Scoring the match

Most matches consist of an odd number of sets, the match winner being the player that wins more than half of the sets. The match ends as soon as this winning condition is met. Men's singles matches may consist of five sets (the winner being the first to three sets), while most matches are three sets (the winner being the first to two sets).

The alternation of service and end of court between games continues throughout the match without regard to sets. A tie-breaker game is treated as a single game for the purposes of this alternation.

The score of a complete match may be given simply by sets won, or with the scores of each set given separately. In either case, the match winner's score is stated first. In the former, shorter form, a match might be listed as 3-1 (i.e. three sets to one). In the latter form, this same match might be further described as "7-5 6-7 (4) 6-4 7-6 (6)". This match was won three sets to one, with the match loser winning the second set on a tie-breaker. The numbers in parentheses, normally included in printed scorelines but omitted when spoken, indicate the duration of the tiebreaker following a given set, and specify the number of points that the loser of the tiebreaker won. Here, the match winner lost the second-set tiebreaker 7-4, and won the fourth-set tiebreaker 8-6.