Longest tiebreaker in tennis

Several tiebreaks have been attributed as the longest tiebreak in tennis.

Match tie-breaks (also referred to as supertiebreakers), where a single game is used to decide a match when the score is one set all, have been in general use in doubles matches on the professional tours since the early 2000s. Although it had previously been used occasionally in tournaments affected by bad weather, from the beginning of 2019 the "10 point" match tie-break also became the official method of deciding singles qualifying matches which had reached one set all in ITF tournaments.

Men's singles

Overall

• In January 2013, at the $10,000 Men's Futures tournament qualifications at Plantation, Florida, Benjamin Balleret defeated Guillaume Couillard in a 70-point tiebreak 7–6^(36–34), 6–1. Despite the match being played without any chair umpire or any lines people, its score has been verified by the ITF and ATP.[1][2] Both players were part of the Monaco Davis cup team.[3] The second longest official tiebreak was played on 23 January 2016 at the $25,000 Men's Futures tournament, Kazakhstan F1, at Aktobe when Evgeny Tyurnev defeated Danilo Petrović 7–6^(25–23), 6–3 in the final.[4] The longest men's singles tiebreaker at the ATP tour (main draw) or Grand Slam level is 20–18, which has occurred several times as described below.

Wimbledon

• Björn Borg defeated Premjit Lall 6–3, 6–4, 9–8^(20–18) in the first round of the men's singles in 1973.
• John McEnroe and Borg took over 20 minutes to complete a fourth set tiebreaker in the 1980 men's singles final, with McEnroe winning 18–16. Borg eventually won the match 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7^(16–18), 8–6.
• John Isner won 19–17 in a first set tiebreaker against Jarkko Nieminen in the second round in 2014, eventually winning the match 7–6^(19–17), 7–6^(7–3), 7–5.

US Open

• Goran Ivanišević and Daniel Nestor played a 20–18 tiebreaker in their 1993 US Open first round match, won by Ivanišević 6–4, 7–6^(7–5), 7–6^(20–18).
• Novak Djokovic won the first-set tiebreaker 16–14 over Alexandr Dolgopolov during their fourth round matchup at the 2011 US Open. Djokovic won the match in straight sets 7–6^(16–14), 6–4, 6–2.
• In the 2012 US Open men's singles final, Andy Murray won the first set tiebreaker against Djokovic 12–10, which was the longest tiebreak in a US Open final, and went on to win the match 7–6^(12–10), 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2.

Australian Open

• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won a tiebreaker 20–18 in his first round match against Andy Roddick at the 2007 Australian Open, but Roddick eventually won the match, 6–7^(18–20), 7–6^(7–2), 6–3, 6–3.

French Open

• Lorenzo Sonego won the third set tiebreaker 19–17 against Taylor Fritz in their third round match at the 2020 French Open. Sonego won 7–6^(7–5), 6–3, 7–6^(19–17).

Other long tiebreakers

• Aki Rahunen won a 24–22 first set tiebreak against Peter Nyborg in the first round of qualifications of the 1992 Copenhagen Open (7–6, 2–6, 6–3).[5][6]
• Guillermo Olaso won a 22–20 first set tiebreak against Evgeny Karlovskiy in the final qualifying round of the 2018 RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, the longest tie break at an ATP Challenger Tour event.[7]
• Goran Ivanišević won a 20–18 deciding set tiebreak against Greg Rusedski in the semifinals of the 1997 Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club.
• Roger Federer and Marat Safin played a tiebreaker that lasted 26 minutes in the semifinals of the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. Federer won the match 6–3, 7–6^(20–18).[8]
• José Acasuso won 20–18 in a deciding set tiebreak against Björn Phau in the 1st round of the 2006 Rogers Masters in Canada.
• Andy Murray won 20–18 in a second-set tiebreak against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Dubai Open in Dubai. The tiebreak lasted 31 minutes, and featured a rule-breaking moment when both players and the umpire forgot to change ends at 15–15.[9]
• Gijs Brouwer won 20–18 in a deciding set tiebreak against Alen Avidzba in the 2nd round of the 2019 ITF $25,000 USTA Men's Pro Tennis Championships of Calabasas in Calabasas, California, USA.
• Leonardo Mayer won 20–18 in a second-set tiebreak against Marco Cecchinato in the 1st round of the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland, but Cecchinato won the match, 7–6^(8–6), 6–7^(18-20), 7–6^(7–2).
• Philipp Kohlschreiber won 18–16 in a deciding set tiebreak against Dustin Brown in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
• Gilles Müller won 18–16 in a second set tiebreak against John Isner in the second round of the 2016 Aegon Championships at Queen's Club.
• Lorenzo Frigerio won 18–16 in a second set tie-break against Corentin Denolly in the second round of the 2019 ITF $15,000 Internationaux de Bressuire, and went on to win the match 6–7^(5–7), 7–6^(18–16), 6–3.

Longest match tie-break

• Leonardo Aboian defeated Tristan Boyer 6–3, 4–6, [22–20] in the second round of qualifying in the $15,000 ITF tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 30, 2019.

Other long match tie-breaks

• Han Cheng defeated Zhao Zhao 2–6, 6–4, [21–19] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Shenzhen, China, on June 10, 2019. Each player had six match points in the decider.
• Florian Lakat defeated Wilson Leite 4–6, 6–4, [20–18] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Palm Coast, Florida, United States, on February 3, 2020.
• Ivan Liutarevich defeated Grigoriy Korobeynikov 6–3, 5–7, [18–16] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Namangan, Uzbekistan, on April 29, 2019. He won on his third match point, having saved seven match points along the way.
• Eric Caleguer defeated Anton Desyatnik 1–6, 7–5, [18–16] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Tabarka, Tunisia, on July 15, 2019.
• Tom Hands defeated Josip Krstanović 6–1, 1–6, [18–16] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Barnstaple, Great Britain, on February 9, 2020. Krstanović had three match points at 9–6 in the tie-breaker, but lost the lot. He had three further match points before Hands won on his fifth match point.
• Ken Onishi defeated Maikel De Boes 6–4, 3–6, [18–16] in the second round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Cairo, Egypt, on January 25, 2021.
• Mikolaj Lorens defeated Mihnea-Lorin Stefan Turcu 1–6, 6–3, [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Antalya, Turkey, on January 28, 2019.
• Marco Brugnerotto defeated Federico Iannaccone 7–6^(7–3), 4–6, [17–15] in the second round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on March 11, 2019.
• Benjamin Fumi defeated Dustin Goldenberg 6–3, 6–7^(4–7), [17–15] in the second round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 8, 2019.
• Noah Thurner defeated Annei Laska 6–4, 4–6, [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh on October 13, 2019.
• Li Yuanfeng defeated Vicente Oliver Moratalla 6–2, 2–6, [17–15] in the second round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Murcia, Spain, on March 2, 2020.
• Dominik Kellovský defeated Lodewijk Weststrate 6–3, 3–6, [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Heraklion, Greece, on November 1, 2020.
• Luca Castagnola defeated Thiago Cigarran 6–1, 6–7^(6–8), [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Antalya, Turkey, on January 28, 2021.

Men's doubles

Longest regular tiebreaker

• Michael Mortensen and Jan Gunnarson defeated John Frawley and Victor Pecci 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 7–6^(26–24), first round, Wimbledon, 1985.[3]

Other long tiebreakers

• In the Washington 2015 first round Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah defeated Austin Krajicek and Nicholas Monroe 7–6^(25–23), 6–3.
• In the 2019 Davis Cup Finals Group C round-robin in Madrid, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies (Germany) defeated Leonardo Mayer and Máximo González (Argentina) 6–7^(4–7), 7–6^(7–2), 7–6^(20–18).

Longest match tie-break

• In the Marrakech Challenger 2012 first round, Alexander Bury and Mateusz Kowalczyk defeated Jonathan Dasnières de Veigy and Marc Gicquel 7–6^(7–4), 4–6, [27–25].[10]

Other long match tie-breaks

• In the Estoril Open 2007 first round, Albert Montañés and Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo defeated Simon Aspelin and František Čermák 7–6, 1–6, [23–21].[5]
• In the first round of the 2015 Czech Republic F7 Futures in Jablonec nad Nisou, Jan Mertl and Karel Svoboda defeated Lubomir Majsajdr and Dominik Recek 6–4, 3–6, [20–18].[11]
• Marc-Andrea Hüsler and Kamil Majchrzak defeated Lloyd Glasspool and Alex Lawson 6–3, 1–6, [20–18] in the final of the 2020 Hamburg Challenger. The remarkable statistic from the match tie-break was that, after Glasspool and Lawson saved the first two match points against them at 7–9, they were unable to take the lead at any time, meaning that the victory for Hüsler and Majchrzak came on their 12th match point. [12]
• In the quarter-finals of the 2019 ITF M15 tournament at Santa Marta, Colombia, Ignacio Carou and Agustin Riquelme Coppari defeated John Bernard and Sebastian Murillo 6–4, 4–6, [18–16]. They won on their seventh match point, having saved three against them.[13]
• In the quarter-final tie between Australia and Great Britain in the 2020 ATP Cup, Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios defeated Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 3–6, 6–3, [18–16]. They won on their fourth match point, having saved four against them.[14]
• In the final of the 2020 Argentina Open, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos defeated Guillermo Durán and Juan Ignacio Londero 6–4, 5–7, [18–16]. They won on their sixth match point, having saved three against them.[15]
• In the semi-finals of the 2020 ITF M15 tournament at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Gonzalo Lama and Antonio Cayetano March defeated Alejandro Mendoza and Federico Zeballos 7–6 (4), 3–6, [18–16]. They won on their sixth match point, having saved three against them.[16]

Women's singles

Overall

• On February 21, 2017 at the $25,000 Moscow ITF tournament, Akgul Amanmuradova won a second set tiebreak 22–20 against Anna Zaja, however she lost the match 6–4, 6–7^(20–22), 7–6^(7–4).

French Open

• Denisa Allertová won a first set tiebreak in 2015 against Johanna Konta 19–17. This set the record for the longest women's tiebreak at Grand Slam level (but also see below - Inglis v Šramková). Allertová ultimately won the match 7–6^(19–17), 4–6, 6–2.

US Open

• Maria Kirilenko won a second-set tiebreaker over Samantha Stosur in 2011, but eventually lost the match 2–6, 7–6^(17–15), 3–6. Stosur went on to win the title.

Other long tiebreakers

• Emmanuelle Gagliardi defeated Tara Snyder 6–7^(19–21), 6–1, 6–1 at the 1999 Madrid Open.[17]
• Nuria Brancaccio won a first-set tiebreaker 21–19 over Lucie Petruzelová in the first round of qualifying for the Ottava Edizione CMG Tennis Cup, a $15,000 ITF tournament in Trieste, Italy, on August 30, 2020. She won the match 7–6^(21–19), 6–1.
• Ilana Kloss won a first-set tiebreaker 19–17 over Kate Latham in the 1979 Crossley Carpets Trophy, but lost the match 7–6, 6–7, 6–2.
• Luisa Meyer auf der Heide won a first-set tiebreaker 19–17 over Dia Evtimova in the second round of qualifying for the GD Tennis Cup series, a $15,000 ITF tournament in Antalya, Turkey, on November 4, 2019. She won the match 7–6^(19–17), 6–1.
• Maddison Inglis won a third-set tiebreaker 19–17 against Rebecca Šramková in the first round of qualifying for the 2020 Australian Open. She won the match 6–3, 0–6, 7–6^(19–17). Note, though, that this was a 10-point tie-breaker because it was in the deciding set. Šramková led 7–4 at what would have been the regular finishing point, and then 8–4, before Inglis won five points in a row to lead 9–8. From there points went with serve until Šramková was broken at 17-17, and Inglis then held serve to win on her sixth match point.
• Anastasia Myskina won a third-set tiebreaker 17–15 against Vera Zvonareva in the 2004 Acura Classic. She won the match 6–2, 6–7^(4–7), 7–6^(17–15).
• Hsieh Su-wei also won a tiebreaker 17–15 against Lesia Tsurenko in a first round encounter in Miami in 2013. She won the match 6–4, 7–6^(17–15).
• Yanina Wickmayer won a first-set tiebreaker 17–15 against Amra Sadiković in a first round encounter in the 2017 Nürnberger Versicherungscup. Wickmayer eventually won the match 7–6^(17–15), 6–7^(4–7), 6–2.
• Ankita Raina won a second-set tiebreaker 17–15 against Liang En-Shuo in a second round encounter at the 2018 ITF $60,000 Jinan Open. Raina ultimately won the match 3–6, 7–6^(17–15), 6–3.
• Madison Bourguignon won a second-set tiebreaker 17–15 against Natalia Orlova in a first round encounter at the Cancun Tennis Cup, a $15,000 ITF tournament in Cancun, Mexico, on May 8, 2019. Bourguignon ultimately won the match 3–6, 7–6^(17–15), 4–1 when Orlova retired. This match took 3 hours and 43 minutes, and is the longest in women's tennis which was not played to a finish.
• Angelina Gabueva won a first-set tiebreaker 17–15 over Emily Fanning in the second round of qualifying for the 2019 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships, and went on to win the match 7–6^(17–15), 6–0.

Longest match tie-break

• Daria-Maria Munteanu defeated Ștefana Lazar 6–3, 1–6, [22–20] in the second round of qualifying in the $15,000 ITF tournament in Curtea de Argeș, Romania, on September 3, 2019. Munteanu had the lead in the tie-break at 9–8, and eventually won on her seventh match point, having saved six from Lazar.

Other long match tie-breaks

• Veronika Pepelyaeva defeated Alina Silich 6–1, 5–7, [21–19] in the final round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Antalya, Turkey, on December 17, 2019.
• Dana Shakirova defeated Elena Korokozidi 6–2, 0–6, [21–19] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Kazan, Russia, on January 20, 2020. Korokozidi had the first of her seven match points in the tie-breaker at 9–8, but Shakirova eventually won on her fifth match point.
• Weronika Foryś defeated Jennifer Rosa Dourado 6–4, 2–6, [20–18] in the first round of qualifying in the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on February 18, 2019.
• Beatrice Lombardo defeated Enola Chiesa 6–1, 3–6, [19–17] in the second round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Schio, Italy, on July 23, 2019. Chiesa had four match points at 9–5 in the tie-breaker, but lost them all. She had a further six as the tie-breaker progressed before Lombardo won on her third match point.
• Anastasiya Poplavska defeated Hala Khaled 5–7, 6–2, [18–16] in the second round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh on April 2, 2019.
• Arabella Koller defeated Demi Tran 6–7^(3–7), 6–3, [18–16] in the final round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh on November 12, 2019.
• Anna Powaska-Kobylarz defeated Jessica Fowler 0–6, 6–0, [18–16] in the second round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Heraklion, Greece, on November 18, 2019.
• Yana Morderger defeated Hsieh Yu-chieh 6–7^(3–7), 6–1, [17–15] in the second round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Sunderland, Great Britain, on April 8, 2019.
• Manca Pislak defeated Paula Arias Manjón 6–4, 5–7, [17–15] in the third round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Vienna, Austria, on August 26, 2019. Arias Manjón had the first of her six match points in the tie-breaker at 9–8, but Pislak eventually won on her second match point.
• Pauline Demel defeated Liubov Demidova 4–6, 6–1, [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Antalya on November 24, 2019.
• Alana Parnaby defeated Ayumi Koshiishi 2–6, 6–4, [17–15] in the first round of qualifying at the $25,000 ITF tournament in Perth, Western Australia, on February 23, 2020.

Women's doubles

Longest regular tiebreaker

• Nicole Pratt and Bryanne Stewart defeated Corina Morariu and Rennae Stubbs 7–6^(7–5), 7–6^(22–20) in the first round in the 2006 Amelia Island tournament.[3]

Other long tiebreakers

• Manisha Malhotra and Sania Mirza won a 21–19 tiebreaker against Vlada Ekshibarova and Ivanna Israilova in their 2004 Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Zone doubles match. Malhotra and Mirza won 7–6^(21–19), 6–1.
• Rosemary Casals and Kathleen Horvath defeated Sandy Collins and Beth Herr 5–7, 6–1, 7–6^(20–18) in the second round of the 1984 Lipton WTA Championships.
• Manon Bollegraf and Zina Garrison won an 18–16 tiebreaker against Christina Singer and Irina Spîrlea in the 1994 Volkswagen Cup. Singer and Spîrlea won the match 7–6^(7–2), 6–7^(16–18), 6–4.
• Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz and Anastasia Zolotareva defeated Pia Lovrič and Saumya Vig 7–6^(18–16), 6–3 in the first round of the ITF W15 tournament in Cairo on December 8, 2020. They won the first set on their fourth set point, having saved seven against them.[18]

Longest match tie-break

• Merel Hoedt and Alexandra Riley defeated Lauren Cooper and Dakota Fordham 4–6, 6–3, [23–21] in the first round of the ITF $15,000 2019 SA Spring Open in Johannesburg, the tiebreaker alone lasting 34 minutes. Each pair had eight match points in the tiebreaker, Cooper and Fordham's first three coming at 9–6.

Other long match tie-breaks

• Bethanie Mattek and Vladimíra Uhlířová defeated Jill Craybas and Michaëlla Krajicek 5–7, 6–4, [21–19] in the first round of the 2008 Bausch & Lomb Championships.
• Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta defeated Edina Gallovits and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 4–6, 6–2, [20–18] in the semifinals of the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas.
• Ingrid Neel and Maria Sanchez defeated Alexa Guarachi and Erin Routliffe 6–2, 1–6, [20–18] in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic.
• Janette Husárová and Maria Kirilenko defeated Jill Craybas and Alla Kudryavtseva 6–2, 5–7, [19–17] in the first round of the 2009 Aegon International.
• Jacqueline Cabaj Awad and Melanie Klaffner defeated Sowjanya Bavisetti and Wang Danni 2–6, 6–4, [19–17] in the first round of the ITF $25,000 2019 Gwalior Women's ITF Championship.
• Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defeated Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Květa Peschke 7–5, 2–6, [18–16] in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Apia International Sydney.
• Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova defeated Camille Pin and Aurélie Védy 2–6, 6–4, [18–16] in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem.
• Aiko Nakamura and Camille Pin defeated Līga Dekmeijere and İpek Şenoğlu 1–6, 6–2, [18–16] in the first round of the 2007 Bank of the West Classic.
• Hiroko Kuwata and Kyoka Okamura defeated Abbie Myers and Belinda Woolcock 5–7, 6–2, [18–16] in the quarterfinals of the ITF $25,000 2019 Brisbane QTC Tennis International.
• Barbora Miklová and Karolína Beránková defeated Alena Fomina and Daria Kruzhkova 3–6, 6–3, [18–16] in the quarterfinals of the ITF $15,000 Milovice Indoor Open 2019.
• Georgia Crăciun and Jaqueline Cristian defeated Ekaterina Kazionova and Ekaterina Shalimova 6–4, 4–6, [18–16] in the quarterfinals of the ITF $25,000 Marat Zverev Memorial Cup in Minsk, Belarus.
• Catherine Harrison and Sophia Whittle defeated Allura and Maribella Zamarripa 5–7, 6–3, [18–16] in the first round of the $60,000 Georgia's Rome Tennis Open in Rome, Georgia, USA, on January 26, 2021. They won on their sixth match point in the tie-breaker (the first coming at 10–9), having saved three from the Zamarripa twins, the first of which was at 9–8.[19]

Mixed doubles

Longest regular tiebreaker

• Meghann Shaughnessy and James Blake won a 15–13 tiebreak in a win against Daniela Hantuchová and Dominik Hrbatý in the group stage of the 2005 Hopman Cup. Final result was 0–6, 7–6^(15–13), 7–6^(9–7).[5]

Longest match tie-break

• Raluca Olaru and Franko Škugor defeated Katarina Srebotnik and Michael Venus 4–6, 6–4, [16–14] in the second round of the 2018 US Open. The tiebreaker alone lasted 21 minutes. Olaru and Škugor recovered from 4–8 in the tiebreaker to get the first of their five match points at 9–8. Srebotnik and Venus had two match points of their own, at 10–9 and 14–13.

References

1. "USA F1 Futures". Itftennis.com. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
2. Buddell, James. "Tennis – ATP World Tour – Balleret, Couillard Contest Marathon Tie-Break". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
3. "A Closer Look at the Longest Tie-Breaker in Tennis History". World Tennis Magazine. 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
4. "Player Head to Head: Danilo Petrovic vs Evgeny Tyurnev". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2017-01-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Collins, Bud: Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis
7. http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2018/695/qs.pdf
8. Clarey, Christopher (2004-11-21). "TENNIS – Federer Pulls Through Epic Tie Breaker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
9. "Dubai Championships: Andy Murray beats Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach semi-finals". BBC. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
10. "Players | ATP World Tour | Tennis". ATP World Tour. 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
11. "TennisLive Czech Republic F7 2015 live scores". Retrieved 2020-04-09.
12. "Tennis24 2020 Hamburg Challenger doubles final". Retrieved 2020-12-29.
13. "Sofascore ITF 2019 Men-COL-02A doubles live scores". Retrieved 2020-04-09.
14. "Sofascore 2020 ATP Cup QF doubles live scores". Retrieved 2020-04-12.
15. "Sofascore 2020 Argentina Open doubles final live scores". Retrieved 2020-04-12.
16. "Sofascore ITF 2020 Men-DOM-02A doubles live scores". Retrieved 2020-12-29.
17. Gagliardi's WTA results
18. "Sofascore ITF 2020 Women-EGY-27A doubles live scores". Retrieved 2020-12-29.
19. "Sofascore live scores Harrison/Whittle v Zamarripa/Zamarripa". Retrieved 2021-01-27.