How many sets are played at the Australian Open — format and AO 2024 records

Introduction: Why ‘how many sets in tennis Australian Open’ matters

The question “how many sets in tennis Australian Open” is central to understanding match length, player endurance and tournament scheduling. The Australian Open, as one of four Grand Slams, uses scoring formats that affect players, broadcasters and fans. Recent developments at AO 2024 — notably a surge in five-set matches — have renewed interest in how matches are decided and the role of tiebreaks.

Main body: Format, recent events and key facts

Match format at the Australian Open

At the Australian Open, like all Grand Slams, men’s singles matches are played as best-of-five sets: the first player to win three sets wins the match. Other events use different formats; mixed doubles, junior doubles and quad and wheelchair doubles use a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set when teams split the opening two sets.

AO 2024: A record-breaking opening round

The 2024 Australian Open men’s singles opening round set a new tournament benchmark: 20 matches extended to five sets, surpassing the previous Australian Open opening-round record of 16 five-set matches. Of the 64 opening matches in the men’s draw, only 20 were decided in straight sets, underlining how closely contested the early round was. The Open-era Grand Slam record for most five-set men’s singles matches in round one remains 21, set at Roland Garros in 2023.

Tiebreaks and match-deciders

Five of the five-set opening-round battles at AO 2024 were decided in a match tiebreak. That number establishes a new Australian Open record and ties the all-time Grand Slam record set at the US Open in 2021. The Australian Open introduced a 10-point tiebreak to decide final sets in 2019; by Roland Garros 2022 all Grand Slams had adopted a uniform final-set tiebreak system. High-profile matches under these conditions included Felix Auger-Aliassime’s five-set win over Dominic Thiem and Daniel Elahi Galan’s 2-6 6-3 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(8) victory over wildcard Jason Kubler.

Conclusion: Implications and outlook for fans

Knowing “how many sets in tennis Australian Open” helps fans set expectations for match length and drama. AO 2024’s surge in five-set matches highlights increasing competitiveness early in Grand Slams and the decisive role of tiebreaks. With uniform final-set rules across majors, fans and players can expect clearer, more consistent outcomes — but also more high-stakes, potentially marathon encounters that shape tournament narratives.