Tommy Haas needed 13 match points to defeat the marathon man of Tennis, John Isner, in the third round of the French Open on Saturday.

The veteran German squandered 12 match points in the fourth set before finally converting on what turned out to be a lucky 13th occasion for a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-7 (10-12) 10-8 win.

American Isner is already a tennis legend for having taken part in what was by far the longest match in tennis history.

That came at the 2010 Wimbledon championships when he defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in a tie that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over the course of three days.

He promptly lost in straight sets in the next round on that occasion.

Haas, who has enjoyed a sudden new lease of life this year at the age of 35, appeared to be headed for a straightforward win after taking the first two sets.

But all that suddenly changed after the giant Isner won the third.

Haas was on top again in the fourth set, but each time he brought up match point Isner came up with an answer, leaving the German to hurl his racket in abject frustration.

Isner had an early break in the decider, but Haas got back on level terms, fending off a match point against him in the process, and with no tie-breaker in operation in the final set, thoughts turned to what happened on the grass of Wimbledon three years ago.

The tie got to 8-8 when finally Haas made the breakthrough with Isner netting a volley to drop serve.

The 12th seed then served out for the win, clinching a place in the last 16 when Isner hit a backhand return wide.