2020's Longest Matches

Marathon Marvels 2020: Krejcikova's cracker in Linz makes the list

Look back on the 25 longest WTA main draw matches of the 2020 season.

01 /25
Heather Watson scored her first Top 20 win since Wimbledon 2017 with an epic 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 upset over top seed Elise Mertens in the Hobart quarterfinals (3h33m).

Photo by Getty

02 /25
Spread over two days after darkness halted play after the first set, Irina-Camelia Begu mounted a remarkable comeback to overhaul lucky loser Leonie Kung 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(7) in the second round of Prague (3h28m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

03 /25
Kiki Bertens' 7-6(5), 3-6, 9-7 defeat of Sara Errani in the second round of Roland Garros was the Dutchwoman's first win over Errani in six meetings and involved one match-point save and a run of 10 straight breaks in the deciding set (3h11m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

04 /25
The day of the tour's resumption was marked by Italian first-round epics in Palermo, with Jasmine Paolini battling to a second career upset of Daria Kasatkina 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on home soil - a match that saw 21 breaks of serve and 16 deuce games (3h9m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

05 /25
Zarina Diyas trailed Christina McHale by a set and 0-4 in the first round of Strasbourg, but from 5-6 down in the decider won 11 of the last 14 points - including a backhand Shot of the Day to reach match point - for a 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(3) triumph (3h8m).

Photo by Internationaux de Strasbourg/Michel Grasso/C'est qui Maurice?

06 /25
Eugenie Bouchard's second Istanbul match around the three-hour mark in as many days was even longer than the first - a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 quarterfinal comeback from a set and a break down against Danka Kovinic (3h2m).

Photo by Gökhan Taner

07 /25
Garbiñe Muguruza needed to overturn a 0-3 third-set deficit to survive the courtcraft of Tamara Zidansek in the first round of Roland Garros 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 - the Spaniard's first overtime win since the 2013 Australian Open (3h1m).

Photo by Getty Images

08 /25
Just 11 days after defeating Petra Martic in three sets at the US Open, Yulia Putintseva reprised the result in round two of Rome in an even longer 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4 rollercoaster, despite losing a 5-1 lead and match point in the second set (3h0m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

09 /25
Elina Svitolina won her 14th career title, and first since the 2018 WTA Finals, after the longest final of 2020 in Monterrey, defeating Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 (3h0m).

Photo by Abierto GNP Seguros

10 /25
Alison Riske's 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3 first-round defeat of Wang Yafan was the longest match of the Australian Open (3h0m).

Photo by Getty

11 /25
Sara Errani lit up the tour's first day back by winning a classic stylistic contrast 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 over Sorana Cirstea - despite losing eight straight games midway through - in the first round of Palermo before her home fans (2h57m).

Photo by Palermo Ladies Open

12 /25
Former junior World No.1 Clara Burel's 6-7(9), 7-6(2), 6-3 defeat of Arantxa Rus in round one of Roland Garros was the 19-year-old's first Top 100 win and Grand Slam victory - and, ending at 12:10am, the latest ever French Open finish (2h57m).

Photo by Getty Images

13 /25
Magda Linette leapt out to a 6-1, 3-1 lead over Danka Kovinic in the second round of the US Open, but ended up taking the scenic route to a 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(4) victory in the longest match of the tournament (2h54m).

Photo by Ben Solomon

14 /25
Having saved match points in her Istanbul first round, Aliaksandra Sasnovich essayed another impressive recovery to come from a set and a break down to beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in the second round (2h53m).

Photo by Gökhan Taner

15 /25
Eugenie Bouchard had lost to Tamara Zidansek in an overtime match at Wimbledon 2019, but turned the tables to win their Prague second round in another epic 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, rebounding from losing a 4-1 lead in the second set (2h52m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

16 /25
Wang Yafan emerged victorious from a marathon encounter in Monterrey, surviving Astra Sharma 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in the second round (2h52m).

Photo by Abierto GNP Seguros

17 /25
Aliona Bolsova saved a match point against Alison Riske in the second round of Rome, and the Spanish qualifier eventually sealed victory 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 for the first Top 30 win of her career (2h52m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

18 /25
Despite the pair's penchant for shorter points, Camila Giorgi's 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 upset of Dayana Yastremska in the Palermo quarterfinals turned into a late-night epic that finished at 1:30am (2h52m).

Photo by Palermo Ladies Open

19 /25
Barbora Krejcikova came within two points of losing to Greet Minnen in the second round of Linz, but battled back to edge a 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-4 epic en route to the semifinals (2h51m).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

20 /25
Christina McHale came through an extended all-American derby in the second round of Acapulco, surviving Caroline Dolehide 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 (2h51m).

Photo by Imagen Shop

21 /25
In the second round of Istanbul, Eugenie Bouchard reprised the exact scoreline and trajectory of her Prague marathon, losing a set and 4-1 lead - and three match points this time - before upsetting Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-2 (2h50m).

Photo by Gökhan Taner

22 /25
Catherine Bellis scored her first WTA main draw win since Indian Wells 2018 in style, saving a match point to defeat Marie Bouzkova 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the first round of Hobart (2h50m).

Photo by Getty

23 /25
Sorana Cirstea saved four break points that would have allowed Johanna Konta to serve for a third straight win over her in the US Open second round, and eventually overcame the Briton 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 (2h50m).

Photo by Carmen Mandato/USTA

24 /25
A first-round clash of former Top 10 players in Doha saw Garbiñe Muguruza overcome Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 - the pair's fourth three-setter in five meetings - despite losing a 5-2 second-set lead (2h49m).

Photo by Getty

25 /25
Harriet Dart won nine of the last 10 points in the match tiebreak to overcome Misaki Doi 2-6, 6-4, 7-6[6] in round one of the Australian Open (2h49m).

Photo by Getty

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