The 40-year-old had a match point, but was pipped by Wollongong’s Jack Swindells 6-4, 4-6, 15-13, in a 2½-hour classic.

“It was a tough one, I played well and just a couple of calls didn’t go my way towards the end there, that’s the way it goes, Culph said.

“After losing the first set I really got my teeth in the match, coming into the net a little more and was sort of in control, tactically I was playing a lot smarter.”

Despite the loss, the Border-based tennis coach was happy with his performance.

“I served well, overall I played a really good level and should have probably found myself in a semi-final again,” he said.

Culph is no stranger to long matches, although he was on the winning side last time.

“I think I played in an Easter final at Albury, I think it might have been 17-15 or 16-14 in that one,” he said.

Culph not only played in the marathon singles game, he also had an enormous workload on the penultimate day.

He won his round 16 game in the morning after another long match and then finished the day with a doubles quarter-final and mixed doubles clash.

In the other quarter-finals, Rhys Searant received a walkover from Bradley Simpson, Brandon Daly-Walkin toppled Jack Clements 6-4, 7-5, while Thomas Pavlekovich-Smith also won a thriller against Wesley Neylon, 0-6, 7-6, 13-11.

​Swindells will face Daly-Walkin in Tuesday morning’s semi-final with Searant to play Pavlekovich-Smith.

The final will follow around midday on what will be a gruelling day for the finalists.

Meanwhile, Sarina Kang and Andrea Kristo will meet in Tuesday’s women’s final.

Canberra-based Kang toppled Melbourne’s Jess McDonald 6-1, 6-3 in Monday’s semi-final, while Adelaide’s Kristo proved too strong for Melbourne’s Zali Morris 6-4, 7-6.

Margaret Court attended last week’s opening ceremony for the first time in eight years, which proved a tremendous winner for the youngsters.