WATCH: Incredible 70(!) Shot Rally At The Australian Open
Tennis players Jason Kubler and Karen Khachanov found themselves in the middle of a 70-shot rally in their second-round matchup on Wednesday at the Australian Open.
After the Russian, Khachanov, won the first set, Kubler, the Australian hometown favorite, fought back against the number 18 seed in the second set and faced a break point. Khachanov served the ball to Kubler, and then an incredible display ensued. The two exchanged perfect shots back and forth, and as they continued to rally, the fans in attendance at John Cain Arena started getting louder with each hit. Fans began to shout every time one player would hit the ball at one another.
After 69 shots and almost 90 seconds between the Australian and Russian, Kubler struck a backhanded shot into the net, and the ball landed on Khachanov’s side, ending the rally. The fans went crazy after the incredible performance of both players.
“That rally didn’t deserve that!” An announcer from Eurosport said. “That’s the longest rally I think I’ve ever seen! 70 shots! Unbelievable! That is incredible! And that’s getting clipped up and going on social media right now! We were waiting and waiting for someone to pull the trigger to do something in that rally, and then the net gets involved.”
The fans at the Australian Open continued to cheer since their own player, Kubler, won the point.
The crazy back and forth did not set the record for the longest rally at the Australian Open. In 2013, Gilles Simon and Gaël Monfils had a 71-shot rally at John Cain Arena. According to Reuters, the record for the longest rally in tennis history was set in 1984 when Jean Hepner and Vicky Nelson had a rally that went back and forth 643 times and took 29 minutes to complete.
Kubler won the rally but ultimately lost to Khachanov, who won the match 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, and 6-2. In a postgame press conference, Kubler said he was happy to win the 70-shot marathon.
“I don’t think I’ve never had a rally that long before,” Kubler added. “I’m definitely going to be sharing it on my Instagram.”
Watch above via Eurosport.
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