Fans Go Wild Over ‘Unbelievable’ 70-Shot Rally at Australian Open

The Australian Open spectators were thrilled by an extraordinary rally on Wednesday, which captured the audience. The intense exchange occurred in the match between local favorite Jason Kubler and 18th seed Karen Khachanov at the John Cain Arena.

Kubler had narrowly lost the first set but found a chance to break back against the Russian in the second. What followed was an incredible rally. Both players were flawless, neither making errors nor able to land a decisive shot as the rally extended. The crowd’s excitement grew with each passing moment as the players battled for nearly 90 seconds without yielding.

In a twist of fate, the rally ended anti-climactically with Kubler’s backhand clipping the net and barely dropping over, winning the point, breaking Khachanov’s serve, and sending the audience into a frenzy after the 70-shot exchange concluded.

“That is the longest rally I think I’ve ever seen!” exclaimed the Eurosport commentators, calling it “unbelievable.” This moment proved a turning point for Kubler, who broke serve again to level the match.

However, Khachanov eventually prevailed, winning 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2, and advanced to face 2022 US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe in the third round. Despite its length, Wednesday’s 70-shot rally wasn’t an Australian Open record.

Gilles Simon and Gaël Monfils had a 71-shot rally on the same court in 2013. According to Reuters, the longest rally in a competitive match occurred in 1984 between Jean Hepner and Vicky Nelson, lasting 29 minutes with 643 shots.

However, these are far from the world record for the longest tennis rally. Guinness World Records notes that Simone Frediani and Daniele Pecci of Italy set the record on June 11, 2017, with an astonishing 51,283 shots. The pair began their record attempt at 6:23 a.m. and concluded at 7 p.m., using backpacks filled with water to stay hydrated throughout the day.