Tennis is not a timed sport, like basketball, hockey or football, so matches can last for hours, sometimes even days. Most matches have a tie-break to help prevent them from going on for long periods. Some tournaments, including Wimbledon, eliminate the tie-break in the final set, resulting in grueling matches -- including the 11 hour, 5 minute match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, played over three days.
Pro Sets
To expedite matches, particularly during a tournament when many matches are played on few courts, you might play a pro set. This is a one-set match that usually goes past the six-game format for sets played in multiple-set matches. The most common pro sets go to eight or 10 games, with a tie-break played at 7- or 8-all in eight-game pro sets, or nine- or 10-all in 10-game pro sets.
Best-of Matches
Most tennis matches end when a player has won the best two of three or best three of five sets. Players must win each set by two games, or play a tie-break at 6-all. Professional men usually play best-of-ive matches, with women playing best of three. Most recreational tournaments and leagues play a best-of-three set format. Most tennis facilities sell court time in 90-minute and two-hour time slots to accommodate recreational matches, which can last close to three hours if the players split sets and all three sets are close in score. If the match is still in progress and someone has the court reserved at the end of your reservation, you must stop your match and finish it elsewhere.
Match Tie-Breaks
To further shorten tennis match times, many tournaments now use a match tie-break in lieu of a third set. If players split the first two sets, they play an extended tie-break to 10 points to determine the match. The winning player is the first one to reach 10 points and have a two-point advantage. Play continues after 10-all until one player leads by two points.
Supertiebreaker
In TeamTennis leagues, players on teams play one-set matches with a nine-point tie-break at 5-all. If, after all of the singles and doubles matches have been completed, teams have each won an equal number of games, they play a Supertiebreaker to determine the match winner.
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