A TENNIS duo tested their bodies to the limit in search of world record glory by playing out an epic 36-set thriller – lasting an eye-watering 24 hours.

Curtis Austin and Jay Watcham slugged it out through the night in a bid to set a new Guinness World Record at Kirby Tennis Club.

They battled mosquitos, thunder flies and 30 degree heat in the marathon match.

The previous record for a single tennis match stood at an astonishing 64 hours.

Curtis and Jay fell short of the record book, but were proud to raise cash for St Helena Hospice and the Elena Baltacha Foundation with the gruelling game.

"We gave it our best shot and played continuously for just under 24 hours," said Kirby coach Curtis, 18.

"It was a fantastic effort, given that we were only allowed five minutes per hour to eat and drink.

"No other breaks were allowed, there was no changing of ends, no ball boys, umpires or line judges.

"It was a really tough as we had to keep the pace going, but we had support from family, friends and club members and they cheered us on, which certainly helped.”

The charities were chosen in memory of former Kirby member John Rice.

Curtis said: “It was great to raise money for two charities close to heart of one of Kirby's former members, John Rice.

"John was a legend at the club before sadly passing away.

"His family came along to watch us and had a good day."

The kind-hearted duo spent the afternoon before their match setting up cables, clocks and live TV streams, recording equipment and laptops to meet the stringent rules of the Guinness World Records.

They then started at 6pm, played throughout the night and most of the following day.

"We certainly didn't hold back in terms of our playing style," added Jay, 24.

"We played 36 high-intensity sets, also battling mosquitos, thunder flies and 30C heat.

"During the night was great.

"We both played some of the best tennis we've ever played and had some really competitive sets.

"However, by mid-afternoon the following day we were struggling both mentally and physically, with no sleep, in addition to the heat, bugs and bites."

Although the scoreline did not matter, Curtis won by 19 sets to 17.

People can still sponsor the pair’s efforts at gofundme.com/worldtennisrecord