How Many Sets in a Tennis Match?

Best of 3 Sets — The Default Format

Best of 3 means the first player to win 2 sets wins the match. It's the default format for almost every match in professional tennis: every WTA event, every ATP tour event below Grand Slam level, every qualifying round at every level, every doubles match (with one Wimbledon exception), and every Olympic match since Tokyo 2020.

A best-of-3 match typically takes 90 minutes to 2.5 hours. The minimum is two quick sets (about 50 minutes); a tight three-setter with tiebreaks can run nearly 3 hours.

Best of 5 Sets — Grand Slam Men's Singles Only

Best of 5 means the first player to win 3 sets wins the match. In modern tennis, only one type of match uses this format: men's singles at the four Grand Slams. Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open all play men's singles best of 5 from the first round through the final.

A best-of-5 match averages 3 hours. Five-set thrillers with close sets routinely reach 4-5 hours. The historic outliers — Isner-Mahut (2010 Wimbledon, 11h 5m), Anderson-Isner (2018 Wimbledon SF, 6h 36m), Djokovic-Nadal (2012 Australian Open final, 5h 53m) — directly motivated the deciding-set tiebreak unification in 2022 to prevent matches from running open-ended.

Match Format by Event Type

Here's the full breakdown:

Why Do Men and Women Play Different Formats?

It's a tradition that predates the modern equal-prize-money era at Grand Slams. The original best-of-5 format dates to the 1880s and stayed in place for men's singles even as women's matches were standardized to best of 3 in the early 20th century. All four Grand Slams now pay equal prize money for men's and women's singles (since 2007, when Wimbledon and Roland Garros joined the Australian Open and US Open in equalizing), but the match-length difference remains.

The most common arguments to change men's Slam singles to best of 3:

• Player welfare — three Slams a year of five-set matches contribute to chronic injuries, especially at the deep stages.
• Broadcast scheduling — best-of-3 produces predictable match lengths, which networks prefer for primetime windows.
• Fan engagement — younger viewers reportedly prefer shorter, more intense matches.

The most common arguments against:

• Slam differentiation — the five-set format is part of what makes a Grand Slam title feel more prestigious than a Masters 1000.
• Historical fairness — comparing modern champions to historical greats becomes harder if the format changes.
• Drama — five-set matches produce the sport's most iconic moments.

As of 2026, no Grand Slam has formally proposed changing men's singles to best of 3.

Doubles Match Format

Doubles uses a shortened format almost everywhere to keep matches manageable on packed tournament schedules:

• Best of 3 sets with no-ad scoring at every ATP/WTA tour event (no deuce — a single deciding point at 40-40)
• 10-point match tiebreak instead of a full deciding third set at most events (Grand Slams included since 2022)
• Wimbledon men's doubles is the exception — best of 5 sets, with a 10-point tiebreak in the deciding set

Team Events: Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup

The biggest team events both use best of 3 sets:

• Davis Cup — switched from best of 5 to best of 3 in 2019 as part of the Kosmos reform. Group stage + knockout finals in November.
• Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) — has always been best of 3 sets.
• United Cup (mixed-gender, started 2023) — best of 3 sets in singles and doubles.