The pair, who slogged out a freakish match that spanned three days on court 18 at the All England Club with Isner eventually triumphing 70-68 in the final set, will meet at the same stage this year when Wimbledon starts on Monday.
The longest ever tennis match last year captured the imagination of the sporting world and left the players physically shattered with Mahut also bearing the mental scars as he battled depression for three months afterwards.
Before the draw Mahut had begged organisers not to schedule any of his matches on court 18, but little could he have known that there was an even more dramatic twist of fate in store.
The Frenchman had told Reuters this month that he felt "huge sadness to lose a match that I'll never get a chance to play again".
While fans might be hoping for a repeat of what was dubbed the "endless match", the players will settle for something much simpler when they find themselves once again stealing the spotlight from some of the bigger names in the first round.
Published 17 June 2011, 16:14 IST