Super servers: The most aces fired in a single match since 2008
Karolina Pliskova's 24 aces in the US Open second round were both a new personal best and a tournament record. It was the 30th match in which a player has tallied 20 aces or more since 2008, when service statistics started to be recorded. Look back at all of them here.
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The highest total of aces in one WTA match on record is 31, set by Kristyna Pliskova in the second round of the 2016 Australian Open - though despite holding five match points, the Czech still fell 4-6, 7-6(6), 9-7 to Monica Puig.
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Remarkably, Kristyna Pliskova delivered the second-highest total in another loss to Monica Puig, firing 28 aces in the second round of Luxembourg 2019 but falling 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6).
BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open
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Sabine Lisicki struck 27 aces during her 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over Belinda Bencic in the second round of Birmingham 2015, the highest recorded total by a match winner and in a straight-sets contest.
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Arguably the greatest serve in the history of women's tennis was at its most lethal at Wimbledon 2012, when Serena Williams struck 24 aces during her 6-3, 7-6(6) semifinal win over Victoria Azarenka en route to her 14th major title.
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05
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The ninth and most recent pro-level clash of the Pliskova twins occurred in the second round of Birmingham 2019, with Kristyna raining down 24 aces to claim her first Top 5 win over Karolina 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7).
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The 24 aces Karolina Pliskova hit in her 2021 US Open second-round defeat of Amanda Anisimova were both a new career-best total and a tournament record in a women's match (since records started to be kept in 1998).
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Serena Williams's thrilling 6-7(5), 6-2, 9-7 third-round defeat of Zheng Jie included 23 aces, and was the first of two matches during her Wimbledon 2012 title run in which the American tallied over 20.
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Kristyna Pliskova tallied 20 aces or more in five matches during the '10s - but lost four of them, including a 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 defeat by Oceane Dodin in the first round of Linz 2016 despite 23 aces.
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Ekaterina Alexandrova rocketed down 22 aces during her 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Kristie Ahn in the 2019 Seoul quarterfinals, a a result that put the Russian into the first outdoor WTA semifinal of her career.
KEB Hana Bank Korea Open
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A rare all-tiebreak scoreline in the 2020 Lyon semifinals saw Alison Van Uytvanck fire 22 aces in total, but fall 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 7-6(2) to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.
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Wildcard Michaella Krajicek slammed down 21 aces in the second round of 's-Hertogenbosch 2015, but ultimately lost 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 to eventual champion Camila Giorgi.
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Madison Keys needed to survive Stefanie Voegele 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4 with the aid of 21 aces in the first round of Wimbledon 2015, a springboard towards the American's first SW19 quarterfinal run that year.
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A fiery second-round encounter at Auckland 2016 saw Naomi Broady come from a set and 2-5 down, saving a match point and hitting 21 aces along the way, to defeat Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.
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Maria Sharapova hit 21 aces in her 7-5, 7-5 defeat of Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open 2016.
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Karolina Pliskova was the Tour's overall ace leader in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, and first tallied 21 in one match against Dominika Cibulkova in the 2017 Doha semifinals, which the Czech won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 en route to her eighth WTA title.
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Naomi Broady equalled her career-best total of 21 aces in the first round of Monterrey 2018, where the Briton powered past Carol Zhao 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2.
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Julia Goerges took the crown of Tour ace leader from Karolina Pliskova in 2018, but it was in the following year that the German posted a career-best match total of 21 aces - first during a 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 fourth-round loss to Donna Vekic at the US Open.
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A month later, Goerges again struck 21 aces - this time also pulling out the win, defeating Misaki Doi 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of Luxembourg 2019 before going all the way to the final.
BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open
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Four years after first hitting 21 aces in one match, Karolina Pliskova matched her then career-best tally in her 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 second-round defeat of Jelena Ostapenko at Stuttgart 2021.
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A classic Wimbledon semifinal in 2009 saw Serena Williams rain down 20 aces during a 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6 triumph over Elena Dementieva en route to the American's 11th Grand Slam crown.
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21
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Naomi Broady kickstarted her reputation as one of the Tour's biggest server at Birmingham 2011 when, as a qualifier ranked World No.231, the Briton fired 20 aces to capture her first WTA main draw win 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 over Caroline Garcia.
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Serena Williams sent down 20 aces during her 7-5, 6-3 win over Samantha Stosur in the fourth round of Miami 2012.
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23
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The first time Karolina Pliskova totalled 20 aces in one match was in the first round of Indian Wells 2014, where the Czech defeated Michelle Larcher De Brito 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
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24
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Karolina Pliskova also talled 20 aces during her 7-6(2), 7-6(7) win over Ashleigh Barty in the 2016 Nottingham quarterfinals, a stepping stone towards her fifth career title.
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Having fired 21 aces to win her Monterrey 2018 first round, Naomi Broady sent down another 20 in the second round - but fell 6-3, 6-7(6) 7-5 to eventual runner-up Timea Babos.
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Viktoria Kuzmova posted 20 aces during her 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 defeat of Sofia Kenin in the second round of Auckland 2019, a win that set the Slovak on a path to her third career WTA semifinal.
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The highest recorded number of aces in a WTA clay main draw match to date is 20, achieved three times in 2019 - first by Kiki Bertens in the second round of Stuttgart 2019 during her 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Belinda Bencic.
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A month later in the second round of Rome 2019, Madison Keys matched Bertens' clay high of 20 aces, but fell 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to Sofia Kenin.
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The third player to rack up 20 aces on clay in 2019 was Kristyna Pliskova in the first round of Jurmala, though the Czech would nevertheless lose 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(6) from match point up to Caroline Garcia.
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The most recent player to fire 20 aces in a Grand Slam match was Serena Williams during her 2020 US Open quarterfinal defeat of Tsvetana Pironkova, which the 38-year-old won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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