LONDON (Reuters) - (This version of the story was refiled to make clear in paragraph three that Isner won fifth set 70-68)
Marin Cilic and John Isner will attempt to finish their third round Wimbledon match on Saturday tied at 10-10 in the fifth set after play was suspended due to bad light.
A lengthy encounter always looked on the cards given their track records for going the distance and as the gloom descended on Court One play was suspended after four hours and 15 minutes.
American Isner, who beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut by winning the fifth set 70-68 in the longest match in history, an 11 hour five minute epic in the Wimbledon first round in 2010, lost a first-set tiebreak before taking the second in similar fashion.
Croatian Cilic, who contested the second-longest men's singles match ever played at Wimbledon in 2012 with a five hour 31 minute victory over Sam Querrey, took the third 6-4 before towering Isner battled to win the fourth in another tiebreak.
Ninth seed Cilic squandered a match point in the 10th game of the fifth set and the pair will return on Saturday as they try to set up a fourth-round tie with American Denis Kudla.