Alexander Zverev endured an epic long night's journey into day to make mind-blowing history in Acapulco.
Defending Acapulco champion Zverev saved match points battling by Jenson Brooksby 3-6, 7-6(10), 6-2 in a three hour, 19-minute marathon match that ended at 4:55 a.m. in Acapulco on Tuesday, which is the latest finish in tennis history.
More: Cramping Kozloz Edges Dimitrov in Longest Acapulco Match
The second set alone spanned one hour, 51 minutes. A stubborn Zverev finally closed a couple of hours before sunrise. The marathon broke the previous record for latest finish set, which was 4:34 a.m., when Lleyton Hewitt outlasted Marcos Baghdatis at the 2008 Australian Open.
“Today I didn’t play my best, there’s no doubt about it," Zverev said. "But I didn’t give up. I knew that I want to do well.
"I’m the defending champion and I want to give myself the best chance to win. I did well to survive today.”
On match point, Zverev zapped a big serve down the middle then shared a survivor's embrace with Brooksby.
This wild and crazy late-night adventure came after the two longest matches in tournament history were played on Monday night.
John Isner whipped 29 aces against one double fault subduing Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7 7-6 in three hours, 13 minutes.
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
That was merely a prelude to the draining drama of Stefan Kozlov’s 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-3 triumph over Grigor Dimitrov, which spanned three hours, 21 minutes setting the stage for the the Zverev-Brooksby epic, which ended as the day of play in Dubai was just beginning.
Photo credits: Guillermo Sanchez and Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Facebook