Wimbledon 2011: Remembering John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's 'endless match'

Today marks precisely one year since the most astonishing match in tennis history, a contest that will live long in the memory of anyone who witnessed any part of it.

When American 21^st seed John Isner drew French qualifier Nicolas Mahut in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon championships, he must have expected a relatively easy passage through to the next stage. As the match entered its fifth set, however, the score remained at two sets each with Isner clawing back the fourth on a tie-break. At this stage, he would just have been grateful to take the game to a second day as the players left the court due to fading light at 9.07pm.

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Snooker: 147s through the decades

Today sees the final of the World Championship, snooker's leading tournament contested by the very best of the best (and the odd qualifier). The longest single competitive match in the whole of snooker, it is the ultimate test of a player's ability, taking place over two days and 35 frames. Newcomer Judd Trump, the second youngest player to reach the final, will face off against World Number 2 John Higgins for the honour of a place in history alongside the all-time greats of the sport.

The 2011 championship has been an exciting tournament, but one thing is quite notable in its absence. The 147 break represents the greatest score one can legitimately achieve in a single frame, officially achieved 77 times in almost thirty years and only ten times in World Championship snooker (one of which, Robert Milkins' in 2006, was made in the qualifying stages). We have yet to see one at Sheffield in 2011, but there is still time for Trump or Higgins to follow in the footsteps of those detailed in the remainder of this post.

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