Greatest comeback in a professional tennis match (female)

In a US Open second-round qualifier on the weekend of 27–28 August 1983, Barbara “Barbie” Bramblett was trailing 0-6, 0-5 and facing three match points at love-40 when serving in game six of the second set against Ann Hulbert (both USA). Remarkably, the 18-year-old Bramblett went on to win the match 0-6, 7-5, 6-3, saving 18 match points in the process.

Britain’s Tara Moore staged a similar feat against French third seed Jessika Ponchet at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tour event in Sunderland, UK, on 9 April 2019, coming back from 0-6, 0-5, 30-40 to win the first-round match 0-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. Moore’s epic recovery started with a net-cord winner at 30-40 in game six of the second set, whereas Bramblett won from 0-40 (two points further back) in game six of the second set of her match, so the record remains with Bramblett. In theory, short of saving more than 18 match points from 0-6, 0-5, love-40 down in a best-of-three-sets women’s match, Bramblett’s achievement cannot be bettered.

Bramblett reached the US Open main draw in 1983, but suffered a first-round loss against American Jean Hepner, 1-6, 7-6, 3-6, after a marathon 3 hours 49 minutes.

Bramblett retired from pro tennis in 1985, but not before staging another epic comeback, from 1-6, 0-5 down against Kathy Holton in qualifying for the WTA’s (Women’s Tennis Association) Virginia Slims of Nashville tournament in 1984.