Top 5 longest tie-breakers in women’s tennis history ft Anna Blinkova vs Elena Rybakina
Take a look at the 5 longest tie-breakers in women's tennis history.
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Ana Bogdan, Anna Blinkova, and, Lesia Tsurenko
Tennis is a fairly uncomplicated sport to play or watch, once you have mastered the rules. While some matches can get over in less than 60 minutes, others run for multiple hours. Thus, not knowing the rules can be dreary. And as in every other sport, tennis too is a game of numbers, and thus susceptible to a tie between players. To win a game, set, or match, the player has to win the tie-breaker.
According to the USTA: in a tiebreak game, the next person who was due to serve will start the [tiebreak] game, and serve one point to the deuce side of the court. The following two points will then be served by the opponent starting on the ad side. In doubles, the player on the opposing team due to serve will serve these points.
Players or teams switch ends of the court every six points and to score this tiebreak game, you use, “zero”, “one”, “two”, “three”, etc. The first player or team to win seven points, by two, wins the tiebreak. This means the score can end up being very high (e.g. 15-13) or as low as 7-0 through 7-5.
Here’s the list of the top 5 Longest WTA tie-breakers:
#1 Anna Blinkova vs Elena Rybakina
Anna Blinkova and Elena Rybakina played an absolute thriller at the Australian Open 2024. Heading into the match #3 seed and 2022 runner-up Rybakina was a favorite over Blinkova. But things took a turn when she lost the first set and was down match point in the third set.
Both endure in a tense battle, fumbling multiple match points, infusing the atmosphere with suspense. Blinkova, ranked 57th globally, orchestrates an impressive upset, defeating the former Wimbledon champion in straight sets, concluding with a 42-point tiebreak and a scoreline of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20).
Somehow Rybakina managed to take it to a tie-breaker after a poor start, where both players had 10 match points combined. Rybakina had 6 match points before eventually losing 22-20 in the longest tiebreaker in women’s singles Grand Slam history with 42 points in 32 minutes.
#1 Akgul Amanmuradova Vs Anna Zaja
In 2017, at the Moscow ITF Tournament, Akgul Amanmuradova and Anna Zaja played the longest tie-breaker in WTA history, which lasted 22-20 in favor of the former. She, however, lost the match 6–4, 6–7(20-22), 7–6(7–4). The tiebreaker lasted for 42 points and tied for first position.
#2 Nuria Brancaccio Vs Lucie Petruzelová
At the qualifiers of the Ottava Edizione CMG Tennis Cup (ITF), Branacaccio won a first-set tie-breaker 21-19. She went on to defeat Petruzelová 7–6(21–19), 6–1. The tiebreaker lasted for 40 points.
#3 Emmanuelle Gagliardi Vs Tara Snyder
In the 1999 Madrid Open, Tara Snyder won the first set of her match against Emmanuelle Gagliardi in a 21-19 tie-breaker. However, after a tough first set, Gagliardi went on to win the match 6-7(19-21), 6-1, 6-1. Like #2, this tiebreaker also lasted for 40 points.
#4 Andreea Prisăcariu Vs Diana Demidova
Andreea Prisăcariu won a first-set tiebreaker 20–18 over Diana Demidova at the MTA Open series, in Antalya, Turkey, on March 2, 2021. She won the match 7–6(20–18), 6–2. Prisăcariu’s 1st set tiebreaker against Demidova lasted for 38 points.
#5 Lesia Tsurenko vs Ana Bogdan
Playing in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon, Lesia Tsurenko and Ana Bogdan made their way into the history books. Tsurenko went on to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(20-18). With the tiebreaker going into the 38th point, it became the longest in Grand Slam women’s singles history while becoming the fifth longest in the sport’s history.
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