Great escapes: Halep joins 2019's winners from match point down with WTA Finals comeback

Forty-six players in 59 WTA Tour main draw matches this season have saved at least one match point and gone on to victory. Relive their Houdini-like triumphs here.

01 /59
Donna Vekic saved two match points down 4-5 in the deciding set against Kiki Bertens in the second round of Brisbane, winning 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5 (Getty)
02 /59
Julia Goerges saved one match point en route to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) quarterfinal victory over Eugenie Bouchard in Auckland - before going on to successfully defend her title (Getty)
03 /59
Karolina Pliskova saved four match points and recovered a 1-5 final set deficit in an astonishing comeback over Serena Williams, the most match points the American had wasted since 2001, in the Australian Open quarterfinals, winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 (Getty)
04 /59
Tamara Zidansek survived a rollercoaster second round in Hua Hin; after wasting a 5-1, 40-0 final set lead the Slovenian had to save two match points in the tiebreak before beating Jennifer Brady 6-3, 0-6, 7-6(9) (Toyota Thailand Open presented by E@)
05 /59
Viktoria Kuzmova captured her first Top 10 win over Kiki Bertens in the second round of Dubai 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(6), saving one match point in the tiebreak; Bertens became the first player to lose from match point up twice in 2019 (DDF Tennis)
06 /59
Kuzmova, though, became the first player to win from match point down twice - in successive matches to boot, as she came from 1-6, 3-5 down to beat Sofia Kenin 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 after fending off three match points in the Dubai third round (DDF Tennis)
07 /59
Belinda Bencic pulled off the greatest escape of 2019 so far, staving off six match points against Aryna Sabalenka in the Dubai third round to win 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7) - and going on to lift her third trophy (Jimmie48/WTA)
08 /59
Alison Van Uytvanck's stellar defence of her Budapest title involved a comeback from 2-5 down in the third set, saving five match points, in the semifinals against Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) (Hungarian Ladies Open/Peter Zador)
09 /59
Zheng Saisai recovered from a set and 3-5 deficit against Renata Zarazua in the first round of Acapulco, saving one match point as the wildcard served for the match and emerging a 3-6 7-5, 6-4 winner (ImagenShop)
10 /59
Fresh off her stunning title run in Indian Wells, Bianca Andreescu recovered from a set and 1-5 down, saving a match point at 2-5, to beat Irina-Camelia Begu 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round of Miami (Jimmie48/WTA)
11 /59
A topsy-turvy encounter in the second round of Charleston saw Kaia Kanepi get bagelled, deliver a reverse bagel and save one match point serving to stay in the match before upsetting Elise Mertens 0-6, 6-0, 7-5 (Jimmie48/WTA)
12 /59
Jelena Ostapenko stormed back from a 1-5 third-set deficit, saving one match point at 2-5, to defeat local favorite Shelby Rogers 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second round of Charleston (Volvo Car Open/Chris Smith)
13 /59
The roles were reversed in Ostapenko's next tournament, though: lucky loser Kristie Ahn saved two match points in the third set to score her first Top 30 win 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 over the Latvian No.1 seed in the first round of Bogota (Claro Open Colsanitas)
14 /59
Veronika Kudermetova came from a double break down in the third set to beat Jil Teichmann 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2) in the first round of Lugano, saving two match points as the wildcard served for the match at 5-4 (Samsung Open)
15 /59
Ysaline Bonaventure split two one-sided sets with Magdalena Rybarikova in round one of Rabat, but in a tight decider had to save one match point as the Slovak served for the match and another in the tiebreak before winning 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) (tournament)
16 /59
Johanna Konta stared down the barrel of a 4-6, 5-6, 0-40 deficit against Wang Yafan in round one of Rabat - but did not lose another point in the second set, saving all three match points and eventually winning 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-4 (tournament)
17 /59
Karolina Pliskova saved four match points for the second time in 2019, escaping Dayana Yastremska 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round of Madrid (Jimmie48/WTA)
18 /59
Victoria Azarenka overturned a double-break final-set deficit to score her third Top 10 win of 2019 in the second round of Rome, saving one match point down 2-5 to oust defending champion Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 (Jimmie48/WTA)
19 /59
After holding two championship points in the second set, Dayana Yastremska had to save one against her at 4-5 in the third set, before overcoming Caroline Garcia in the Strasbourg final 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(3) (Chryslene Caillaud)
20 /59
Lesia Tsurenko saved one match point against Aleksandra Krunic as the Serb served for their Roland Garros second-round tilt at 6-5 in the third set - then came back the next day to win 5-7, 7-5, 11-9 after Krunic had served for victory four times (Getty)
21 /59
Anastasija Sevastova saved five match points in a classic third set against Elise Mertens in the third round of Roland Garros - one at 4-5, two at 5-6 and two at 8-9 - before winning 6-7(3), 6-4, 11-9 (Getty)
22 /59
Jennifer Brady saved one match point serving at 4-5 in the third set against Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round of Nottingham, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 (Getty)
23 /59
Alison Riske trailed 0-6, 1-4 and saved five match points - three serving at 0-6, 4-5 and two at 0-6, 5-6 - to overcome Kiki Bertens 0-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 and lift her second career trophy (Libéma Open)
24 /59
In her very next match, Alison Riske was on the losing end: wildcard Paula Badosa saved two match points as the American served at a set and 5-3 up in the first round of Mallorca, and ended her 10-match winning streak 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 (Manuel Queimadelos)
25 /59
Playing her first singles match since her shock Roland Garros semifinal, Amanda Anisimova saved one match point in the second set tiebreak to outlast Tereza Martincova 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 in round one of Mallorca (Manuel Queimadelos)
26 /59
Petra Martic came back from a set and 0-4 down against Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals of Birmingham, saving five match points serving at 4-5 in the second set before winning 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1 (Jimmie48/WTA)
27 /59
Sofia Kenin became the third player to win a final after saving match points in the past month, staving off three as Belinda Bencic served for the Mallorca title at 5-4 in the second set and winning 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4 (Manuel Queimadelos)
28 /59
Tamara Zidansek escaped Carla Suárez Navarro twice in the first round of Eastbourne, saving three match points returning at 4-5 in the second set and two more serving at 3-5 in the decider to win 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 (Getty)
29 /59
In a second-round battle in Eastbourne, Polona Hercog recovered from a 2-5 final-set deficit, saving one match point serving at 4-5, to defeat Pauline Parmentier 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) (Getty)
30 /59
Aryna Sabalenka reversed last year's final result in the third round of Eastbourne, defeating Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) and surviving one match point when the Dane double faulted serving for the win (Jimmie48/WTA)
31 /59
Having lost from match point up three times in 2019, it was Kiki Bertens' turn to make the comeback in the second round of Wimbledon, saving one match point as Taylor Townsend served for the match at 6-5 in set two and winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 (Getty)
32 /59
15-year-old Coco Gauff marked her Centre Court debut at Wimbledon by storming back from a set and 2-5 down against Polona Hercog in the third round, saving two match points, to win 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 (Getty)
33 /59
Tamara Korpatsch saved one match point to defeat Eugenie Bouchard 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of Lausanne; from match point down with the Canadian serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider, Korpatsch reeled off 11 of the final 12 points (Getty)
34 /59
In a seesaw first round in Jurmala, Caroline Garcia missed a match point in the second set tiebreak and had to save one in the final set tiebreak before eventually taking her fifth to beat Kristyna Pliskova 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(6) (Baltic Open/Gravis Visuals)
35 /59
Maria Sakkari pulled off a remarkable comeback against No.1 seed Elina Svitolina in the San Jose quarterfinals after trailing 1-6, 2-5, saving four match points - three returning at 3-5, one serving at 4-5 - and winning 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 (Jimmie48/WTA)
36 /59
Alison Riske pulled off her second win from match points down in 2019, saving three in a row in the deciding tiebreak to oust Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(7) in the first round of Toronto (Jared Wickerham/Tennis Canada)
37 /59
Donna Vekic also captured her second win from match point down in 2019 in the first round of Toronto, facing triple match point as Madison Keys served for the win at 5-4 in the second set but coming back to triumph 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) (Jimmie48/WTA)
38 /59
Svetlana Kuznetsova saved two match points against Dayana Yastremska in the second round of Cincinnati as the Ukrainian served for the match, winning 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 - and going on to reach her biggest final in over two years (Jimmie48/WTA)
39 /59
Katerina Siniakova saved two consecutive match points in the second-set tiebreak to overcome Bernarda Pera 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in the Bronx quarterfinals (Jimmie48/WTA)
40 /59
Camila Giorgi saved four match points before beating Wang Qiang 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) in the Bronx semifinals: one as Wang served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, and three in a row in the deciding tiebreak (Jimmie48/WTA)
41 /59
Julia Goerges came through a seesaw first round at the US Open 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) against Natalia Vikhlyantseva, winning 10 of the last 11 points after facing one match point serving at 5-6 in the decider (Getty)
42 /59
Kaia Kanepi came from a set and 3-5 down to overcome Tatjana Maria 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the first round of the US Open, saving three match points as Maria served for the win at 5-4 in the second set (Getty)
43 /59
In a knife-edge US Open second-round contest, a serve-and-volleying Taylor Townsend squandered two match points serving for the win over Simona Halep - but saved one serving to stay alive and eventually pulled off the upset 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) (Getty)
44 /59
Donna Vekic became the first player to win from match point down three times in 2019, saving one as Julia Goerges served for the win in the fourth round of the US Open and coming through 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 (Getty)
45 /59
Wildcard Liu Fangzhou saved two match points with brilliant backhands serving to stay in the match against Anna Danilina in the first round of Nanchang, ultimately coming through 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 (Getty)
46 /59
Misaki Doi enjoyed home success in Tokyo to move up eight to 75th (Japan Women's Open)
47 /59
Alison Riske pulled off a win from match point down for the third time in 2019 in the first round of Zhengzhou, saving one in the deciding tiebreak to overhaul Angelique Kerber 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a barnburner (Zhengzhou Open)
48 /59
Marie Bouzkova made the last eight in Guangzhou to rise five places to No.58 (Elizabeth Bai)
49 /59
Serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, Hsieh Su-Wei saved one match point before coming back to beat Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round of Osaka 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 for the second time in as many meetings (Getty)
50 /59
Zheng Saisai won from match point down for the second time this year in the first round of Guangzhou, overcoming doubles partner and compatriot Duan Yingying 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-1 after saving one serving at 5-6 in the second set (Elizabeth Bai)
51 /59
Viktoria Kuzmova became the third player to win from match point down thrice in 2019 in the second round of Tashkent, saving two - one serving at 5-6 in the decider, one in the final set tiebreak - to beat Greet Minnen 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(7) (Tashkent Tennis)
52 /59
Facing two match points serving at 4-5 in the decider against Venus Williams in the second round of Beijing, Belinda Bencic hit four winners in a row to escape and win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 (Jimmie48/WTA)
53 /59
Ashleigh Barty saved one match point in the final tiebreak against Kiki Bertens in the Beijing SFs to win 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7) - the first time she had won after saving match point since beating Louisa Chirico in 2014 Strasbourg qualifying (Jimmie48/WTA)
54 /59
In a topsy-turvy first round in Tianjin, Yulia Putintseva came back from a 3-5 final-set deficit, saving one match point at 3-5, to defeat Astra Sharma 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 (Tianjin Open)
55 /59
A dramatic first-round epic in Linz found Laura Siegemund squandering a 6-2, 5-4, 40-0 lead serving for the match over Fiona Ferro - but going on to save two match points serving to stay in it and winning 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 (GEPA Pictures/Matthias Hauer)
56 /59
Heather Watson squandered one match point serving for a win over Magda Linette in the second set - but bounced back to triumph 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) after saving four serving down 4-5 in the decider (Tianjin Open)
57 /59
A rollercoaster Linz semifinal saw Jelena Ostapenko save three match points - one in the second set returning at 5-6, two in the decider serving at 4-5 - before overcoming Ekaterina Alexandrova 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 (GEPA Pictures/Matthias Hauer)
58 /59
Denisa Allertova scored her first WTA main draw win since Nottingham 2018 in dramatic style in round one of Luxembourg, saving one match point on an overrule in the deciding tiebreak before overcoming Mandy Minella 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 7-6(6) (Luxembourg Open)
59 /59
Simona Halep's much-anticipated first clash with Bianca Andreescu in the round robin of the WTA Finals delivered on its promise, with the Romanian saving one match point serving at 3-6, 5-6 before winning 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 (Getty)

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