© Getty Photos Sport – Cameron Spencer
Elena Rybakina and Anna Blinkova made tennis historical past within the absolute thriller they delivered on the Australian Open as their match now owns the document for the longest tie-break performed on the Grand Slam stage.
On Thursday, world No. 57 Blinkova received a 42-point third-set tie-break to finish the most important upset of this 12 months’s Australian Open and beat third-seeded Rybakina 6-4 4-6 7-6 (20). The third-set tie-break between Rybakina and Blinkova featured one of many greatest dramas seen lately with so many twists and turns.
In the long run, it was Blinkova who received the 31-minute marathon tie-break, clinching a win in some of the dramatic and epic finishes in latest reminiscence.
The earlier document for the longest tie-break stood at 38 factors – it occurred twice. In 2007, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga received the first-set tie-break towards Andy Roddick with a 20-18 scoreline. Final 12 months, that document was matched at Wimbledon after Lesia Tsurenko received the final-set tie-break versus Ana Bogdan with a 20-18 scoreline.
The earlier document was 38 factors, which occurred on two events:
2007 Australian Open, 1st set tiebreak, Tsonga d. Roddick 20-18 (Roddick misplaced the tiebreak however received the match)
2023 Wimbledon, closing set tiebreak, Tsurenko d. Bogdan 20-18
— ITF Media (@ITFMedia) January 18, 2024
Rybakina additionally had a number of possibilities to beat Blinkova within the tie-break
On the Grand Slam stage, the primary participant to get to 10 factors with not less than a two-point margin wins the deciding-set tie-break.
The primary to have match factors within the third-set tie-break was Blinkova, who missed out on two consecutive match factors at 9-7, in addition to at 10-9 and 11-10, respectively. After saving 4 match factors within the tie-break, Rybakina had her first two match factors however didn’t convert it.
After Blinkova did not convert a match level at 14-13, Rybakina additionally missed out on match factors at 15-14 and 16-15, respectively. Then, Blinkova failed to understand a match level at 17-16 however Rybakina additionally did not convert her match factors at 18-17 and 19-18, respectively.
Blinkova missed out on one other match level at 20-19 however managed to understand her tenth match level at 21-20 to seal an epic win over Rybakina. In whole, Blinkova required 10 match factors earlier than beating Rybakina – she had two match factors within the twelfth recreation of the second set and eight extra match factors within the tie-break.
But in addition, it ought to be highlighted that Blinkova saved 6-of-6 of Rybakina’s match factors within the third-set tie-break.
