Wimbledon marathon loser Mahut advances at Hall of Fame in a mere 1 hour, 23 minutes

Mahut wins, in a mere 83 minutes

NEWPORT, R.I. — Nicolas Mahut (mah-HOO) had it a bit easier this time.

The loser in the record-setting three-day match at Wimbledon returned to the court on Tuesday and advanced with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Alejandro Falla (FI-yah). The first-round match at the Hall of Fame Championships lasted 83 minutes — far shorter than the Frenchman’s record 11-hour, 5-minute loss to John Isner (IZ-ner) at Wimbledon last month.

It reached 97 degrees during the match. But Mahut says he walked out on the court and knew it would still be easier than his epic 138-game fifth set against Isner.