Dubai Open: A breakdown of Andy Murray's epic 31-minute tie-break against Philipp Kohlschreiber

The Dubai Open quarter-final between Andy Murray and Philipp Kohlschreiber lasted two hours 54 minutes and 55 seconds long, before Murray pulled off the 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 win. Of the entirety of this duration, the second set tie-break itself went on for 31 minutes and six seconds, with a total of 38 points being played.

Murray did win the tie-break 20-18, but not only did it come on his eighth set point, it also followed closely on the heels on him saving seven match points – a couple of them with utter daredevilry, the likes of which are generally unexpected from the Briton.

When tie-breaks become complicated

In a case of quirky coincidence, both Kohlschreiber and Murray respectively saved the first set point and match point, with a drop shot winner off their forehands. While Kohlschreiber thwarted Murray when the latter had two set points at 6-4 in the tie-break, Murray’s drop shot winner on the German’s first match point at 8-9, saw the ball land right inside the line adding to the closeness – and surprising nature – of his shot selection.

The World No 1 had yet another chance to win the set at 7-6, but an error from his racquet nullified his hopes. He didn’t have to wait for long for another opportunity, with two quickly following, at 8-7 and 10-9, but Kohlschreiber found a way to negate both. Much like the players changing ends at the end of designated points, the tie-break proceedings too changed ends, with Kohlschreiber’s forehand winner at 10-10, setting up his second match point.

At 11-10, Murray then got his second reprieve of the day when Kohlschreiber’s otherwise steady one-handed backhand went wide on the deuce court for an unforced error. Two points later, Murray shanked his forehand into the net to give Kohlschreiber his third match point with the scoreline reading 13-12. However, just when it seemed that that was the end of the drama for the matchup, the Scotsman served out an unreturnable serve to level the tie-break at 13-all.

A winner off Kohlschreiber’s forehand got him his fifth match point at 14-13, only to be left redundant with a smash winner from Murray for 14-all. An impeccable second serve from the ad court placed right on the service line that left Kohlschreiber reeling, ensured Murray his sixth lifeline while facing match point at 15-14.

And, again while Kohlschreiber immediately secured his seventh – and what would be his last – match point at 16-15, on his own serve, he sent his backhand careening wide. As Murray levelled the tie-break, there seemed to be a palpable shift in the momentum of the tie-break, and essentially of the match as well.

Though, the German saved the seventh set point at 18-17 with a winner, his forehand lofted high and well out of the court at 19-18, ended his inspired run in the match with Murray erasing all signs of the demanding tie-break with a comprehensive 6-1 rout in the third set.

Trivia fact-check

In the midst of this erratically veering match, there was also an inadvertent dose of light-heartedness when the players forgot about changing ends, as mandated by the rules. Interestingly, caught up in his officiating duties as he was, so did the chair umpire, who in an attempt to rectify the oversight had the players crossover after the 32nd point, and then again at 18-all.

Lastly, at 20-18, Murray and Kohlschreiber’s tie-break encounter also made its way into the history books as it tied with a few notable precedents – involving Roger Federer and Marat Safin, and Goran Ivansevic and Greg Rusedski – for the longest tie-breaks ever played.

Likewise, it was also Murray’s fifth match win over Kohlschreiber, with all five of his victories going the full distance in terms of sets played, including in the third round of the 2014 French Open.