, 29-27, or 74 games in all.

The previous Australian Open record, a 23-21 set, was the decider in a five-set match won by Pieter Aldrich and Danie Visser, the eventual champions, over Scott Davis and Robert van’t Hof in the 1990 men’s doubles quarterfinals.

In tennis’ open era, the longest set came in the 1973 Davis Cup American zone final when Americans Stan Smith and Erik van Dillen beat Chile’s pair of Patricio Cornejo and Jaime Fillol 7-9, 37-39, 8-6, 6-1, 6-3.