Skip to main content
  • Shop
  • Newsletters
  • WTA Apps
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

About WTA's Privacy and Cookie Policies

We use cookies to provide our services and for analytics and marketing. To find out more about our use of cookies and how you can disable them, please see our Privacy Policy. By continuing to browse our website, you agree to our use of cookies. Click here to find out more info.

Logo for the Women's Tennis Association Go back to the home page
  • Tournaments
  • Scores
  • Rankings
    • Players
    • Head to Head
    • Doubles
    • Coaches
    • News
    • Videos
    • Photos
    • WTA Insider
    • Race to the WTA Finals
  • Stats
    • About the WTA
    • Original 9
    • WTA For The Game
    • WTA Charities
    • WTA Cookbook
    • Newsletters
    • WTA Apps
    • Broadcast
  • Tournaments
  • Scores
  • Rankings
  • News
  • Videos
  • Tournaments
  • Scores
  • Rankings
    • Players
    • Head to Head
    • Doubles
    • Coaches
    • News
    • Videos
    • Photos
    • WTA Insider
    • Race to the WTA Finals
  • Stats
    • About the WTA
    • Original 9
    • WTA For The Game
    • WTA Charities
    • WTA Cookbook
    • Newsletters
    • WTA Apps
    • Broadcast
2020 Match Point Saves November 4, 2020

Great Escapes 2020: Winning from match point down

From Karolina Pliskova in Brisbane to Anett Kontaveit in Ostrava, players who have saved match point before recovering to claim victory this season.

01 /26
In the Brisbane semifinals, Karolina Pliskova lost an epic first-set tiebreak and faced one match point as Naomi Osaka served for the match at 6-5 in the second set - but fought back to win 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 6-2 en route to defending her title.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

02 /26
Lauren Davis saved one match point in the final-set tiebreak in overcoming Astra Sharma 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6) in the first round of Hobart.

Photo by Getty

03 /26
Viktoria Kuzmova, who won from match point down three times in 2019, pulled off her first escape of 2020 in the first round of Hobart, saving one match point serving at 4-5 in the third set before defeating Zhu Lin 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(3).

Photo by Getty

04 /26
Hobart's first round also saw Catherine Bellis save one match point serving at 3-6, 3-5 down against Marie Bouzkova, coming back to win 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 for her first WTA main draw match since Indian Wells 2018.

Photo by Getty

05 /26
A fourth Hobart Houdini act saw Garbiñe Muguruza save one match point serving at 5-6 in the third set against Ons Jabeur in round two, winning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) - a week before the pair would reach the Australian Open final and quarterfinal respectively.

Photo by Getty

06 /26
For the second time in a year, Yulia Putintseva pulled off a dramatic Fed Cup escape, overturning triple match point at 4-5 in the second set to defeat Ysaline Bonaventure 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 in Kazakhstan's Qualifier tie against Belgium.

Photo by Getty

07 /26
Maria Sakkari roared back from 2-5 down in the third set against Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round of St. Petersburg, winning 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) after saving one match point as Diatchenko served for the win at 5-2.

Photo by Formula TX

08 /26
The St. Petersburg quarterfinals saw Elena Rybakina lose the first set to Oceane Dodin from 5-2 up, squandering four set points - but then save two match points serving at 4-5 in the second set to win 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-2.

Photo by Formula TX

09 /26
A rollercoaster second round in Dubai saw Simona Halep overcome Ons Jabeur 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(7) after saving one match point in the deciding tiebreak - taking her own fourth match point and going on to win the title.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

10 /26
Elena Rybakina became the first player to win from match point down twice in 2020 in round two of Doha over Alison Van Uytvanck, saving one match point in the deciding tiebreak before closing it out 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(8) on her fifth.

Photo by Daniel Kopatsch

11 /26
Kaja Juvan saved a remarkable seven match points serving at 4-6, 4-5 against Venus Williams - including triple match point, and one on a Foxtenn challenge - before winning their Acapulco first round 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Photo by Imagen Shop

12 /26
Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin saved one match point serving at a set and 3-5 down with a drive volley against Jaqueline Cristian in the second round of Lyon, outlasting the surging qualifier 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4.

Photo by Alexandre Hergott/Open 6ème Sens

13 /26
Anastasia Potapova faced triple match point in the second round of Monterrey as Tamara Zidansek served at 6-1, 5-3 - but turned the match on its head to win 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 and reach her third straight quarterfinal.

Photo by Abierto GNP Seguros

14 /26
The roles reversed in Anastasia Potapova's next match as Johanna Konta saved two match points - one as the Russian served at 5-3 in the final set and another in the ensuing tiebreak - to win their Monterrey quarterfinal 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(7).

Photo by Abierto GNP Seguros

15 /26
Camila Giorgi had already saved one match point to beat Dayana Yastremska at Strasbourg 2017, and saved two more in the Palermo 2020 quarterfinals as the Ukrainian served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, winning 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

Photo by Palermo Ladies Open

16 /26
Irina-Camelia Begu was two points from defeat on four occasions in the second set and saved three match points in the deciding tiebreak before snatching a 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(7) victory over Leonie Kung in the second round of Prague.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

17 /26
In a rapid first-round turnaround at the US Open, Aliaksandra Sasnovich saved one match point in the second-set tiebreak before accelerating away from Francesca Di Lorenzo 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-0.

Photo by Mike Lawrence/USTA

18 /26
Varvara Gracheva's Grand Slam debut at the US Open took a memorable turn in round two: having trailed Kristina Mladenovic 1-6, 1-5, the Russian saved four match points at 2-5, and won 12 of the last 13 games for a remarkable 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-0 comeback.

Photo by Rhea Nall/USTA

19 /26
Karolina Muchova came back from 3-5 down in the third set, then saved triple match point in the deciding tiebreak - two with bold winners - to defeat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(7) in the third round of the US Open.

Photo by Andrew Ong/USTA

20 /26
Shelby Rogers saved four match points against Petra Kvitova - three serving at 4-5 in the decider and another when the Czech double faulted in the tiebreak - to defeat her for a second time and reach her first US Open quarterfinal 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6).

Photo by Pete Staples/USTA

21 /26
For the second week in a row, Aliaksandra Sasnovich pulled off an escape, coming from 3-6, 2-5 down against Zarina Diyas and saving two match points - once each as the Kazakh served for the match twice - to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in round one of Istanbul.

Photo by Gökhan Taner

22 /26
Serving at 5-6 in the second set, Aliona Bolsova saved one match point before capturing the first Top 30 win of her career in a two-hour, 52-minute 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 epic over Alison Riske in the first round of Rome.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

23 /26
Playing her first Grand Slam and second Tour-level match, 17-year-old former junior World No.1 Clara Tauson saved two match points serving at 5-6 in the decider before taking her fifth to upset Jennifer Brady 6-4, 3-6, 9-7 in round one of Roland Garros.

Photo by Getty Images

24 /26
A wild three-hour, 11-minute tussle in the second round of Roland Garros saw Kiki Bertens capture her first win over Sara Errani at the sixth go 7-6(3), 3-6, 9-7 after surviving 10 straight breaks in the deciding set and saving one match point down 5-6.

Photo by Getty Images

25 /26
Playing her second Grand Slam main draw, No.159-ranked qualifier Martina Trevisan saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak to stun Maria Sakkari 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 to reach the fourth round of Roland Garros on her debut.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

26 /26
The first round of Ostrava saw Anett Kontaveit come from a double break down in the third set and save two match points in the tiebreak before pulling out a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, who had served for the win three times.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

Latest News

  • Stat of the Day: Swiatek tallies 50th win of the season in Cincy

    2022 Cincinnati
  • 'It's good to win ugly' - Jabeur saves match points to beat McNally

    2022 Cincinnati
  • Simona Halep withdraws from Cincinnati with leg injury

    2022 Cincinnati
  • Raducanu blitzes Azarenka in Cincinnati second round

    2022 Cincinnati
  • Gauff assures fans she is going to be OK after suffering ankle injury

    2022 Cincinnati
  • Venus Williams headlines US Open wild-card recipients

    2022 US Open

SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS

Get official communications from the WTA and ATP, delivered straight to your e-mail! We’ll keep you informed on all you need to know across the Tours, including news, players, tournaments, features, competitions, offers and more.

Will be used in accordance with the WTA Privacy Policy and the ATP Privacy Policy

Title Partner

  • Hologic

Global Partners

  • Porsche
  • SAP
  • Whoop
  • Modern Health

Follow WTA on Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Weibo
Logo for Women's Tennis Association
  • About the WTA
  • Management Team
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Job Opportunities
  • WTA Rules
  • Player Development
  • Anti-Doping
  • Official Guide
  • Press Center
  • WTA Insider Podcast
  • WTA For The Game

Affiliates

  • International Tennis Federation
  • ATP Tour
  • US Open Series
  • Billie Jean King Cup
  • International Tennis Hall of Fame
  • Women's Sports Foundation
  • World TeamTennis
  • International Tennis Integrity Agency
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Notice
  • Social Media Policy
  • Official Partners
  • Contact
  • Newsletters
  • WTA Apps
© 2022 WTA TOUR, INC. | WTA AND THE WTA LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE WTA TOUR, INC.