Tennis · Rules explained
10-point tiebreak rules: the match tiebreak explained
A match tiebreak, also called a super tiebreak or 10-point tiebreak, is a single tiebreak to 10 points (win by 2) played instead of the deciding set when a match reaches one set all. It is not the same as the Grand Slam rule, where the final set is played in full and a 10-point tiebreak only starts at 6-6.
How does a 10-point match tiebreak work?
- It is played at one set all in a best-of-3 match (two sets all in best of 5), instead of a deciding set. There are no games.
- Points are counted 1, 2, 3. The first player to 10 points with a 2-point lead wins: 10-8 ends it, while 9-9 carries on to 11-9, 12-10 or beyond.
- The serve works as in a normal tiebreak: 1 point for the player due to serve, then 2 points each.
- Players change ends every 6 points. The tiebreak serve order helper shows who serves each point and when to switch.
- Whoever wins the match tiebreak wins the match.
Match tiebreak vs final-set tiebreak at 6-6
Both are first to 10 by 2, which is why people mix them up. The difference is when they happen:
| What differs | Match tiebreak (super tiebreak) | Grand Slam final-set tiebreak |
|---|---|---|
| When | At one set all, instead of the deciding set | Only if the final set reaches 6-6 |
| Games before it | None | 12 games (6-6) |
| How it is recorded | As the deciding set: 1-0 in USTA League results, or by its points, such as 10-8 | The final set goes down as 7-6 |
| Where you see it | ATP Tour doubles outside the Grand Slams, and USTA League | All four Grand Slams since Roland-Garros 2022 |
When did the Grand Slams switch to a 10-point final-set tiebreak?
In 2022. Before then each major set its own rule for the deciding set, and two of them had just changed theirs: the Australian Open moved to a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in 2019, and Wimbledon brought in a 7-point tiebreak at 12-12, played in 2019 and 2021 (there were no Championships in 2020). Roland-Garros had never used a final-set tiebreak. In March 2022 the Grand Slam Board announced one rule for all four, first used at Roland-Garros 2022: at six games all in the final set, the first player to 10 points with a 2-point lead wins. For men's singles, which are best of 5 at the majors, that means the fifth set.
A match tiebreak point by point
In this example the Us side won the first set 6-4 and the Them side the second 6-3, so a match tiebreak decides it, with the Them side due to serve. The games column stays at 0-0 because a match tiebreak has no games.
| Point | Won by | Game score | Games (sets) | Serving next | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Them | 0–1 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | One set all, so a match tiebreak replaces the third set. The games column stays 0-0: there are no games. |
| 2 | Us | 1–1 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | Us serve points 2 and 3. |
| 3 | Us | 2–1 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | |
| 4 | Us | 3–1 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | Us win a point on Their serve. |
| 5 | Them | 3–2 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | |
| 6 | Them | 3–3 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | 6 points played: change ends. |
| 7 | Us | 4–3 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | |
| 8 | Them | 4–4 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | |
| 9 | Them | 4–5 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | |
| 10 | Us | 5–5 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | |
| 11 | Us | 6–5 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | |
| 12 | Them | 6–6 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | 6-6 after 12 points: change ends again. |
| 13 | Us | 7–6 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | A set tiebreak is first to 7. This one needs 10, so play goes on. |
| 14 | Us | 8–6 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | |
| 15 | Them | 8–7 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | |
| 16 | Us | 9–7 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Them | 9-7: two match points for Us. |
| 17 | Them | 9–8 | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6 | Us | Them save the first on their serve. |
| 18 | Us | Us win the match | 0–0 · 6–4, 3–6, 10–8 | – | 10-8: match tiebreak and match to Us. The result reads 6-4, 3-6, 10-8. |
Scored point by point by the same scoring rules the app uses.
How do you write the score of a match tiebreak?
There are two conventions. USTA League counts the match tiebreak as one set and one game, so the match above goes down as 6-4, 3-6, 1-0. Other results show the tiebreak points instead: 6-4, 3-6, 10-8. If you are reporting a league result, check which one your league wants.
How the app handles it
Set Final set to Super tiebreak and the app replaces the deciding set with a 10-point match tiebreak, win by 2, in best of 3 or best of 5. A Super Tiebreak label shows while it is played, the serve indicator follows 1 point, then 2 points each, and the tiebreak is recorded by its points, for example 6-4, 4-6, 10-7.
The app cannot play the Grand Slam format. Its final set is either a full set with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-6, or a super tiebreak instead of the whole set. It also cannot record a match tiebreak as 1-0, and it does not remind you to change ends.
Questions
Is a super tiebreak the same as a match tiebreak?
Yes. Super tiebreak, match tiebreak and 10-point tiebreak all name the same thing when it replaces the deciding set: first to 10 points with a 2-point lead.
Does a match tiebreak count as a set?
It decides the match in place of the final set. USTA League counts it as one set and one game, written 1-0; other results show its points, such as 10-8.
Does Wimbledon have a final-set tiebreak?
Yes. Since 2022 Wimbledon, like the other Grand Slams, plays a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in the final set. In 2019 and 2021 it used a 7-point tiebreak at 12-12, and before that there was no final-set tiebreak.
Who serves first in a match tiebreak?
The player due to serve next, as if the deciding set were starting: the order of service carries on from the second set. If that set ended in a tiebreak, the player who received first in it serves first.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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