How is the winner decided in tennis if they get to 6-6 in the final set?

At the 2022 French Open, Camilo Ugo Carabelli ensured his place in the history books when he secured a five-set win against Aslan Karatsev in the first round of the men’s singles tournament. The Argentine’s victory over the Russian marked the first time in Roland Garros history that a match had been decided using the 10-point final-set tiebreak, also known as the ‘super tiebreak’.

Two months earlier, all four Grand Slam tournaments had elected to synchronize their rules to include such a tiebreak in the deciding set of all singles and doubles matches, starting with that year’s Roland Garros.

How do 10-point tiebreakers work?

The 10-point tiebreak is used in matches that reach a score of six games all in the final set. In a ‘super tiebreak’, the victor is the first player to reach 10 points with at least a two-point lead. If play continues beyond the 10-point mark, the winner will be the first player to achieve a two-point advantage.

Grand Slam uniformity follows years of tiebreak disparity

Prior to the decision to align all the slams with 10-point breakers, each of the four majors employed different ways of deciding the final set.

While the French Open did not have a final-set tiebreak until two years ago, the Australian Open had introduced the 10-point tiebreak in 2019, and the US Open had employed traditional tiebreaks in the final set since 1970, whereby the first player to reach seven points with a margin of two was declared the winner.

Isner final sets lead to Wimbledon tiebreak change

In 2019, Wimbledon introduced a seven-point tiebreak when the score reached 12-12 in the final set of all matches at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, following a three-hour final set in the 2018 semi-finals between Kevin Anderson and John Isner, the South African eventually prevailing 26-24.

It was a second marathon match at Wimbledon for the big-serving American, whose place in history alongside Nicolas Mahut for the longest game of tennis every played is now assured to stand for all time. In 2010 on Court 18, the two players engaged in a tussle that spanned 11 hours and five minutes spread over three days, with Isner, then the world number number 10, eventually prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68, with the final set lasting eight hours and 11 minutes.

Grand Slam organizers seek “greater consistency” in rules

Explaining its March 2022 decision to implement the 10-point tiebreak across all majors, the Grand Slam Board said the move was “based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams, and thus enhance the experience for the players and fans alike.”

At Flushing Meadows in 2023, John Isner ended his tennis career in a five-set loss to fellow American Michael Mmoh. The final set ended in true Isner style. On a tiebreak.