French Open qualifier breaks longest match record

A new French Open qualifying record was set Thursday when Italy's Andrea Arnaboldi beat home player Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 3-6, 27-25 in a tie which lasted four hours and 26 minutes.

The second round clash was spread over two days at Roland Garros after play was suspended Wednesday evening at 15-15 in the deciding set.

The result broke the record for the most number of games played in a Roland Garros qualifier -- Daniel Nestor's 4-6, 6-3, 22-20 victory over Thierry Guardiola in 1996.

The women's qualifying record was set in 2010 when Kurumi Nara and Monica Niculescu took four hours and 42 minutes over their 4-6, 7-6, 10-8 affair, according to the official tournament website.
Source: AFP