Guillermo Olaso thought it was never going to end.
“Normally a tie-break never lasts that long,” Olaso told ATPWorldTour.com at the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas. “It feels like we played another set almost, because it took so long and it took a lot of energy out of both of us.”
The 29-year-old from Bilbao, Spain and opponent Evgeny Karlovskiy claimed a slice of history in the final round of qualifying at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas. The pair tied the record for longest tie-break played in Challenger history, lasting a marathon 42 points and leaving both players weary.
Olaso captured the tie-break 22/20, saving a staggering 10 set points while needing seven of his own. He would lose the match 6-7(20), 6-1, 7-6(5), but remains in awe of the achievement.
"When I won the set, I raised my hands up like I won the match already," Olaso added. "He had so many points on his serve to close out the tie-break. But I played better with the pressure on me. It took forever. The set felt so long already, because I was up a break at 4-1 and he came back."
[ALSO LIKE]A 42-point tie-break is a rare feat, but this is not the first time it's happened on the circuit. In 2008, Gary Lugassy defeated Igor Zelenay 6-2, 7-6(20) in Sarajevo. Looks like we'll have to wait another 10 years for the next one.