Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Defeats Milos Raonic in Historic Olympic Tennis Match

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France edged Milos Raonic in a historic second-round tennis match at the 2012 London Olympics on Tuesday (via Yahoo! Sports).

Tsonga won the third and decisive set 25-23 over the Canadian challenger at Wimbledon to advance to the third round of the men's singles tournament at this summer's Games.

The epic match was the longest in Olympic history, according to the Tennis Channel (via Twitter):

"

After almost 4 hours, Tsonga defeats Raonic 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 in the longest Olympic tennis match ever.

— TennisChannel (@TennisChannel) July 31, 2012"

According to Yahoo! Sports, via the Associated Press, the 48-game final set between Tsonga and Raonic crushed the previous Olympic record by 18 games. 

The lengthy showdown brings back memories of the longest match in tennis history, which went down at the same location in 2010 between American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Although that match lasted far longer—it took 11 hours over three days to complete—people will still be talking about the Tsonga-Raonic match for years to come. 

Neither player was willing to give an inch, and the result and the record books will show that. 

Wimbledon has witnessed its fair share of classics, but the Olympic stage provides so much more drama, as players are competing for something much larger than themselves. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for More Reaction on the 2012 London Olympics This Summer.