Record for most consecutive games lost in a match but ended up winning the match

M

McEnroeisanartist

Hall of Fame
Anyone know what the record is for most consecutive games lost in a match by a player who ended up winning the match.

I know McEnroe lost 11 consecutive games to Connors in the 1980 US Open semifinal and ended up winning.

Any other matches that come to mind?
 
Querrey lost 8 in a row against Djokovic before winning in Bercy 2012 IIRC, apart from that I don't really know.

Oh and Nadal's 8 in a row at the FO final 2012, again against Djokovic.
 
krosero said:
In 1960 in Rome, Barry MacKay defeated Luis Ayala 7-5, 7-5, 0-6, 0-6, 6-1, so at least 12 straight
Click to expand...

The other seeming top contender was a 3rd round matchup between José Luis Clerc and Mel Purcell at the 1981 U.S. Open. Clerc won 6-3, 0-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3. So, both MacKay and Clerc won after losing at least 12 straight games. At most, McKay lost 13 straight games (12 plus the 1st game of the 5th set). At most Clerc lost 16 straight games (12 plus 4 games in the 4th set).

Addition: Stanley Matthews beat Năstase 6-3, 0-6, 0-6, 6-4, 8-6 in the 1st round of the 1969 French Open. So, that's another match with at least 12 games lost in a row, with the possibility of up to 16 straight games lost.

Addition 2: It looks like Clerc lost exactly 12 straight games before breaking in the 1st game of the 4th set according to this article.
 
Last edited:
Bored, Some Slovak player who's name I can't spell or pronounce led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0, before losing 7-5, 6-3 in the last 2 sets. It was at 2004 Roland Garros
 
Moose Malloy said:
Bored, Some Slovak player who's name I can't spell or pronounce led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0, before losing 7-5, 6-3 in the last 2 sets. It was at 2004 Roland Garros
Click to expand...

Ahhhh yes!! I knew it was an American but I couldn't think of who. Thanks moose I knee a stat guy around here would know. The most a woman can lost and still win is 11..and Raymond did that.

Dunno why my mind went to chanda..maybe because she always seemed to get dragged into those long matches
 
boredone3456 said:
Ahhhh yes!! I knew it was an American but I couldn't think of who. Thanks moose I knee a stat guy around here would know. The most a woman can lost and still win is 11..and Raymond did that.

Dunno why my mind went to chanda..maybe because she always seemed to get dragged into those long matches
Click to expand...

Technically, a woman could lose 12 straight games and still win a match, but it's highly unlikely. E.g., Player 1 is leading 6-3, 5-0, then loses 12 straight games to 6-3, 5-7, 0-5, then wins the last 7 games to win 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
 
buscemi said:
Technically, a woman could lose 12 straight games and still win a match, but it's highly unlikely. E.g., Player 1 is leading 6-3, 5-0, then loses 12 straight games to 6-3, 5-7, 0-5, then wins the last 7 games to win 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
Click to expand...

haha you're right! never thought of that. I stand corrected
 
boredone3456 said:
there was a female player who rallied to win a match at the French open one year from down 6-0 5-0.....I cannot remember who it was...chanda rubin?
Click to expand...

It WAS Chanda Rubin, but it wasn't that bad: she was down 5-0, 40-0, in the third set vs a player not exactly unfamiliar with choking, Jana Novotna. Novotna afterwards said she "never felt in control" in the match, lol. Up 5-0, forty love, not in control? Btw, she blew nine, count 'em, NINE match points. I had a tape of that match that was, unfortunately, stolen, and at one point, as she was frittering away the match, JN can be heard muttering, "What IS this ****?" That was surprising for 2 reasons: one, that was back when NBC showed the FO on tape delay, at least it did so to the Pacific Time Zone, where I live, so NBC had plenty of time to "bleep" the comment(which they normally did in such circumstances), but didn't, and secondly, I'd have thought that in times of stress that JN would curse in her mother tongue, lol.
 
britam25 said:
It WAS Chanda Rubin, but it wasn't that bad: she was down 5-0, 40-0, in the third set vs a player not exactly unfamiliar with choking, Jana Novotna. Novotna afterwards said she "never felt in control" in the match, lol. Up 5-0, forty love, not in control? Btw, she blew nine, count 'em, NINE match points. I had a tape of that match that was, unfortunately, stolen, and at one point, as she was frittering away the match, JN can be heard muttering, "What IS this ****?" That was surprising for 2 reasons: one, that was back when NBC showed the FO on tape delay, at least it did so to the Pacific Time Zone, where I live, so NBC had plenty of time to "bleep" the comment(which they normally did in such circumstances), but didn't, and secondly, I'd have thought that in times of stress that JN would curse in her mother tongue, lol.
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
britam25 said:
It WAS Chanda Rubin, but it wasn't that bad: she was down 5-0, 40-0, in the third set vs a player not exactly unfamiliar with choking, Jana Novotna. Novotna afterwards said she "never felt in control" in the match, lol. Up 5-0, forty love, not in control? Btw, she blew nine, count 'em, NINE match points. I had a tape of that match that was, unfortunately, stolen, and at one point, as she was frittering away the match, JN can be heard muttering, "What IS this ****?" That was surprising for 2 reasons: one, that was back when NBC showed the FO on tape delay, at least it did so to the Pacific Time Zone, where I live, so NBC had plenty of time to "bleep" the comment(which they normally did in such circumstances), but didn't, and secondly, I'd have thought that in times of stress that JN would curse in her mother tongue, lol.
Click to expand...

There are two different matches here. In the 3rd round of the 1995 French Open, Jana Novotna led Chanda Rubin 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 5-0, with Chanda Rubin serving at love-forty. Rubin came back to win 8-6 in the 3rd set.

In the 1st round of the 2005 French Open, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová* led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0 before Raymond came back to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

*Kurhajcová never won a Grand Slam singles match, going 0-7.
 
buscemi said:
There are two different matches here. In the 3rd round of the 1995 French Open, Jana Novotna led Chanda Rubin 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 5-0, with Chanda Rubin serving at love-forty. Rubin came back to win 8-6 in the 3rd set.

In the 1st round of the 2005 French Open, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová* led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0 before Raymond came back to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

*Kurhajcová never won a Grand Slam singles match, going 0-7.
Click to expand...

Its good to know I'm not crazy and Chanda really did come back from a 5-0 situation at some point haha. I must have swtched the matches in my head because even before I posted my first post I asked myself if it was Chanda or Lisa that it happened to. Chanda had a knack for getting into those kind of matches that seemed to last forever. One of her matches has the Wimbledon record for longest match ever on the womens side against some canadian whose name I cannot think of.

But i am getting off topic. Thanks for clarifying my mind peeps
 
I'm pretty sure Henin won a bunch of games in a row (or maybe it was points in a row... I forget) in the 2010 Australian Open final against Serena.
 
buscemi said:
There are two different matches here. In the 3rd round of the 1995 French Open, Jana Novotna led Chanda Rubin 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 5-0, with Chanda Rubin serving at love-forty. Rubin came back to win 8-6 in the 3rd set.

In the 1st round of the 2005 French Open, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová* led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0 before Raymond came back to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

*Kurhajcová never won a Grand Slam singles match, going 0-7.
Click to expand...
how did Ľubomíra even lost this match
 
Navdeep Srivastava said:
how did Ľubomíra even lost this match
Click to expand...

I don't know. Maybe craftiness? This article about their matchup at the Olympics later that year describes Kurhajcová as "bigger, stronger, faster" than Raymond, despite Lisa winning the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The two actually played three matches that year, with Raymond winning all three matches in three sets. The third match was at Indian Wells, where Lisa won 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
 
buscemi said:
There are two different matches here. In the 3rd round of the 1995 French Open, Jana Novotna led Chanda Rubin 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 5-0, with Chanda Rubin serving at love-forty. Rubin came back to win 8-6 in the 3rd set.

In the 1st round of the 2005 French Open, Ľubomíra Kurhajcová* led Lisa Raymond 6-0, 5-0 before Raymond came back to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

*Kurhajcová never won a Grand Slam singles match, going 0-7.
Click to expand...

I KNOW it was two different matches, or, at any rate, I know that Rubin wasn't down 6-0, 5-0, and I said as much.
 
britam25 said:
Thee is no caption above, nor can I tell what they're saying, so, I don't know what YOU were saying; are you doubting the comeback from the score I mentioned in the Rubin match?
Click to expand...

No, I think it's embarrassing lol. As much as I suck at tennis, I probably could have closed the match out from that point o_O
 
britam25 said:
I had a tape of that match that was, unfortunately, stolen, .
Click to expand...

... Stolen??.. Do tell :)... In what way was it stolen.. eg ala room mate taking off with it or house burglar.. I can just imagine a burglar breaking into your place rummaging through your things saying to themself 'Take the tv?... Nah,.. what else can I find.. money?... No,something better... Oh!. What do we have here?.. A video tape labeled 'Novotna vs Rubin'... 'Why this is absolutely priceless,I got what I came for,I'm outta here' LOL! :)
 
laughingcavalier said:
... Stolen??.. Do tell :)... In what way was it stolen.. eg ala room mate taking off with it or house burglar.. I can just imagine a burglar breaking into your place rummaging through your things saying to themself 'Take the tv?... Nah,.. what else can I find.. money?... No,something better... Oh!. What do we have here?.. A video tape labeled 'Novotna vs Rubin'... 'Why this is absolutely priceless,I got what I came for,I'm outta here' LOL! :)
Click to expand...

You have no idea how right you are: my apartment was burglarized, not long before it happened, I had seen some news report about that happening to a family, and they said they felt "violated." I rolled my eyes and said, "Please!" When I came home and found all my **** strewn about, and tapes with classic sporting events far more important to me than that match that, for some reason, were taken, I wasn't quite so flippant.
 
britam25 said:
You have no idea how right you are: my apartment was burglarized, not long before it happened, I had seen some news report about that happening to a family, and they said they felt "violated." I rolled my eyes and said, "Please!" When I came home and found all my **** strewn about, and tapes with classic sporting events far more important to me than that match that, for some reason, were taken, I wasn't quite so flippant.
Click to expand...

... Oh man,that sucks.Sorry to hear that.I just hope that the punk/s who stole your stuff at least had the moral decency to do the right thing and leave behind your 2011 Djokovic vs Nadal tapes... You know,the 6 pack box set of joy and entertainment thrown in with a 2012 Australian Open final bonus pack.That's the least they could do :) ;)
 
laughingcavalier said:
... Oh man,that sucks.Sorry to hear that.I just hope that the punk/s who stole your stuff at least had the moral decency to do the right thing and leave behind your 2011 Djokovic vs Nadal tapes... You know,the 6 pack box set of joy and entertainment thrown in with a 2012 Australian Open final bonus pack.That's the least they could do :) ;)
Click to expand...

Lol, nope the B & E job was long before those matches. Those babies are safely tucked away in a safety deposit box, Kidding, but only just...:p

Btw, long time no hear from, good to have you back. Whatever happened to Angie, banned, or left on her own?
 
britam25 said:
Lol, nope the B & E job was long before those matches. Those babies are safely tucked away in a safety deposit box, Kidding, but only just...:p

Btw, long time no hear from, good to have you back. Whatever happened to Angie, banned, or left on her own?
Click to expand...

Thanks man... and likewise ;).... Dunno about Angie.Don't frequent enough on here so I wouldn't know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Men's matches where loser won 9 or more consecutive games in the match but ended up losing the match?
Replies
12
Views
1K
Moose Malloy
M
M
Most Consecutive Games Lost in a Match Victory
Replies
13
Views
2K
ubermeyer
ubermeyer
M
Most consecutive games lost by a top player
2
Replies
62
Views
6K
joeri888
J
M
Consecutive Games Lost in Victory
Replies
5
Views
981
urban
U
M
What is "record" for most consecutive matches lost before winning a Grand Slam
Replies
3
Views
707
RelentlessAttack
R
Back
Top