tie-break

NEW YORK Reuters - Serena Williams battered fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the first set and then prevailed in a dramatic tie-break to close out a 6-1 7-6 win and move into the round of 16 at the U.S. Open Saturday.

Serena Williams beats Azarenko to reach fourth round Reuters 2011

NEW YORK Reuters - Serena Williams battered fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the first set and then prevailed in a dramatic tie-break to close out a 6-1 7-6 win and move into the round of 16 at the U.S. Open Saturday.

Serena Williams beats Azarenko to reach fourth round Reuters 2011

Stosur defeated last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 – a relatively comfortable passage for the Australian after her record-breaking match against Nadia Petrova and her record-breaking tie-break against Maria Kirilenko.

Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki set up US Open semi-final 2011

Haase hit the first of his five aces to lead 5-3 before they both struggled their way to a tie-break in which Murray led 4-1 before losing seven points in a row.

Andy Murray lives dangerously for US Open survival against Robin Haase 2011

Nadal lost his serve 11 times, yet never gave up; Djokovic, battered in the tie-break, took a medical time-out at the start of the fourth set, then immediately broke Nadal, going on to finish a job he had looked like completing maybe two hours earlier.

Novak Djokovic battles past Rafael Nadal to first US Open title 2011

Nevertheless, at 6-6, Tsonga was still prone enough to jumpiness to make him the wild outsider in any tie-break.

Fed Express Fails to Deliver Giles Smith 2011

The Spaniard was broken again in the first game of the second set but he then found his best form, levelling matters and then coasting into the lead in the third set before winning the fourth following a tie-break.

Sport news in brief 2011

With all the challenges, with two on match point, when she hit half the line, it was millimetres that cost me the tie-break.

Sam Stosur: Serena is intimidating even when on her best behaviour 2011

In her next match, against Maria Kirilenko, Stosur lost a second-set tie-break which, with a score of 17-15, was the longest in women's grand slam tennis.

Sam Stosur: Serena is intimidating even when on her best behaviour 2011

Sharapova, serving to stay in the match, held to love, while Jankovic had to negotiate deuce to pull ahead – and duly lost the inevitable tie-break.

Maria Sharapova loses her cool but is too hot for Jelena Jankovic 2011