If you thought you’d seen it all at the 2025 US Open, think again. The third round clash between Taylor Townsend and Barbora Krejčíková produced a tie-break so wild, so nerve-shredding, that fans will still be talking about it months later.
The Townsend Tiebreak
Townsend, the fearless American southpaw, had the former French Open champion on the ropes, holding eight match points and looking ready to pull off one of the shocks of the tournament. Krejcikova, though, simply refused to fold. With the poise of a champion, she clawed her way back every single time, saving all seven and finally closing the breaker 15–13 on her fourth set point.
Point-for-point, this Townsend tiebreak was a rollercoaster — a blend of thunderous groundstrokes, gutsy serving, and momentum shifts that turned the Stadium into a madhouse. This wasn’t just a tiebreak; it was a mini-classic, the kind of passage of play that makes Grand Slam tennis unmissable. Check it out here:
| Pt | Server | Receiver | Result | Score | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 0–1 | Townsend starts solid. |
| 2 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 1–1 | |
| 3 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 2–1 | |
| 4 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Lost serve | 3–1 | Mini-break & Czech edges ahead. |
| 5 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 3–2 | |
| 6 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Lost serve | 3–3 | Back on serve. |
| 7 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Lost serve | 3–4 | Another swing. |
| 8 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 3–5 | Townsend up 2 mini-breaks. |
| 9 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 3–6 | Townsend earns 3 MPs! |
| 10 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 4–6 | Krejcikova saves 1st MP in this tiebreak |
| 11 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 5–6 | Krejcikova saves 2nd MP! |
| 12 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Lost serve | 6–6 | Krejcikova saves 3rd MP on Townsend’s serve! |
| 13 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 6–7 | 4th MP Townsend. |
| 14 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 7–7 | Back level. |
| 15 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 8–7 | 1st SP Krejcikova! |
| 16 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 8–8 | Set point saved by Taylor |
| 17 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Lost serve | 9–8 | 2nd SP Krejcikova! |
| 18 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Lost serve | 9–9 | Another clutch save |
| 19 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 10–9 | 3rd SP Krejcikova! |
| 20 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 10–10 | Saved yet again! |
| 21 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 10–11 | 5th MP Townsend! |
| 22 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 11–11 | Extends rally, survives |
| 23 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Lost serve | 11–12 | 6th MP Townsend!! |
| 24 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Lost serve | 12–12 | Back level. |
| 25 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Hold | 12–13 | 7th MP Townsend in this breaker!!! |
| 26 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 13–13 | Czech survives again. Unbelievable! |
| 27 | Krejcikova | Townsend | Hold | 14–13 | 4th SP Krejcikova. |
| 28 | Townsend | Krejcikova | Lost serve | 15–13 | Krejcikova finally converts to make it 1-all in sets. |
The Czech athlete would go on to win the match by a score of 1–6, 7–6 (15-13), 6–3 — an amazing feat, having survived 8 match points in total, 7 of them in this historic breaker. Poor Taylor Townsend. That’s tiebreak heartbreak.