A typical tennis match usually lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours, but it can be as short as about 40–60 minutes or stretch well beyond 4 hours in rare epic battles. The exact length depends mainly on the format (best‑of‑three vs best‑of‑five sets), the level of play, and how tight the score is.

Quick Scoop

  • Club / recreational matches :
    • Often best‑of‑3 sets or shorter formats.
    • Commonly around 60–90 minutes if one player wins in straight sets, up to about 2 hours if sets are close or go to tiebreaks.
  • Pro best‑of‑3 matches (most ATP/WTA events) :
    • Average around 90 minutes to about 2 hours.
    • Fast, one‑sided matches can finish in roughly 45–60 minutes, while tight, tiebreak‑heavy matches may push past 2.5–3 hours.
  • Grand Slam men’s singles (best‑of‑5) :
    • Commonly in the 2.5–4 hour range, with many “standard” matches around 2 hours 45 minutes.
* Marathon matches can exceed 5 hours; the longest ever ran about 11 hours of playing time spread over three days.
  • Grand Slam women’s singles (best‑of‑3) :
    • Often between 1.5 and 3 hours, similar to other best‑of‑3 pro matches, depending on how competitive the sets are.
  • Doubles and faster formats :
    • Doubles and alternative formats (like Fast4 or match tiebreaks instead of a full third set) are generally shorter, often around 60–90 minutes.

What Makes Matches Longer or Shorter?

  • Number of sets :
    • More sets = longer match; best‑of‑5 naturally runs longer than best‑of‑3.
  • Set tightness :
    • Quick 6–1, 6–2 sets end much faster than 7–6 sets with long games and tiebreaks.
  • Surface :
    • Clay (e.g., French Open) tends to produce longer rallies and matches.
    • Grass (e.g., Wimbledon) usually leads to shorter points and slightly quicker matches.
  • Player styles :
    • Big servers and aggressive players can shorten rallies and match time, while defensive baseliners grinding out long rallies extend matches.

Fun extremes and “latest” context

  • Fastest professional matches have been recorded at around 20–30 minutes when one player dominates and points are very short.
  • At the other end, ultra‑marathon matches—like the famous 11‑hour, three‑day Wimbledon battle—have become a staple reference in forum discussions whenever people debate “how long does a tennis match last?” as a trending topic.

In practice, if you’re heading to watch or play a standard best‑of‑3 match, planning for about 1.5–2 hours is usually a safe, realistic expectation.

TL;DR: Most tennis matches last around 1.5–3 hours, with shorter social games closer to an hour and only rare professional epics going beyond 4–5 hours.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.