Skander Mansouri keeps Tunisian hopes alive at Wimbledon

Ons Jabeur may have suffered an early exit at Wimbledon this year but the Tunisian flag will still be flying high at the All England Club as Skander Mansouri remains alive in the doubles draw.

After making his major debut at Roland Garros earlier this season, where he reached round two in doubles partnering Luke Johnson, Mansouri is enjoying another first this fortnight at Wimbledon, where he is through to the second round playing alongside five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Nicolas Mahut.

In a rain-interrupted affair that was played across two days, Mansouri and Mahut got through their opener on Saturday 6-4, 7-6(3) over Aussie-American duo Aleksandar Vukic and Reese Stalder.

“Roland Garros was my first Grand Slam and following it here at Wimbledon, it's awesome,” the 28-year-old Tunisian told The National.

“It's a great feeling getting to play at the biggest tournaments of our sport, and it's an honour. It's a dream come true getting to play here and getting my first win at 'Wimby'. It’s really a special feeling and hopefully I’ll get more chances to play on these courts and in this kind of tournaments down the road.”

Mahut famously lost to John Isner in the longest tennis match in Grand Slam history at Wimbledon in 2010. The Frenchman fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 to Isner in a clash that lasted 11 hours and five minutes, and spanned three days.

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But Mahut’s memories at SW19 go beyond that historic match. In 2016, he won the Wimbledon doubles crown alongside compatriot and long-time partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert, defeating Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in what was the first all-French men’s doubles final at the Championships.

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