The men’s final at the US Open is best of five sets. The women’s final, played yesterday, is best of three. Here is how the rest of it works.
The Basics
| Sets to win | Three of a possible five |
|---|---|
| Games to win a set | Six, by a margin of two |
| At 6-6 in any set | Tiebreak |
| Tiebreak in sets one to four | First to seven points, win by two |
| Tiebreak in the fifth set | First to 10 points, win by two |
The Final-Set Tiebreak
All four majors now use a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in the deciding set, a change agreed in 2022 to bring them into line. The US Open had used a standard seven-point tiebreak in the fifth since 1970, making it the only major where a final set could not run indefinitely long before the others adopted the idea.
That history matters here. The 2020 US Open final between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev ended 7-6 in the fifth, with Zverev two sets up and then beaten in a breaker.
Why the Format Favors the Server
Best of five rewards players who can hold serve for long stretches and recover from a bad set. Both men today are built for it. Zverev serves from six foot six and has a 23-15 career record in five-setters. Shelton has one of the biggest left-handed serves in the game.
It also changes the head-to-head. Zverev has won all five of their meetings, but all five were best of three. A single tight set no longer decides a match.
Other Rules Worth Knowing
There is no let on serve deletion at the majors; a serve that clips the net and lands in is replayed. Players get a set number of challenges per set under electronic review, and the US Open uses electronic line calling on all courts, so line-call disputes are rare.
Related
US Open final today · Prize money · Zverev’s Grand Slam record
The Bottom Line
Best of five sets, first to three. Tiebreak at 6-6 in every set, first to seven in sets one through four and first to 10 in the fifth. Both finalists are big servers, which makes the tiebreaks the likeliest place this is decided.