Isner beats Mahut - with nine hours to spare

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John Isner ensured there would be no repeat of his historic Wimbledon marathon against France's Nicolas Mahut as the American won their first round rematch 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) on Tuesday.

Isner and Mahut had played the longest match in tennis history -- lasting 11 hours and five minutes and spread over three days -- when they met at the same stage at Wimbledon 12 months ago.

But American Isner, who won that record-breaking epic 70-68 in the fifth set, enjoyed a much less draining victory this time as he saw off Mahut on Court Three in just over two hours.

"It wasn't easy, but obviously it was a lot quicker than last year," said Isner.

"I definitely wanted to finish it here because otherwise everybody would be talking about a second day.

"I'm glad they put us on this court because maybe they didn't want to tarnish the memory of last year. It's a huge relief and I'm happy to put this one behind me."

Mahut said he was disappointed to have lost for the second successive year to Isner.

"What we did last year, I'm very proud of," said the Frenchman. "Today I just lost the match in three sets. It's a different story."

But he admitted the two have developed strong bonds over their 2010 Court 18 marathon where even a plaque has been laid to mark the historic clash.

"We became very close friends, which is the most important thing for me and I hope this year he is going to go through to the second week," Mahut added.