Tennis tiebreak rules: 7-point, 10-point and final-set tiebreaks

A tiebreak is a single game played at six games all to decide a set. Points are counted 1, 2, 3 instead of 15, 30, 40, and the first player to seven points with a two-point lead wins the tiebreak and the set 7-6. The player due to serve serves the first point, then the players take turns serving two points each, and they change ends after every six points. There are also 10-point versions: the match tiebreak that replaces a deciding set in doubles, and the final-set tiebreak at the Grand Slams. All of this is from the ITF Rules of Tennis and the 2026 tour rulebooks, checked on 1 November 2026.

This page is only about tiebreaks. When a set reaches six all in the first place, and how many sets a match has, is in how many sets are in a tennis match. How ordinary games are scored is in how tennis scoring works.

When a tiebreak is played

Under Rule 6 of the ITF rules, a competition chooses between a tiebreak set and an advantage set and must announce which before the event. In a tiebreak set, a tiebreak is played when the games reach six all. In an advantage set there's no tiebreak: the set carries on until someone is two games clear. The ATP and WTA both use tiebreak sets for every set of their singles matches.

How the standard 7-point tiebreak works

• Scoring. Points are called zero, 1, 2, 3 and so on. The first player to seven points wins, as long as they're two points ahead. At 6-6 it carries on until someone leads by two, so it can end 8-6, 9-7 or later.
• Serving. The player whose turn it is to serve serves the first point. The opponent serves the next two, and after that each player serves two points in a row until the end.
• Sides. The first point is served from the right half of the court, and each serve after that from alternate halves.
• Changing ends. The players change ends after every six points, with no rest.
• The next set. The player who served first in the tiebreak receives in the first game of the next set.

The tiebreak counts as one game, which is why the set score is written 7-6, and in doubles the order of serving within each team carries on from the set.

The 10-point tiebreaks

Appendix VI of the ITF rules lists approved alternatives, and two of them use ten points:

• Match tiebreak. Played at one set all, or two sets all in a best-of-five match, instead of a deciding set. The first to ten points with a two-point lead wins the match. Before it starts there's a 120-second set break, and the balls aren't changed even if a change is due. ATP and WTA doubles both use it as the deciding set.
• Final-set tiebreak. Played at six games all in the final set, and won by the first to ten points with a two-point lead. The 2026 Grand Slam rulebook says a 10-point tiebreak is played in the final set at the majors.

The ITF also allows a 7-point match tiebreak, a 5-point tiebreak for short sets, and a change of ends after the first point and then every four points. The Next Gen ATP Finals, for example, plays short sets with a tiebreak at three games all.

What each tiebreak point is worth to the price

A tiebreak packs a set into a handful of points, so the price moves more per point than in an ordinary game. These figures come from the point-by-point model behind the win-chance calculator, for two equal players who each hold serve 81% of the time, in a best-of-three match:

Winning a point on the opponent's serve in a tiebreak is called a mini-break, the tiebreak's version of breaking serve. Because the serve changes every two points, one mini-break is often the whole difference: at 2-0, A has held the first point and won one on B's serve, and that alone is worth about 9¢ in the first set and 16¢ in the deciding set.

In the first set, winning the tiebreak takes A to about 74% and losing it to about 24%. In the deciding set, the tiebreak is the match, so every point moves the price further still.

These are model figures for equal players and assume every point is independent, so treat them as a baseline. Real players handle pressure differently, and real prices include that.

Sources

All checked on 1 November 2026: the ITF's 2026 Rules of Tennis, Rules 5, 6, 10 and 17 and Appendix VI; the 2026 Official Grand Slam Rule Book, section L; the 2026 ATP Official Rulebook; and the 2026 WTA Rulebook, section 39. Price figures are from the 77 Tennis win-chance model. Where this page and the rulebooks disagree, the rulebooks win.

FAQ

How does a tiebreak work in tennis?

At six games all, players play one tiebreak game. Points are counted 1, 2, 3, and the first to seven with a two-point lead wins the set 7-6. The player due to serve serves once, then each player serves two points in turn.

How many points is a tiebreak?

Seven, won by two, in a normal set. Match tiebreaks and the final-set tiebreak at the Grand Slams go to ten, also won by two.

When do players change ends in a tiebreak?

After every six points, with no rest, under Rule 10 of the ITF Rules of Tennis.

What is a match tiebreak?

A tiebreak that replaces the deciding set. It's played at one set all, and the first to ten points with a two-point lead wins the match. ATP and WTA doubles use it.

Who serves first in the set after a tiebreak?

The player who received first in the tiebreak. The ITF rules say whoever served first in the tiebreak receives in the first game of the next set.