2023's Longest Matches

Marathon Marvels 2023: All this year's three-hour matches

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's defeat of Elise Mertens in the fourth round of Roland Garros was the 37th WTA main draw match of 2023 to go over three hours in length -- and the second in one tournament for Pavlyuchenkova.

01 /37
[30] Anhelina Kalinina d. [12] Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-3, Rome QF (3:41). Kalinina was two points from losing in the second-set tiebreak and trailed 3-0 in the decider, but reeled off the last six games to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

02 /37
[LL] Erika Andreeva d. Harriet Dart 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(3), Austin R1 (3:32). Andreeva, 18, only found out she would replace Zhang Shuai in the main draw 30 minutes before the match, but saved two match points to triumph in the longest match of 2023 so far.

Photo by ATX Open/Alex Smith

03 /37
Camila Giorgi d. Kaia Kanepi 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(4), Miami R1 (3:32). Giorgi led 5-2 in the first set, 4-2 in the second and 5-0 in the third. She held her first two match points at 5-3 and 5-4 in the decider before converting her fourth.

Photo by Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

04 /37
Sorana Cirstea d. [11] Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, Dubai R1 (3:29). Cirstea saved two match points en route to her fourth win in five meetings with Haddad Maia.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

05 /37
[8] Belinda Bencic d. [WC] Marta Kostyuk 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 6-4, Dubai R2 (3:27). Bencic lost the first set from 5-3 up, but rebounded to win her third match in as many meetings with Kostyuk, and second in the past three weeks.

Photo by Jorge Ferrari

06 /37
Carol Zhao d. Maria Lourdes Carle 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6), Bogota R1 (3:26). Zhao held her first match point at 5-4 in the third set, but had to save three in the deciding tiebreak before converting her second.

Photo by Copa Colsanitas

07 /37
[14] Liudmila Samsonova d. Paula Badosa 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-4, Dubai R1 (3:22). Samsonova improved to 3-0 against Badosa, including another extended 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-5 battle at the 2021 Australian Open.

Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images

08 /37
Wang Xiyu d. [8] Alison Riske-Amritraj 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(1), Merida R1 (3:22). Wang had lost two three-setters to Riske-Amritraj in their two prior meetings, but saved two match points to claim her first win of 2023.

Photo by Jaime López

09 /37
[WC] Peyton Stearns d. [Q] Katie Boulter 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 7-6(5), Austin R1 (3:22). Stearns served for the match twice in set two and once in set three before closing out her 11th straight win, and first of her career at tour level.

Photo by ATX Open/Alex Smith

10 /37
[8] Daria Kasatkina d. Julia Grabher 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2), Rome R3 (3:19). Kasatkina led by a set and 3-0 but was ultimately taken all the way by Grabher, who was playing a Top 10 opponent for the second time in her career.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

11 /37
[25] Martina Trevisan d. Claire Liu 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, Miami R3 (3:17). In a rematch of the 2022 Rabat final, Trevisan fought back from an early break down in the third set and notched her third three-hour-plus victory of the season.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

12 /37
[6] Laura Pigossi d. [Q] Natalija Stevanovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, Bogota R2 (3:16). The 2022 Bogota finalist navigated a first-set rain delay and the loss of a 3-1 second-set lead to make her third career WTA quarterfinal.

Photo by Copa Colsanitas

13 /37
Caty McNally d. [3] Zhu Lin 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-1, Merida R1 (3:15). Zhu saved a match point in the second set before extending the clash, but McNally swept through the third set to improve to 3-0 over Zhu.

Photo by Marcos Dominguez

14 /37
Martina Trevisan d. Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5, United Cup SF (3:14). Trevisan's third Top 10 win, first Top 50 win on hard courts and second defeat of Sakkari in as many meetings spearheaded Italy's United Cup upset of Greece.

Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images

15 /37
[6] Beatriz Haddad Maia d. Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), Abu Dhabi R2 (3:13). Haddad Maia missed three match points serving at 5-4 in set two and had to recover after Putintseva served for the match at 5-4 in the decider.

Photo by Jorge Ferrari

16 /37
[SR] Laura Siegemund d. [27] Irina-Camelia Begu 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, Australian Open R2 (3:12). This result put former World No.27 Siegemund back into the third round of a major for the first time since her 2020 Roland Garros quarterfinal run.

Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

17 /37
Anna-Lena Friedsam d. [LL] Erika Andreeva 7-5, 6-7(2), 7-6(8), Austin R2 (3:11). Friedsam was two points from victory at 6-5 in set two, but needed to come from 5-2 down and save a match point in set three.

Photo by ATX Open/Alex Smith

18 /37
Anna Kalinskaya d. Alizé Cornet 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, Charleston R2 (3:10). The pair have played four times in the past 13 months; Kalinskaya now leads 3-1, with wins on outdoor hard courts, grass and green clay.

Photo by Charleston Tennis LLC

19 /37
[WC] Leolia Jeanjean d. [WC] Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3, Roland Garros R1 (3:10). Jeanjean missed five match points in the second set, including four in a row in the tiebreak, but closed the match out on her seventh in the decider.

Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

20 /37
[SR] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. [28] Elise Mertens 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, Roland Garros R4 (3:09). Pavlyuchenkova won her second three-hour contest in Paris from 6-3, 3-1 down to reach her eighth major quarterfinal.

Photo by Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

21 /37
[23] Zheng Qinwen d. [12] Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3, Miami R3 (3:07). Zheng had lost to Samsonova twice in the previous year, but came from 3-0 down in the third set to level their overall head-to-head at 2-2.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

22 /37
[SR] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. [15] Liudmila Samsonova 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, Roland Garros R2 (3:06). Pavlyuchenkova came from 5-2 down in the third set to seal her first Top 20 win since defeating Victoria Azarenka en route to the 2021 Roland Garros final.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

23 /37
Anastasia Zakharova d. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, Hua Hin R1 (3:05). Zakharova had previously been 0-7 in WTA main draws, but the 21-year-old came from a set and 5-3 down to notch her first career tour-level victory.

Photo by 2023 Thailand Open presented by E@

24 /37
Paula Badosa d. Harriet Dart 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-1, United Cup group stage (3:04). Badosa missed two set points in the first set, but held off a Dart comeback in the second to score her first win in three meetings against the Briton.

Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images

25 /37
Bianca Andreescu d. [7] Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, Miami R2 (3:04). The second-longest of the three three-setters that comprise Andreescu and Sakkari's rivalry to date; Andreescu now leads 2-1.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

26 /37
Paula Badosa d. Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, Rome R4 (3:04). Badosa won the first set from a break down, came from 5-3 down to lead 6-5 in the second set but ultimately needed a third to level her head-to-head with Muchova at 1-1.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

27 /37
[13] Danielle Collins d. Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, Australian Open R1 (3:03). The 2022 runner-up in Melbourne needed to go the distance after being a game away from victory in the second set.

Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

28 /37
Anhelina Kalinina d. [10] Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, Dubai R1 (3:03). Kalinina led 5-2 in the second set, but needed a third set to notch her sixth career Top 20 win and second of 2023.

Photo by Jorge Ferrari

29 /37
Martina Trevisan d. Malene Helgø 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, United Cup group stage (3:02). The first of two three-hour victories for Trevisan at the United Cup was over No.321-ranked rookie Helgø, who had never played a Top 50 opponent before the competition.

Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

30 /37
[SR] Sofia Kenin d. Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-7(8), 7-5, Rome R1 (3:02). Kenin came within two points of victory five times in the second set, but recovered to edge a decider.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

31 /37
[6] Bernarda Pera d. [SR] Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4, Hobart R2 (3:01). Pera was two points from victory at 6-5 in set two, but had to come back after Siegemund led 4-1, 40-0 in set three.

Photo by Regi Varghese/WTA

32 /37
Bernarda Pera d. [12] Liudmila Samsonova 2-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(6), Indian Wells R2 (3:01). Pera saved three match points en route to her fourth career Top 20 win, and improved to 2-1 against Samsonova overall.

Photo by BNP Paribas Open

33 /37
Ana Bogdan d. Anna Bondar 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), Madrid R1 (3:01). Bogdan trailed 5-2 in the third set, held five match points at 6-5 and converted her sixth in the tiebreak to reverse a three-set loss to Bondar at the Australian Open.

Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

34 /37
Viktoriya Tomova d. Alizé Cornet 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, Strasbourg R1 (3:01). Tomova trailed by a set and 2-0, but fought back to improve her head-to-head against 2013 Strasbourg champion Cornet to 2-1.

Photo by Olivier Renaud/WTA

35 /37
Heather Watson d. [2] Yulia Putintseva 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5), Hua Hin R1 (3:00). The Briton saw leads of 5-1 in set two and 5-3 in set three pegged back, but held on to close out her first tour-level win since Wimbledon 2022.

Photo by 2023 Thailand Open presented by E@

36 /37
[8] Veronika Kudermetova d. Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), Doha R1 (3:00). Kudermetova held a point for a 5-2 lead in set three, but ultimately needed to win her sixth straight tiebreak to advance.

Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

37 /37
[3] Caroline Garcia d. [SR] Karolina Muchova 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4, Doha R2 (3:00). A first-time encounter that saw Garcia reach the Doha quarterfinals for the second time in her career.

Photo by QTF

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