Fifty-game set creates new record

Australian top seed Lleyton Hewitt scrapped his way to the top of the men's rankings with a never-say-die attitude and refusal to buckle under adversity.

But his claim to the title of Australia's toughest competitor was under threat on Thursday as junior Ryan Henry etched his name in the Wimbledon record books.

As Hewitt was slogging his way to a five-set quarter-final victory in the men's singles, 17-year-old Henry was locked in a final set battle with France's Clement Morel in the second round of the junior event.

When Morel made his final error on match point it was in the 50th game of the set -- a new Wimbledon record in singles play at the grand slam event.

"It's pretty special thing, to set a record at Wimbledon," Henry said afterwards.

His mother Julie greeted the end of the marathon by jumping to her feet and clapping hysterically.

"This has been so nerve-wracking for us," she told Reuters with a smile. "I'm just so glad it's over!"

"It's unbelievable," her husband John Henry added. "He has been really gutsy. And so he should be! We are absolutely thrilled."

The previous record for games in a set had been 46 and was jointly held.

Italy's Nicola Pietrangeli beat Yugoslav Nicki Pilic 24-22 in an opening set in the men's second round in 1962 and one set of Pancho Gonzalez's defeat of Charlie Pasarell was also settled by the same score.

But Henry's agonising outside court epic beats both by four games.

The youngster finally clinched a 7-5 6-7 26-24 victory when he broke the French junior in the 49th game before serving out.

"I didn't really notice the fatigue straight after because I was just really happy about winning," Henry said. "I was stoked."

The victory also put the crowd out of their misery. "Stop the agony," one spectator had yelled, while another fan joined the umpire in calling "out" when Morel missed a baseline drive to give the Australian break point.

Play had begun on Tuesday but was interrupted for two days by rain. It resumed on Thursday afternoon at 4-3 in the second set, but then both boys dug in.

Henry's reward was an immediate turnaround and the shattered youngster was unsurprisingly beaten in his next three set match, 6-4 3-6 6-1 by Slovenian Luka Gregorc in the third round -- also on court 15.

"I knew that I was going to be pretty exhausted so I wasn't expecting very much from that one," Henry said.