What was surprising was the way that rally ended as a Kubler backhand clipped the net cord and dropped onto the other side of the court, leaving Khachanov stranded behind the baseline.
Boil the kettle, find a comfy spot on the couch and settle in for a SEVENTY (!) shot rally between @JasonMKubler an… https://t.co/0cBJq3JyOz
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 1674030771000
Khachanov was serving for a two-set lead in the battle between the two baseliners on John Cain Arena when Australian Kubler managed to snare a break point.
The partisan crowd on the showcourt erupted in celebration and Kubler went on to take the set to level the contest at 1-1. Khachanov, however, eventually won 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2.
The players would have had to go on a fair bit longer to break the record for a rally in a competitive match, which the Library of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum believes to have taken place in 1984.
Jean Hepner and Vicky Nelson shared a 29-minute rally in Richmond, Virginia in which the ball passed over the net an incredible 643 times.
Wednesday’s rally was not even a record for the Australian Open nor the John Cain Arena.
Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils shared a 71-shot rally on the same court in the third round in 2013. Simon won the point and the match.
“I actually watched that rally (after the match). At the time I was pretty buggered. But I watched it and I was hitting it so soft. I was doing all the running and Karen was the one running me around,” Kubler told reporters.
“It was awesome that I ended up winning it. I think I had a really long rally in Adelaide against (Tomas Martin) Etcheverry, but I ended up losing it. So I saw that everywhere, and I didn’t really enjoy it too much.
“I was super pumped. I don’t think I’ve ever had a rally that long before. You know, I’m definitely going to be sharing it on my Instagram and stuff like that.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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